I'm totally lost ....

Before going into a panic take a deep breath.

While 6.4 (and I am assuming this was an A1c test result) is a little high it is not the end nor does it mean you are diabetic or even "pre" diabetic. It is possible this could be normal for you. The current thinking is that "normal" people have an A1c result between the low 5's and 6.

As far as what you can do until you can get into your doctor's office is:

Get yourself a meter. You can actually get them for free from many manufacturers web sites....just type in something like One Touch, Acu-check or Free Glucose meter, though even if you buy one they are not that expensive for a basic one. It is the test strips that can get expensive but insurance will usually cover that once you have been diagnosed as needed it.

Anyway test your blood sugar at home twice a day and keep a record of when you test and the results. Test once in the morning before eating and drinking anything for your fasting reading and then mix up through out the day. Test sometimes before lunch or dinner or bedtime. Test 2-3 hours after a meal and so forth. The record will give you an idea of what your sugar levels are doing through out the day.

An example of your log: (Your log can be a small notebook. Some meters come with a log too).

8/28 102 2 hours PB (post breakfast)
8/30 82 BB (before breakfast)

You can use whatever abbreviations you want. If you get a really high or low reading make a note of what you have had to eat and/or drink from your last meal to when you just took your reading.

Everyone you talk to will give you a slightly different version of what "normal" is for home checks. Basically 80-100 fasting and 80-120 post meal is what you want to see. Anything over 120 start making notes. (Note these are numbers used on US meters. I understand Canada uses a different system which conforms directly with the A1c scale. So if you use a Canadian meter you want it under 6 ideally and closer to 5 the better).


If you are concerned about your diet there is nothing wrong with reducing your carb intake. Try to eat the same amount of carbs per meal for every meal. Start off at around 45 grams of carbs per meal and see what happens. Also keep in mind that your total caloric intake can effect how quickly your body processes food and uses the sugars/carbs you consume.

Hello Mrs. Toodles, I'm glad you found us.  I'm sure you feel a little lost at this point but you'll feel better after learning as much as you can.  Please spend some time reading through our older posts and you can find lots of information about diet, medication, etc.  I'm presuming the test you had was just a fasting test and the 6.4 means 6.4 mmol/L.  This is the measurement used in Canada and the UK (and probably the rest of the world).  In the States, we use mg/dL and the equivalent for us would be about 117.  This is not terribly high but would be a red flag for you to be aware that your fasting blood sugar is elevated and you might need another test.  Yes, cutting back on carbohydrates and engaging in some sort of sustained exercise is very helpful in controling blood sugar, especially in someone who might be considered 'borderline'.  Swimming and walking are very good - and make sure it's ok with your doctor since you have had back surgeries.  There are two other lab tests the doctor might order: the glucose tolerance test in which you fast, they take blood, and then you drink a sugary drink in a lab and they take your blood after 1 hour and then after 2 hours.  And there's the HBA1c or (or A1c) which is just a regular blood test taken any time of the day (you don't have to be fasting) which measures what your blood sugar averaged for about 3 months.  The results of the A1c is not equivalent to the mmol/L measurement.  It's completely different.  Stay with us and ask all the questions you need to, ok?

  

Where do you live, Mrs. Toodles?  I'm just wondering about which blood glucose system your readings are on.

Yes. anything with lots of sugar (or honey, corn syrup, molasses, etc.) or flour will raise the blood sugar of someone who's having trouble metabolizing carbohydrates, even if your blood test was done fasting overnight.  All this means is that your fasting blood sugar is elevated (in my opinion).  That fasting reading you got probably means you're "borderline" - a term some doctors still use.  It also probably means that it can be controlled by diet and exercise.  (I'm not a doctor.  I'm just going through this myself.)  If I were you, I wouldn't stress out over this.  If it were critical, he would have had you back in the office immediately.  The best way for you to deal with this is to make some adjustments to the diet by cutting out some carbs and doing the swimming and walking.  If you need to lose weight, this will help you do it.  Spend some time reading our old posts about food/diet/recipes and you'll learn a lot.  By the time you see the doctor again, you'll know more than he does.