Dubiously diabetic?

[JMay]

Hi all,

A couple of weeks ago, I had a few blood tests to 'reassure me' that an ongoing illness was probably psychosomatic. Within those tests, my HbA1c was 'high' (wasn't told the number). I went for fasting blood glucose test last week, and just rang up the doctor for my results. The receptionist said "it says 'not diabetes'", so I asked for the number this time and she said "7.1". I've looked that up, and 7.1 is listed as within "probable diabetes" range.

I wasn't offered any further advice or to make an appointment, so now I'm just lost. Do I have diabetes? Presumably I at least have prediabetes? Should I call back and ask for an appointment with a nurse or doctor? When my mum was diagnosed with prediabetes (before she eventually developed type 2), she had nurse appointments and reviews and was sent on lifestyle management courses and all sorts. Am I meant to wait until it gets worse/I get sick before I get any intervention/support?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rokaab]

You really need to find out what that Hba1c number actually is (they should be able to tell you the exact number for it rather than just 'high')
If you have online access to your records and test results they should be in there, if not it may be worth organising it with your surgery that you should) - I believe all surgeries in the UK have to allow you that option (unless they have an actual valid excuse - and 'oh we don't know how to do that' is not a valid excuse)

 

[Ronancastled]

Am I meant to wait until it gets worse/I get sick before I get any intervention/support?

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't hang around waiting for the so called professionals.
Most their advice will prove harmful in the long run.
Become your own practitioner, research Low Carb, all the resources are here

 

[Dark Horse]

Normal fasting blood glucose is 3.9 - 5.4 mmol/l so a level of 7.1 mmol/l would be diabetic. It's possible that the receptionist might have thought that it was a random blood glucose (the wrong box could have been checked on the blood test request form or the receptionist might have misread the result) - a random blood glucose is normal if it is less than 11.1 mmol/l.

You need to check the blood test results, emphasizing that the blood glucose was a fasting one and if your results are not normal, make an appointment with the doctor to discuss them.

 

[andromache]

All the important lifestyle improvements - nutrition, building up lean muscle mass etc - are down to you, not the medics, so maybe it doesn’t matter to much what the formal position is right now. You can just get on with improving your metabolic health under your own steam,

 

[Dark Horse]

All the important lifestyle improvements - nutrition, building up lean muscle mass etc - are down to you, not the medics, so maybe it doesn’t matter to much what the formal position is right now. You can just get on with improving your metabolic health under your own steam,

It matters because there are a host of regular checks offered when someone has been officially diagnosed. For example, anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (not gestational) should be regularly screened for diabetic retinopathy for life, even if they have improved their HbA1c to non-diabetic levels. If someone self-diagnoses and brings their HbA1c down without the doctor being aware that it has ever been at diabetic levels, they would miss out on this important check.

 

[NicoleC1971]

I agree that it does matter to have a formal diagnosis on your medical records.
You should be offered some lifestyle guidance but this may be rather vague so I think the advice that you will find on this forum and site will be more helpful!
But other things do go before or with, a diagnosis of type 2 and your regular tests and checks should be looking at these too:
e.g. high blood pressure, fatty liver and sometimes being overweight.
If you are willing to change your diet and exercise habits all of these things can be resolved but if you were unwilling or unable to tackle the lifestyle part of this, then I'd say it would be helpful to be in the system as you may then be offered medications to manage the symptoms.
I would take it seriously because the HBA1c is a good measure of how 'sugary# you have been in the past 12 weeks so it isn't just a random 1 off test plus you do have a family history.
The good news is that if the hba1c is indeed above 48 (in the range of diabetes) then you can come back from that and the sooner you make changes the less drastic the changes have to be. So please chase the surgery and ask for the Diabetes Nurse to check for you. You can then at least choose what to do next.

 

[muzungu]

When I had my blood done for the first time in maybe a decade, this was three months ago, mainly to check my PSA level (all good), they did all the others at the same time including HbA1c. Everything was fine apart from HbA1c which was 42 which is at the lowest level of "pre diabetes". My GP contacted me about it without prompting and then referred me the "Healthier You" programme.

A bit odd to be honest that they have not told you the A1c number and just told you it is "high", this is pretty crucial. Your finger prick fasting test is important, and yours is high, but it needs to be taken in conjunction with the A1c. I would be dubious about taking the advice of the receptionist to be frank, not casting aspersions GP's receptionists but they are not, obviously, medically qualified in the main.

I have been managing my pre diabetes with my own research, diet and exercise, and invested in a finger prick tester. I have lost 11kg and have a simple exercise routine which takes 15 minutes or so every day. My results are now, 3 months later, pretty much normal. Fasting is typically around 4.8 or so, and post main meal averaging 5.6 or thereabouts, I will wait another couple of months and then get another HbA1c to give me a good idea what is going on but am pretty confident I am on the right track.

I have also signed up for online access to my medical records and test results which allows me to look at them online without having to negotiate the labyrinthine GP telephone system! Very useful and worth doing. I haven't spoken to my GP about this since he told me my result 3 months ago so it is perfectly possible to manage by yourself with enough research and a bit of will power; at least in my case, everyone's different.

 

[KennyA]

Hi all,

A couple of weeks ago, I had a few blood tests to 'reassure me' that an ongoing illness was probably psychosomatic. Within those tests, my HbA1c was 'high' (wasn't told the number). I went for fasting blood glucose test last week, and just rang up the doctor for my results. The receptionist said "it says 'not diabetes'", so I asked for the number this time and she said "7.1". I've looked that up, and 7.1 is listed as within "probable diabetes" range.

I wasn't offered any further advice or to make an appointment, so now I'm just lost. Do I have diabetes? Presumably I at least have prediabetes? Should I call back and ask for an appointment with a nurse or doctor? When my mum was diagnosed with prediabetes (before she eventually developed type 2), she had nurse appointments and reviews and was sent on lifestyle management courses and all sorts. Am I meant to wait until it gets worse/I get sick before I get any intervention/support?

Thanks in advance!

Diabetes is usually diagnosed in one of a number of ways:

HbA1c equal to or greater than 48mmol/l (6.5%)
A random plasma glucose level equal to or greater than 11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) in someone with typical diabetic symptoms
A fasting plasma glucose level equal to or greater than 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl)
A plasma glucose level equal to or greater than 11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) two hours after a 75g load of glucose given by mouth (the oral glucose tolerance test OGTT)

(Bilous and Donnelly)


If you've had a fasting blood glucose test - then you are right on the line (there are slightly different values depending on whether it was a plasma, capillary or whole blood test - equal to or greater than 7.0, 6.1, and 6.1 respectively). There will be some allowable error in the test. If you've had an OGTT then you're well under.

I would have thought if it's the former there would have been (possibly) a repeat test rather than the "not diabetes" conclusion. Is it possible that you had an OGTT?

 

[Resurgam]

I had over half a century of being told that my inability to cope with a high carb diet was a delusion, yet every time I ate low carb, Atkins style, I felt great.
When I was 65 I was told I was a very bad diabetic and everything became a lot clearer.
Since then I have rather pointedly replied to questioning about my diet that I always reported how dreadful I felt when eating a 'healthy' diet and what I was told about that.
I have learned to insist on being told the actual test results - the receptionist will say they are not qualified to understand them - I simply reassure them that I am perfectly well qualified and able to make a judgement, then I poise my pencil over my notebook and raise my eyebrows encouragingly. So far a 100% success rate for data extraction.

 

[drsamrnew]

Remember the movie "Matrix". That's exactly what they have, stretched all around and over us.

There is no such thing as Type 2 Diabetes. It's a business pitch. What you might have is Metabolic Syndrome. A syndrome is a collection of Signs and Symptoms originate from a common illness most of the time.

Type 2 Diabetes is one sign of the spectrum of diseases which fall under the umbrella of Metabolic Syndrome.

The tests you really need are these

Fasting Insulin Level
High Sensity CRP
Serum Ferritin level
HbA1c
Vitamin D levels
Magnesium

Disclaimer: No one should follow any of my musings on this forum and always talk to a doctor when it comes to medical advice. I'm just a dude who thinks he knows a lot.

 

[WaveyDavey123]

Remember the movie "Matrix". That's exactly what they have, stretched all around and over us.

There is no such thing as Type 2 Diabetes. It's a business pitch. What you might have is Metabolic Syndrome. A syndrome is a collection of Signs and Symptoms originate from a common illness most of the time.

Type 2 Diabetes is one sign of the spectrum of diseases which fall under the umbrella of Metabolic Syndrome.

The tests you really need are these

Fasting Insulin Level
High Sensity CRP
Serum Ferritin level
HbA1c
Vitamin D levels
Magnesium

Disclaimer: No one should follow any of my musings on this forum and always talk to a doctor when it comes to medical advice. I'm just a dude who thinks he knows a lot.

Curious about the Ferritin thing... why?

My sister has haemochromatosis and that means I might be susceptible too.... when I sought a genetic test (rather than serum) years ago they fobbed me off with a serum test.... I remain curious...as ... well, it's little known but actually one of the most common (if not the most common) genetically inherited illness.

[edit] Sorry forgot to explain that haemochromatosis is basically too much iron in the blood stream and ferritin is the protein carrier of iron in the bloodstream.