Do I have diabetes?

Go to the doctors and get tested. Only way to find out...

 

As Patch says, go to your GP and discuss.

 

See the GP or just possibly, since you have a history of Gestational diabetes, You might get an appointment at the diabetes clinic.
Hana

 

depends when you done the test,was it just after eating?within 2-3 hours as you would need to test more often to get an average.i tried a meter for a while but the readings made me depressed so i stopped using it and when i had my 3monthly bg levels checked my average was 6

 

Anything that you did using ot of date strips is useless.
If they're out of date they could be 10 pts under, or 5pts over.

If you are worried about the possibility of diabetes, get yourself a new set of strips, and do a fasting test as soon as you wake up. That should be below 6.

Since you've had GD with your previous pregnancies, it might be worth going to your GP to ask about a Hba1c test every year / 6 months or so.
This teat measures an average of your glucose levels over the last 90 days.

A reading of 9.2 after a high carb meal isn't anything to worry about.
According to the WHO Diabetes is likely if you have a reading over 10, or 11 from a capillary (finger).

Other things can cause a raise n Blood Glucose levels too. Bottom line, if you're at all worried, see a GP. They don't just drink at college... Honestly.

 

Hi Princess, I think it's quite hard to answer the question about meds etc as everyone is different and the Doc will (hopefully!) treat and prescribe based on any test results. Ref: your nausea, do you mean in general or when you have tested and been high?

PS - losing weight can't fail to help as it will improve your general health as for helping you if you are diagnosed with diabetes, then I'm sure a dietician will help you with appropriate food choices, in line with any meds you may be given. I have done Weight Watchers with great results, so diets of that nature can work with (or without!) diabetes

Hope you find some answers soon

 

Hi Princess

Only your doctor can give you a conclusive diagnosis of whether you are diabetic or not.

Although I agree that some of your numbers are in the diabetic range (above 7.2 mmol/l) please note that the numbers you get with home testing are usualy slightly higher than the numbers your doctor gets when testing for fasting blood sugar. This is because home testing uses capillary blood (usualy from a finger) while a doctor will draw blood from a vein. The two are not the same in terms of blood glucose levels. Also home testing monitors are not that accurate.

If it turns out you are diabetic then I expect you will not be prescribed any medication at first but rather given a period to deal with it with lifestyle changes alone i.e. diet and exercise.

Losing weight usually brings about a marked improvement in insuline resistance, as fat is a lot more resistant to insuline than lean muscle.

Here's hoping that you are not diabetic after all.

Regards

Pavlos

 

According to the latest UK guidelines, T2 diabetics should aim for a maximum HbA1C score of 7.5% and blood glucose levels between 4 - 7 mmol/l. for any reading taken first thing in the morning before any food is taken (fasting blood glucose level), and blood glucose levels of no more than 8.5 mmol/l for any reading taken two hours after any meal.

Regards

Pavlos

 

My home testing monitor is fab and very accurate (if it's not, then I want a re-count! :wink and I use mine to keep myself healthy and well, alive! If you keep the batteries updated there is no reason to think that home test kits can't give you an accurate BG reading when you need it

 

Hi Debloubed

Try taking two consecutive readings with your monitor using blood from the same pinprick. Are they the same?

Regards

Pavlos

 

Yep! I have had my doubts before in the past but I have conducted several tests and swapped meters and tested the same finger at the same time on 2 different meters and got the same result I agree that they are no always 100% reliable and you will get the odd rogue result, but I use mine multiple times in one day and find that is works, and my Hba1c is 5.7 which tells me I must be doing something right Lets hope so anyway! :lol:

 

Debloubed

Well done on your glyceamic control!

I am not trying to undermine people's confidence in their monitors, I was only pointing out that they do have accuracy limitations (these are acknowledged by the manufactures) compared to a lab test and that for the purposes of diagnosing rather than monitoring diabetes, one should rely on a lab test.

I use my own monitor a number of times a day and it has been an invaluable tool in allowing me to gain glycaemic control. My latest HbA1c was also 5.7. Snap!

I personally find that my Bayer Contour will not always replicate the same score if I take two consecutive readings from the same drop of blood. Usually, when I try to take such readings, I get a variance of about 0.5 mmol between them. As far as I am concerned this is plenty accurate enough for the purposes of my day to day monitoring.

Interestingly, on two occasions I also compared my monitor's readings with the blood glucose count I had professional done at a lab (the lab technitian let me test a drop of the blood he had collected from me for testing). On both occasions the lab score was 0.5 mmol lower than my monitor.

Regards

Pavlos

 

hmmm, very interesting reading Pavlos! I have 4 meters at home so I may conduct a little experiement this evening....... :wink: in the grand scheme of things a variance of 0.5 is ok, but what about when I test before driving for example (ie: every morning!) - the difference between 4.0 and 4.5 at that time of day would be a worry for me.........but having said that, my target is 6.0 so I don't tend to be too low in the mornings - phew! But, you never can tell what's going to happen next

 

Dear Debloubed

Just realised your a T1. As such I guess the accuracy of the count is much more critical for you.

I am a T2 on metformin and I keep hearing that I am not at risk of hypos. If I go low my liver will dump glucose to compensate apparently.

I did manage a 3.5 mmol score though. :shock:

In the last month, my fasting glucose reading have ranged from 4.2 - 5.3 mmol. As I follow the count with breakfast before driving I do not really worry about whather these readings are out by 0.5 mmol.

You being T1, makes that 5.7 HbA1C even more impressive by the way. Really well done!

Regards

Pavlos

 

ahh, the liver is pretty amazing at times! It will dump glucose in everyone at times of need, as long as it has the reserves to do so

BG of 3.5 is defo hypo though?!

but yes, accuracy of count is pretty important to me, but then I would say that is the case for anyone using a meter, otherwise why would you test at all?! There was another thread started on the Type 1 forum on here yesterday about other uses for a BG meter in the future - interesting reading!

5.7 was my last 'score', have just had my 6 monthly tests done and have a review this week - fingers crossed! I have to say the 5.7 was probably a fluke :wink:

All the best,

Deb