Fasting Insulin Test take 2

[ringi]

"what are you going to do differently?"

Is the reasons I see no point in getting a fasting insulin test. I can see the point in large scale fasting inslin testing for people without Type2, as it could result in them being told they are at risk and about low carb. However I can't see that a result will have any effect on my actions.

If my BG was not being well control with low carb, then knowing my insulin levels would be very helpful.

 

[bulkbiker]

Interesting @bulkbiker

I would like to bet that Fasting insulin does fluctuate, like FBGs do. One theory perhaps takes us back to the good old liver dump. On very low carb, overnight the glucose levels will be low, which triggers the liver to dump, that triggers the pancreas to secrete insulin to keep the liver dump in check.. If this all happens before the test, insulin levels will be higher than if there had been no significant liver dump. Does that sound sensible?

They may have done the HbA1c but the doctor may not have seen it yet. Sometimes on-line results arrive randomly, or they do in my case.

Could be a timing thing indeed the first time I had it done the blood draw was at 11.30 (nearer 12.00 I think..) this time I had it taken at 8.15 so possibly more of a liver dump...scenario... hmm more food for thought..

 

[bulkbiker]

Is your diet as strict now as it was the last time you did this? the trigs number suggests a higher carb intake?

If anything stricter.. and me higher carb intake how very dare you!!! hehe
In fact the days leading up to the test were fewer than 10g per day.. so lower than my usual... v odd..
Time for a Feldman protocol test for the next ones in December (if I can wangle that with the surgery).

 

[ringi]

Also often labs quote results in more detail then their equipment can be trusted to mearsure in. A one of small changes tells you nothing, but if a test changes in the same direction eveytime it is done, you can see a trend.

 

[CherryAA]

If anything stricter.. and me higher carb intake how very dare you!!! hehe

What about the fasting ? - fasting does gradually bring it down the longer one hasn't eaten - are you sure you were using the same timescale and it was following similar periods of fasting prior to it ?

- tis a tough world ! though to be honest my gut feel is that if your insulin levels were just sitting at the lowest end of the range all the time, then I believe you might have got a better OGTT result than you did. Your responses to that were quite similar to mine - and we were both around the kind of profiles for a pre diabetic person. if fasting insulin of 8 predicts prediabetes about 80% of the time, then having a number around that level would seem entirely reasonable - whether it is actually possible to just get to the stage where one's body does not over produce insulin at the drop of a hat - is really the underlying question about curable or controllable to me.

 

[Guzzler]

Really interesting stuff, this.

 

[bulkbiker]

Oh yes just had the "cholesterol" chat with my completely useless but quite charming GP.
Unfortunately we were just driving into Waitrose car park when he rang so didn't have long..

GP "Hello is that Mark"
Me " Yes"
GP "Hello this is Dr XXXX ( nicely setting up his authority while using my first name..)
GP "Your cholesterol has gone up"
Me "Yes but my Trig/HDL ratio is still pretty good"
GP "Your HDL Total Cholesterol.."
Me "no my Trig Hdl"
GP "Well your LDL isn't so bad but you need to do something about it.."
Me "Ok do you have the results of the scan that you sent me for .. the one for a suspected hernia"
GP "Oh let me have a look.... Oh yes nothing to worry about just fat in the hernia no bowel if there's no pain we can just leave it"
Me "Thanks do you think it may have been nice to have told me that 3 months go when I had the scan so I didn't have to worry about it for the past 3 months.."
GP "Well if its not bad we don't bother"
Me "hmm not very helpful"

And people wonder why I disparage my HCP's....

 

[bulkbiker]

What about the fasting ? - fasting does gradually bring it down the longer one hasn't eaten - are you sure you were using the same timescale and it was following similar periods of fasting prior to it ?

- tis a tough world ! though to be honest my gut feel is that if your insulin levels were just sitting at the lowest end of the range all the time, then I believe you might have got a better OGTT result than you did. Your responses to that were quite similar to mine - and we were both around the kind of profiles for a pre diabetic person. if fasting insulin of 8 predicts prediabetes about 80% of the time, then having a number around that level would seem entirely reasonable - whether it is actually possible to just get to the stage where one's body does not over produce insulin at the drop of a hat - is really the underlying question about curable or controllable to me.

Usual fasting regime.. no breakfast.. I reckon it could have been the timing of the blood draw.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I still believe it is a liver dump triggering an insulin dump prior to the test. However, we will never know.

 

[CherryAA]

Usual fasting regime.. no breakfast.. I reckon it could have been the timing of the blood draw.

I had already decided that next time round I need to make sure its as close as possible in timing conditions to the last one. I chose 4 pm for the same reason as when I eat my foods - being that that is when I have got through the morning liver dump.

 

[bulkbiker]

I had already decided that next time round I need to make sure its as close as possible in timing conditions to the last one. I chose 4 pm for the same reason as when I eat my foods - being that that is when I have got through the morning liver dump.

If only the NHS were so flexible...unfortunately...

 

[bulkbiker]

Interesting @bulkbiker

I would like to bet that Fasting insulin does fluctuate, like FBGs do. One theory perhaps takes us back to the good old liver dump. On very low carb, overnight the glucose levels will be low, which triggers the liver to dump, that triggers the pancreas to secrete insulin to keep the liver dump in check.. If this all happens before the test, insulin levels will be higher than if there had been no significant liver dump. Does that sound sensible?

They may have done the HbA1c but the doctor may not have seen it yet. Sometimes on-line results arrive randomly, or they do in my case.

Were you looking over my shoulder? Just checked online and it has appeared.. 28.. so must be doing something right..

 

[CherryAA]

If only the NHS were so flexible...unfortunately...

yeah that is a problem ! I know I'm lucky

 

[CherryAA]

Were you looking over my shoulder? Just checked online and it has appeared.. 28.. so must be doing something right..

marvellous, mine isn't going anywhere at present !