Doctors or Nurses- a blood sugar question

[worm761]

When I was pregnant with DD I had gestational diabetes. I had to track my sugar levels and I did. The doctors had a fit every time my sugar went over 100. Why? I thought good levels were between 70 and 120. I have had some sugar problems since I was 15. My levels tend to drop, not go high. So I check my sugar levels, not necessarily every day but a few times a week. My levels have been around 105 lately which is a little high for my norm. I am usually between 80 and 95. I guess I am wondering if this is something I should be worrying about. There is a strong family history of diabetes and I am trying to ward it off while I still can. I am 34 though. My mother and aunt were in their late 30's when they were diagnosed. I have been trying to eat healthier and my cupcakes are a diabetic recipe. So yummy though. Thanks for listening!

 

[jillianml]

You should call your DR!Set up an appointment to discuss this and ask him these questions.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

ITA you need to do the glucose tolerance test again. They may want you to test your blood sugar more often. I would anyway.
Diabetes is a serious condition you should not ignore.

 

[monkeybug]

One thing to think of is that the meters can be off by a little, I believe 10%. So you might get a reading of 105 and really be 20 points lower or higher than that. If you only check a few times a week, you might not be getting a good overall average of where you are at. If you are concerned why not start testing more often for a week or so, and see what you average than.
Normal blood sugar is between 70-120, a doctor wanting you to stay below 100 sounds like they are being very conservative.
Unless you are talking about a fasting blood sugar, which should be below I believe 95 in a healthy adult.
If you want to get a truly accurate idea of where you are at, than you would need a blood test from your Dr.
I don't know if I would schedule a Dr's apt if your blood sugar is in the low 100's 2 hours after a meal, as that is going to be considered normal, but hypoglycemia is a precursor to diabetes, so if that's in your history you should probably see a Dr.

 

[monkeybug]

Also if you were diagnosed with GD, your primary should be having you do a glucose tolerance test as part of your annual exam. Have you had one since your pregnancy? If not, and if it's been more than a year, you should probably be getting one regardless of what your blood sugar reading is.
My grandfather has type 2 diabetes, and my aunt pre diabetes even though they have always been thin and active. My primary monitors my blood sugar annually because of that (it's called an ac something, not drinking icky syrup).

 

[worm761]

It is called an AC1 test.

DD is only 8 months old. I haven't really had any problems with my sugar levels. I check just to make sure. The low 100's were after eating so I feel they are fine. If I check after a fasting they are always below 100. I know what diabetes can do if you don't keep it in check. That is why I was asking. I thought that anything below 120 after eating was ok. But remembered the OB not wanting them over 100. I thought that was a little extreme.

Most of my mother's side of the family has diabetes. My aunt and my mother both died a young death because they chose to not take care of it. I just want to head that off. I have no desire to be dead before I am even 50 years old. I figured if I started watching things now then I am ahead of the game. I will talk to the doctor about it though. It just seemed like under 100 was just a little much. My sugars drop though if I don't eat often enough. I am really bad though because I am a carb junkie. I am trying to stop though.

 

[monkeybug]

It is called an AC1 test.

DD is only 8 months old. I haven't really had any problems with my sugar levels. I check just to make sure. The low 100's were after eating so I feel they are fine. If I check after a fasting they are always below 100. I know what diabetes can do if you don't keep it in check. That is why I was asking. I thought that anything below 120 after eating was ok. But remembered the OB not wanting them over 100. I thought that was a little extreme.

Most of my mother's side of the family has diabetes. My aunt and my mother both died a young death because they chose to not take care of it. I just want to head that off. I have no desire to be dead before I am even 50 years old. I figured if I started watching things now then I am ahead of the game. I will talk to the doctor about it though. It just seemed like under 100 was just a little much. My sugars drop though if I don't eat often enough. I am really bad though because I am a carb junkie. I am trying to stop though.

I'm not a Dr., but low 100's after eating (especially if your eating lot's of carbs and not following a low carb diet) sounds perfectly normal to me! When you had GD and they wanted you to stay under 100 they were probably also having you eat a controlled amount of carbs, so if your eating what ever you like and still staying close to that 100 number, chances are you are fine. I know that a fasting number close to 100 is a little high though, I think ideally they would want that in the 80's, so maybe just mention that to the Dr. at your yearly exam.
Sounds like you are just fine though, and staying on top of things. Probably no reason to rush off to see a Dr! It doesn't seem like anything that can't wait until your annual exam when they will likely test you anyways.

 

[Anjelica]

I'm not a Dr., but low 100's after eating (especially if your eating lot's of carbs and not following a low carb diet) sounds perfectly normal to me! When you had GD and they wanted you to stay under 100 they were probably also having you eat a controlled amount of carbs, so if your eating what ever you like and still staying close to that 100 number, chances are you are fine. I know that a fasting number close to 100 is a little high though, I think ideally they would want that in the 80's, so maybe just mention that to the Dr. at your yearly exam.
Sounds like you are just fine though, and staying on top of things. Probably no reason to rush off to see a Dr! It doesn't seem like anything that can't wait until your annual exam when they will likely test you anyways.

Low 100's after eating is VERY normal. I would be interested in what your fasting levels are as that is more telling if you have a problem. What are you Blood Sugar levels before you eat when you get up in the morning?

I agree with others that you should have the AC1 test done yearly. I to also had gestational diabetes - higher levels with the 1st child but with 2nd child I was borderline so doctor and I agreed to treat me like I had it to be on the safe side.

 

[worm761]

Thanks. I thought I was fine too but started to wonder when I started thinking about the 100 thing after eating. I had a lot of problems with my pregnancy and the GD was just one of them. I know that it makes a greater chance of having diabetes, which I already had to begin with. I guess age is just sort of catching up to me. My brothers are 40 and 39. My generation is getting up there. My mother was not a healthy woman. She had a heart attack at 42, cancer at 43. Never took care of her diabetes so she ended up with neuropathy and had to go on dialysis before she died. She was only 49. I am 34 and that is only 15 years from now. It is a scary thought. I quit smoking almost 4 years ago, drink significantly less soda but just can't seem to give it up completely (only 1, sometimes 2, a day), generally eat healthier. I am trying to not turn into my mother. My sister is following in her footsteps and fully expects to die young. I don't want to.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

The old "normal" numbers were between 110-145 (at least when my brother was diagnosed Type 1 20 years ago), now the "normal" range is considered 80-100.

I'm not sure when it switched over, but they are aiming for a lower, smaller range.

 

[Disney Doll]

DH's endocrinologist likes his fasting sugar to be less than 100. He feels that the accepted "norm" up to 120 is a bit high for a fasting sugar.

A sugar in the low 100's within an hour or two of eating is fine.

But you are wise, especially with a family history of diabetes and also a personal history of gestational diabetes, to keep a very close eye on your blood sugar.

 

[monkeybug]

DH's endocrinologist likes his fasting sugar to be less than 100. He feels that the accepted "norm" up to 120 is a bit high for a fasting sugar.

A sugar in the low 100's within an hour or two of eating is fine.

But you are wise, especially with a family history of diabetes and also a personal history of gestational diabetes, to keep a very close eye on your blood sugar.

I think in people who do not have diabetes they want the fasting blood sugar to be under 90, as research has indicated that those with a higher than 90 fasting blood sugar were more likely to develop diabetes. I know that it was after my aunt had a fasting blood sugar of 92, that they had her do the glucose tolerance test and found she was pre-diabetic.
My doctor uses the lower range when screening, anything from 70-95 (fasting) is considered fine, but anything higher than that and she orders a glucose tolerance test. She admits this is a conservative approach, but her practice uses it to "cast a wider net" so to speak and find people with insulin resistance early on. She also uses the lower 110 number for an after meal blood sugar. If a person were found to have insulin resistance they wouldn't be required to stay between 70-110, they just use those numbers to identify who might need further screening.