Well, I was snacking on gluten free rice chex no milk, the vanilla flavored and didnt feel amazing 30 min later. Dizzy, been overly tired for days now. Decided to check my BS and it spiked to 245. Coming down and back to normal by 3rd hour. This is crazy, I’m on 500mg of metformin once a day, now what. Everyone said stop testing, it will make you anxious, well great. So I do it and have some crazy number, who knows if this is every day. What will it take, to get better help or diagnosis, me in the hospital, hardly breathing. Sad 
Hi @momof2! So, 245 after a bunch of rice chex doesn’t seem that unusual for a T1, especially if 500mg of Metformin is your whole treatment. Everything depends on how many grams you ate of course, but a couple of handfuls of that stuff would knock me right up there if I didn’t bolus for it–it certainly wouldn’t be covered by my basal insulin let alone just Metformin. Is that really all you’re taking? No insulin? Also, 245 wouldn’t normally call for a hospital visit in itself. Was it sustained for a long time and did you test for ketones?
Would love to be more help but it’s a little hard without more info. I certainly sympathize with your frustration–hope you’re feeling better now anyway!
I seem to remember you saying that you tested negative for antibodies and that your c-peptide level was not diagnostic of Type 1 diabetes. So I’m unclear as to why your doctor is saying you are Type 1 and/or why you believe you are Type 1. I went back to your first post and these are the lab results you reported:
Fasting Glucose = 92 (*I do not have diabetes, and my fasting glucose is 111.)
Insulin = 1.8
NEGATIVE FOR GAD, IA-2, INSULIN ANTIBODIES
NOTHING FOUND IN URINE
A1c = 5.6
C-peptide = 0.83
I don’t know what your source for normal lab values are, but the above results are not diagnostic of Type 1 diabetes, and I believe quite a few TuD members told you this exact same thing… In light of these quite normal results, I’d say your endo was spot on in doing no more than starting you on 500 mg Metformin/day. To tell you the truth, with results like that, I’m not sure I’d start a patient of mine on medication at that point in time.
If you actually have Type 2 diabetes and are taking only 500 mg of Metformin once daily and ate a bunch of Chex mix, 245 is about what one would expect. 500 mg of Metformin once daily is a low dose. Are you aware of the fact that 500 mg is the lowest dose of Metformin available and that a common starting dose of Metformin is 500 mg twice daily? No one dies from a post-prandial BG of 247 in response to a huge carb load. I’ve never even heard of someone needing to be hospitalized for such a thing. A fasting BG of 600 or 1000 or more is reason to get upset and worry about hospitalization or DKA leading to coma or death. Those are the kinds of BGs many people with Type 1 have at diagnosis. BGs of 600+ fasting that remain that way or keep going higher and higher are what I and every other parent of a child with Type 1, and many adults diagnosed with Type 1, saw at diagnosis. Honestly, a BG that rises to 245 after eating a slew of carbs with only 500 mg/day of Metformin on board that returns to normal within 3 hours is not a big deal and certainly not something that needs to be viewed as alarming or even unexpected. You should speak with whoever prescribed your Metformin and let them know that your BG rises to 245 after eating a lot of carbs and then returns to normal within 3 hours; I suspect that they might increase your Metformin dose a bit. I highly recommend that you read Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner. Among many other things, this book will instruct you about what truly dangerous BG levels are and what you should expect to see as a normal response after eating a load of carbs when your medication dose is not yet at a therapeutic level.
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Also - just because something is gluten free does not mean it is low carb! Chex sounds like a really high carb snack.
Why are you checking after only 30 minutes? Maybe try aiming for the 1 or 2 hour mark to see if your bg falls within a target range.
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As someone with type 2 that would probably be my response to rice chex at 30 minutes. Sadly diabetes is a condition of carbohyrdate intolerance.
And who told you not to test? That seems like totally the opposite of what someone with diabetes needs to do. You should test 2 hours after meals to determine which meals leave your blood sugar too high and that should give you guidance on whether you can tolerate a meal. Testing at 30 minutes only tells you whether you ate simple carbs or not (rice chex are simple carbs, about the same as table sugar).
Also always remember to wash your hands before testing… If you have an a1c of 5.6 you’re not getting spikes like this all that often (although you might as well be injecting glucose directly into your aorta by eating rice chex). Just having traces on your finger though absolutely will, every time without exception give your meter sky high readings.
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You care certainly right, it is possible this is a tainted reading. But an A1c of 5.6% if not normal blood sugar regulation. It is abnormal blood sugar regulation albeit not really bad. And it is entirely possible to have an A1c of 5.6% and see readings like this. The A1c and fasting blood sugars are “lagging” indicators of diabetes. Once your A1c and/or fasting reach diagnostic thresholds most people are already seeing seriously bad responses to high carb meals. And Dr. B would say that @momof21 has diabetes with an A1c of 5.6%. It is not normal and non-diabetic. That being said, the diagnostic threshold for “pre-diabetes” is 5.7% and 5.6% is technically less than 5.7% which is no doubt the source of the pushback @momof21 has seen on her testing. My view is that doctors should actually jump for glee when a patient who is clearly on track for diabetes wants to get ahead of the curve. The early you manage your diabetes the better the outcomes.
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so true, most gluten free things are either higher in carbs or fat or both. Is there a reason for doing gluten free?
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@Brian_BSC @rgcainmd @yourhanner @DrBB So I’m going to explain again for people that haven’t been on my path. I have an Endo that is not great, I’ve seen her twice. It takes weeks to get blood work back, and to get in with her. There aren’t a lot of alternatives. In saying that, it was months ago that she first tested me, my A16 has gone up and own over the years, depending on who knows what. Thay particular time she took my A16 yes it was 5.6 and I have been on metformin. That day, my BS happen to be lower, maybe because ny the time they took it, it was around 1pm and I hadnt eatin since the night before. I absolutely know how and when to test, when I feel awful, I test to prove a point to my doctor. My FBS has done nothing but stay around 115 every morning. Thays with a very low carb diet and eating really well
The doctor said because of how thin I am, she thought I was probably LADA, she said she had 2 more test she forgot to add to check for type 1. She was sending those in the mail. I know for a fact that shooting up to 245 30 min and around 200 within the hour is cause for concern! Yes, I washed my hands, yes, i tested a couple of times because I was in disbelief. My husband doesn’t think anything is wrong yet my doctor says I will probably see my blood start to go this way in due time. I checked my blood that time 30 after because I felt ill. I had night sweats all night last night, and extremely tired. I’m so confused by the answers. My doctor that sucks, said dont test so much, it will make you anxiois, so I stopped. Yet, othets say test so you have an idea where you’re at with certain meals and how the metformin is working… IF I’M NOT DIABETIC WHY AM I GOING THROUGH THIS? WHO WOULD SPIKE TO 245 FEEL SICK THATS NOT going down a diabetic state?
So I’m confused as I said before. Just sitting duck? Dont test and one day end up in the hospital? If I spike to 245 which is not a normal person with all my issues, just ignore it. Also, people that put down my numbers when I added them a couple weeks after I had blood work done, are you telling me that a diabetic doesnt go up “go downhill” so to speak? Because from some of the people that were first labeled “pre diabetic” are now on insulin. It doesnt get worse than better, right? Who knows what my my A16 is now, I dont, my doctor doesn’t. She’s not going to keep keep up with it, just basically says you just have to wait it out. Meaning, get really sick and completely deplete my pancreas before she’ll help me. I hope I answered everyones questions
Yes, I washed my hands, 3 X. And took it 3 X
No, I dont always check 30 to an hour. I stIck with 2 hours after a meal usually. No I haven’t finished the “type 1 testing” because I had to push my docter to check more than just the GAD and insisted on more. I eat a very good diet and because my husband and some from here says its fine, theres no problem. I became a little more lazy last coyple of days, so I had the chex. No, I dont think gluten free is low carb, I just was setting the picture. I eat gluten free by choice because of my thyroid. By the way, Ive been on my new dose of thyroid to help the low tsh for well over a month now. I stopped losing as much hair, so really cant blame my thyroid for my high blood sugar, I know its better than it was
What I meant by this post, WHAT AM I? TYPE 1,TYPE 2, LADA, MODY?
just want another doctor, just want an answer. I will not settle for high fasting, high spikes and basically eating so well all the time yet feeling terrible.
Exactly @Brian_BSC. So, now I dont know what to do. I have to say years ago when they put me on metformin, a functional medicine doctor did because my A16 was 5.7 maybe imce 5.8 my fasting was 115. I became pregnant after that and was told 6 months into my pregnancy I jad gestational diabetes and went in insulin. I remember someone checking my blood after a meal after I gave birth and saying " your fine" blood sugar is fine. So i never checked after that again. My son had colic and reflux, i stopped taking care of myself and cared for him. Thats when I ended up on the metformin. I wish I knew what I really was, I wish I could treat myself knowing for what exactly and just make it better. Liveable. I cant stand the not knowing what I actually have and how this might end up. Still thin, still always dizzy, still notice my eye sight getting worse, still fatigued, still have headaches, night sweats. Miserable
What do you consider to be a “high” fasting BG? Because none of the fasting BG’s you’ve posted to date are high. You seem determined to label yourself Type 1 to me…
What do you mean when you use the term “sitting duck”? Do you believe there is something you can do to prevent Type 1, if that is what is going to happen (which, based on the numbers you’ve posted, is highly doubtful).
Every response from TuD members has been nothing but reassuring and supportive, yet you seem very focused on proving that your numbers indicate that you are on the verge of going into DKA or dying due to diabetes. A large number of folks with LADA were never offered the tests that you were given that ruled out Type 1 and they suffered through years of misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment before being correctly diagnosed. Your endo looks to be 100% more diligent, having tested you for Type 1, in light of the fact that you didn’t even present with Type 1 symptoms. If you don’t trust your endo, see another for heavens sake!
sorry @momof21 that you are going through this. A few ideas, but not real answers to your concerns:
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from what i see, your endo is not that terrible. she is testing you for the required stuff to see whether you are LADA/T1 or whether you don’t fit into that category, which would make you T2. Unfortunately, categorization in Diabetes is not so easy and many here have struggled to get a right diagnosis for years, some are still unsure. After all, not the Type is important, but that you find the right treatment for you. which leads me to point 2:
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finding the right treatment is crucial. as you mentioned and are aware of, you are not really there yet. Many above have mentioned cutting high carb foods as the gluten free Chex. Gluten free stuff has often an extremely high glycemic index, which means it will go to your blood fast, faster than your somewhat impaired pancreas can react. another idea that might help you is meal time insulin to help your body cover those carbs. but since you got down after 3hrs i am not sure that would really help you, as your pancreas might kick in later on and send you hypo, which isn’t really fun either.
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with an a1c of 5.6 and “only” on metformin it is obvious you still have some insulin secretion, so again: your high BG will NOT send you to hospital. there is a difference between food-induced high BG (as you seem to be experiencing it) and a high BG as a result of total lack of insulin, which can only occur in people with little to no insulin production and can lead to DKA. DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) is the reason people get to the hospital (ER) to be treated immediately, not the high number per se.
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the don’t test don’t worry method is usually not even the worst idea. i have a neighbor with t2, and he is advised to test his BG, but then he is high (like 400 high) and feels bad because of it (more about the numbers, not really the physical state), but there is nothing he can do about it as he is not on insulin. i guess your endo wanted to protect you from that, and in some ways it is understandable. if i were you i would document the times you test your BG, and restrict yourself to certain times to worry about it (e.g. test BG regularly every monday and document it well). if you bring a well documented pattern (e.g. spiking after each lunch, or after certain meals) she can probably do more about it. that way you bring good records to your next appointment but dont get overly frustrated about BG you cant really do anything about anyway.
again, looking for a diagnosis on the fast track is not getting you anywhere towards decent BG if you don’t figure out a way of dealing with your personal pancreatic challenges. after all, each diabetes is so different and individual, i am in a category of t1 diabetes, but every other t1 out there will treat his diabetes different than mine, and that is challenging, but also somewhat beautiful. 
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@rgcainmd, it wasnt to offend members but if you only chime in at my 245 reading, then you’re missing a lot of history. BTW, my doctor didnt ask for that blood work, she listened to my request but did call 2 days later and said I think maybe you’re LADA. I asked her to check ALL THE type one blood work offered as Ive learned from here there is about 4 or 5 you can check. She looks at me and says you are a hard case because I’m thin and because I have high numbers. Well higher for normal maybe not high as you. But it starts somewhere. I post on here because for the most part, people are helpful and have experience. Some just like to take the negative road my reposting my original numbers ( mot saying any names) 
Yet, its determined that there is a problem. What it is will need another, think outside the box doctor. Which i intend on finding. I don’t try to prove something i DONT have. I’m proving that its something and going by the norms, I’m far from it. Again maybe not where you are but you got there too and I’m absolutely thankful for the people that have PM’d me their story as some are close to mine and it took years for a good doctor to help. I dont want to go like this for years. Thanks
So thankful for your positive feedback. @swisschocolate
Just wondering did you test positive for antibodies? Also, was this since you were younger or found out later? Thanks again for writing
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So - if you are set to prove something to your endo, you should follow a logical system. Testing 30 minutes after eating a very carb heavy snack does not really prove anything. Do you keep a log of how many carbs you eat at a meal and your bg 2 hours later? That will reveal a pattern, if there is one. Arm yourself, but also educate yourself.
You say that you are low carb, but I’m sorry to say that Chex is not a low carb food. Maybe try counting carbs for a while - you will truly learn “if I eat x carbs, my bg will spike! If I eat y carbs, I can keep things under control.” This may not be the final answer, since it sounds like your treatment plan is a low dose of Metformin, but it could help to organize things.
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To my knowledge I never had any antibodies tested. My diagnosis was very clear and very different from yours. I was 8 years old, losing weight rather than gaining it (which i was supposed to at that age), had a BG of over 20mmol/l, thirst, frequent urination, all the symptoms. that is what you call a classical T1 diagnosis.
unfortunately, especially for adults, the journey is somewhat different and harder, especially if they don’t present typical antibodies but still have all the symptoms of a T1. some like to call it type weird.
again, getting fit into a fix category should not be your main concern for the moment, but finding out the patterns of your blood sugar excursion and what helps and what doesnt help to avoid/treat them.
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I mentioned that I very healthy and eat low carb but that last night I gave in and had some chex. They happen to be gluten free because we tend to keep that in my house because of my thyroid. Not one statement found online pertaining to spikes of a normal person or fasting of a normal person is me. So I post my situations and accounts to get feedback, then I move along with more to help my doctor since it seems that shes so unclear how to treat my case.
I DONT EAT CHEX DAILY. I eat fish, veggies, salads, no dairy, no red meat. No sugar
I hope everyone questioning me reads your response. Its not easy and I guess not clear cut as some others!
I dont usually eat high sugar but we keep gluten free in the house because 1. It causes distruptions in existing tyroid issues and
2. If you have a lot of gastro problems, gluten can make it worse
I guess this conversation is getting somewhat out of hand.
Obviously everyone in this thread is on the same page regarding chex as a high carb high glycemic index food. some people probably assumed that @momof21 was already sure to have diabetes and therefore the result she obtained on her meter after the chex was logical, but apparently that is not the case and she is still exploring possibilities.
may we all stay civil in this discussion to help eachother for the best 
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