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Gp won't send me for OGTT

V

viviennem

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,140
Location
Wensleydale, North Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Football. Bad manners.
My diabetic specialist GP refused to send me for an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test when she first registered me, saying it was perfectly obvious that I was diabetic and there was no need to do an expensive test like OGTT. If I felt like it I could do one at home!

So how much glucose solution should I drink and at what strength? my local pharmacist would probably make it up for me if I asked nicely.

I didn't know much about Type 2 when I had that meeting with the doctor. Having learned more about diagnosis (on here) I don't quite understand why she said what she did - my fasting BG was 7.9, which I know is too high, but my HbA1c was 5.6 - and that was pre-metformin.

Any comments, please? and can anyone tell me about the glucose solution?

Also, do I have to increase my carb intake for a few days to do the OGTT? If so, next week would be a great time to try the test, as I have family visiting and I'm going to try the Great Fish & Chip Experiment :shock: Can't wait! :oops: :roll: :lol:

Thanks

Viv 8)
 
Hi Viv, with a fasting bg of 7.9 you are diabetic regardless of your HbA1c which is good and proves that your diet was and is working for you but it does not mean that you are not diabetic just that you are a well controlled diabetic.

As for a DIY test I have no idea what you would need to drink or how long after you should test but I dont think that eating more carbs before it will do anything as as far as I am aware it tests your ability to deal with carbs, ie how quick your numbers return to normal, not how much is in your blood like the HbA1c or a self test.

Just pat your self on the back for doing a good job and dont stress about it would be my advice :D

ps My latest HbA1c was 5.6 too, aren't we good :wink:
 
If you really want to do an OGTT.......here is some information as to what you need and how it is performed :

http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage. ... 1529872364

In the oral glucose tolerance test the patient, after fasting for 15 hours, drinks 75 g of glucose in 300 ml of water, over 5 minutes. Blood glucose is measured before the drink and after 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. Urine is collected before the drink, and after 60 and 120 minutes. Before the test, for a period of 6 hours, the patient should avoid smoking and drinking coffee.
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Hi viv,

I don't know what you are trying to prove. I have a very low HBA1c but am still a diabetic and know that if I didn't follow an eating plan and just ate anything that I fancied then my sugar levels would rise. I will always be a diabetic but hopefully a well controlled one.
 
Thanks for your help, everyone.

I'm not really trying to prove anything, and I'm certainly not trying to deny that I'm diabetic. It's just that I like to know exactly what's going on - how does my body handle glucose? I'd also like to know my basal insulin level, but I've hit a complete blank with that one, even privately. Which would have been impossible because of cost, but no-one in this country seems to offer it.

It's like when I got my first car - I had to go to car maintenance classes, just so I knew what was happening when I did things! Some people are strange . . . :oops:

Again - many thanks

Viv 8)
 
Hey viviennem, just wanted to say my first hba1c test was 6.2 and my first fasting test was 7.5 and the second was 7.0. I thought I was ok but the doc said I was deffo diabetic even tho some of my family and friends said I wasnt. You need to take care of yourself and your diet. I have cut down on sweets/chocs and all the stuff that has sugar in and taken the advice of a low carb diet and hope that my next test will be lower (not seen dietician yet). I really hope that you can get the help you need from your gp etc and the lovely friendly people on this forum x x x Please feel free to pm me if you want to :)
 
viviennem said:
I'd also like to know my basal insulin level, but I've hit a complete blank with that one, even privately. Which would have been impossible because of cost, but no-one in this country seems to offer it.
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If you're really desperate to know then you can order OGTT, insulin levels, C-peptide etc. from Medichecks (google it - we aren't allowed to put links on this forum). You don't need a doctor's request and they send the results to you. However they charge a lot for the tests.

You could try the lucozade test at home if you want to see how your body responds to the challenge, but do it on a day when you don't have to do anything or be anywhere. When I did mine at the hospital, I could barely stay awake.
 
Viv.
I've seen medicheks site before......goji wasn't joking about what they charge ! They are VERY expensive.....a GTT costs close to £200........ :shock:
 
cugila said:
Viv.
I've seen medicheks site before......goji wasn't joking about what they charge ! They are VERY expensive.....a GTT costs close to £200........ :shock:
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:shock: :shock: :shock: Even Waitrose don't charge that for Lucazade :lol:
 
Sid Bonkers said:
cugila said:
Viv.
I've seen medicheks site before......goji wasn't joking about what they charge ! They are VERY expensive.....a GTT costs close to £200........ :shock:
Click to expand...

:shock: :shock: :shock: Even Waitrose don't charge that for Lucazade :lol:
Click to expand...

Yeah - if it were me I'd try the DIY Lucozade option and spend the rest of the money on something nice!!
 
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