Diabetes

Steve - This is a problem for older men as various medications can contribute to the problem as well as diet, weight, and exercise. Values under 100 when fasting are best but can vary between 70 and 140 or more during the day and be considered normal. The gold standard is the A1C test which measures your average blood sugar over the last few months independent of what you have been eating before test. This value should be < 5.7 and > 6.4 is not good.

The wife is always right and you should get the A1C test and make that part of your annual testing like I do now. If it is elevated, you will get the lecture about diet, lose weight, exercise, etc from the doctor. If it is way out of whack, then you may have another medication to consider.

Just more fun as you get older.

steve, my fasting blood glucose has run between 110-125 for years. Yet my A1C has always been between 4.9 and 5.3
As others have said, get an a1c, that will tell you whether you have something to be concerned with

My glucose score was 90 in July after fasting.
A1c was 5.4
Age 73
Fitness: very good

Dave

Steve - I guess this raises the obvious question, have you been trying to do anything to reduce your blood sugar levels? There are some pretty specific recommendations regarding diet that can be employed as well as the weight and exercise recommendation for everything that ails you. I hover around 5.7 A1C and it takes effort on my part to keep it there as it is not my natural condition.

Tough call Steve0, good to hear your marriage is going well.

I will give you my good new - bad news story. My Dad is 95 and has uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes which is tied together with heart failure and kidney failure. The heart problems came first and the others followed years later. No telling what caused what but they are all interrelated to getting old with issues. He refuses to do anything about it, A1C = 8, yet the doctors shoot him up with insulin when he has to visit the ER for other issues. Oh yeah PSA is 9.0 also but that shipped sailed a long time ago. But he is 95….

I completely understand his feelings when one is in his 90’s and have survived everything thrown at him to date. At age 70, I have a long way to go before 90’s so I do what I can do, one year at a time. I think you just need to address what you can with diet being top of list. Carbs and sugar are the blood sugar enemy and any exercise is good. I hate swimming but many say it is good for joint issues. Just try to think it through with your wife and do what you can. My brother’s wife is the only thing that keeps him under control so she is a saint in this process.

My glucose has been that high and higher sometimes. My GP sent me for a a1c and it was 5.9. 6 months later it was 5.7. I've had to cut back on ice cream and candy. I only have it when I want it now.

I am *very* familiar with that blob feeling.

18 months ago I weighed almost 400 pounds. My a1c was like 7. Fasting number was 135. Today i am in the 290’s my a1c is 5.6 and my fasting is 95

If you can lose 5-10 percent of your body weight you just might see a pretty dramatic drop in your a1c and fasting blood numbers

Reduce breads/carbs. Those are the things that cause your insulin to spike, make you tired after meals and cause you to sit in that comfy chair.

Is the sore hip replaceable?
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Try not to eat anything after dinner until lunch the next day (except coffee which has milk and sugar in it) in the morning.

Get a fitbit or step tracker. No need for something as ridiculously expensive as an Apple Watch. Fitbit Charge 5. $150 or less. It will count your steps and can remind you to walk around a little bit each hour. Its tiring at first but then you feel good after.

No exotic or expensive diets. 2000 calories/day or less. Low carb (but not no carb). Intermittent fasting. Light exercise. All of these things will add up to losing a pound or two a week.

It becomes part of your life.

To answer your question, yes it is worth it. Bit by bit you will feel better. More alert. Happy.