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Confused undiagnosed

T

TAnna32

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Hi all, I’m looking for some advice. My new doctor has ordered a blood test to check for diabetes next week. I have numerous symptoms and suffer with recurrent infections (usually ear and sinus). The dr has asked for this as I’m still unwell and my first ear infection was a misdiagnosed fungal infection which ended up being very nasty! He said that fungal infections are so rare that there’s usually an underlying cause (I’ve had a FBC done a number of months ago).

I had my baby boy a year ago but began to develop symptoms such as headache, constant tingling in feet, sweating, needed the toilet constantly 9 months ago. Initially I was told anxiety! I am 32, I exercise at least 5 times a week and I’m a healthy weight.

I brought a home glucose testing kit from boots and after fasting overnight I completed the test which came back as blood sugar at around 200 (which I’m pretty certain is very high). Does anyone know how accurate these tests are? Should I retest? Should I be calling my GP before my blood test in a week?

I’m really exhausted with feeling ill and having all these unexplained symptoms. I currently have another ear and sinus infection after I caught a cold from my son (this happens every time he gets ill from nursery).

Any advice greatly appreciated, thank you
 
I’d make a call to your gp practice and ask for a diabetic nurse or triage nurse to give you a call to discuss it and give you the medical advice you want. They may just continue with next week’s tests or can advise if they feel anything may be more urgent.

As to reliability of the test you’ve done, we don’t know what test/kit/meter you used so can’t comment really.
 
I suspect that your meter is reading in mg%, which is used in USA, and many european countries.
In UK, mmol/L is used, so if living in UK, I would get the manual and set the meter to mmol/L.
One needs to take care with the test technique eg washing hands etc, but I suspect that you have been very careful.
The meters are quite accurate nowadays; but one would not base a diagnosis of diabetes on 1 raised fingerprick test; 200 mg% is 11.1 mol/L which for a fasting test is in the diabetic range - sorry.
I think the advice above to phone GP diabetes nurse (I would never be patronising) is excellent advice; I suspect that if you are eating and drinking OK, not sleepy, confused or light headed, they will probably just do the tests next week as planned, but I would hope that they would measure not only the diabetes diagnosis tests (glucose level and HbA1c), but also cholesterol, and renal function; yu have already had a normal blood count..
Testing your glucose level several mornings before breakfast and writing the numbers down would help to give them more information. To be specific for diabete diagnosis, one needs one reaised blood test plus confirmatory evidence which can be other raised tests, symtoms or changes at the back of the eye.
Best wishes
 
Thank you both, useful advice. I just used the Boots home testing blood glucose kit. I’m actually at the doctors now about my worsened sinusitis so I will ask the dr about this and hopefully they can advise. I just feel like I’ve not got anywhere in nine months since I started having issues and all the tingling, headaches, odd vision issues is making me think I have a terminal illness! Thanks again
 
200 fasting are extremely high if fasting, and is by far a diabetic reading.

Take two tests in a row to check if the first reading were valid.
 
Emile_the_rat said:
200 fasting are extremely high if fasting, and is by far a diabetic reading.

Take two tests in a row to check if the first reading were valid.
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Thanks Emile, I will go and pick up another kit later and repeat the fasted tests first thing tomorrow. If results are the same should I be pushing to see my GP before my bloods in a week? Or just sit tight until then? I’m now on my 6th ear and 2nd sinus infection, and with a one year old and full time job, I feel rather broken and desperate for answers!
 
Also I saw my GP today and she wasn’t very helpful re the blood glucose test (not either of the drs I usually see) and she didn’t seem overly concerned, just said the test was probably wrong as 11.1 is high! She said they don’t have a practice diabetes nurse and I would need a referral to the local diabetes care team once I’ve had blood test. There is an info event next Wednesday (same day as my bloods) for World Diabetes day so if they come up high again when testing at home I think I will go to that. I’m also worried as I do feel like my vision has gone off a little bit more and my hands are tingling on/off over the last few days (on top of my usual feet tingling).
 

200 mg/dl are very high if they were fasting numbers. Get a new KIT, blood sugar monitor (with 50 units) and just retest when first oppurtunity.

If you get even higher numbers (such as 300 and up), or another 200mg/dl fasting you need to go to emergency. Hard to tell which type, but if you do have undiagnosed type 1, a whole week can be fatal with such high readings. 200mg/dl are ridiculous high for being fasting, and I won’t think of how high the numbers would be/go after eating.
 
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She didn’t even do a finger prick test when told you had fasting level of 11mmol? I’m shocked. But I guess she feels waiting til next week is ok.

Is it a one off kit? One option could be if you can afford a blood glucose meter so you can take more than one reading.
 
Oh I would save up that comment for use in future - I have had a few too many 'your concerns are frivolous' from know it all doctors.
If their test shows a similar result I suspect that you will get a diagnosis fairly fast.
It might, of course be a wrong one - if you don't have a fairly swift improvement from reducing carb dense foods you might not be a type two and able to control with diet but one of the more complex types - your doctor should be aware of them - but from previous comments I do somehow doubt it. Be prepared to call for help from other people if you feel you are becoming increasingly unwell.
 
Thanks all. Nope dr didn’t even do pin prick test and didn’t seem remotely concerned. I guess I’ve been having issues for nine months now. But it’s the last two months since my son started nursery and is picking up everything that I’m constantly getting sick (on top of the other symptoms eg. needing a pee lots-which at the beginning I thought was just normal after having a baby!)

Will look at getting blood glucose monitor. Do I need to fast before the HbA1c test? Doesn’t say so on my form but thought worth checking.
 
If you are in the UK, then many chemists will do a pin prick test for you, maybe time it around 2 hours after you have eaten or just before a meal. If very high then the pharmacist may recommend a visit to the gp or even ring them on your behalf to speed things up for you. Lloyds chemist also offer the HbA1c test - not sure of the cost.
 
TAnna32 said:
Oh and just to see if there was a difference, we are looking at 250 two hours after I ate.
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Well then you’re diabetic, and should push your GP. If you told your GP about the 200mg/dl fasting, and 250mg/dl 2 hour postprandial, then it is completely irresponsible to make you wait a whole week.

Get help soon, this is not good!
 
Great thank you, I will call our local Lloyd’s tomorrow!
 

I have to say that ignoring a result because it is abnormally high does not sound very sensible to me. I am sorry that you are not getting more help from your general practice.
 
SimonCrox said:
I have to say that ignoring a result because it is abnormally high does not sound very sensible to me. I am sorry that you are not getting more help from your general practice.
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Thank you. My usual GP and the first new dr I saw are/were very supportive so I was quite surprised the other new GP was so dismissive. I haven’t retested yet but I will do tomorrow so we will see. Appreciate so many responses, thank you all.
 
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