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I dont know what I am reading on my results.

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Working4rest

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Hello everyone, I am sure questions like this come up quite a bit so I apologize in advance and thank anyone who answers. I should start by saying I have pretty bad health anxiety, so tend to over read and worry quite bit when it comes to my health. Over the past year in a half I have had three different blood work ups (unrelated to anything diabetes related. All of them were because I was having panic attacks for reason "xyz"). On each blood test my glucose level was over 100 (ref ranges were like 75 to 99 or 80 to 105). 105, 106, and 135. None of them were done in a fasting state as they were typically done mid day after going in somewhere with an anxiety attack. The last time I went they also did a pee test and there was a small amount of sugar in my urine which the doctor chalked up to dehydration bc my glucose levels were only a point or two above reference range and I had not been fasting. I am a pretty physically active guy with no major health concerns but I have noticed I get up about 2 or 3 times a night to pee. Unsure if this is because I drink so much water throughout the day or maybe related to my slightly elevated glucose levels? I have an appointment next week with my PCM to discuss my fear and I am sure she will order a proper fasting blood sugar test for me to put me at ease. But that is a week from now and I will be worried all the way til then. Just wondering if I could get some opinions on if my numbers should always be like this based on your experiences. Thank you in advance.
 
Welcome to the forum. Are you in the US? Those numbers look ok to me.

The main test for diabetes is the HbA1c. It is not a fasting test but shows your average over the last three months.
 
xfieldok said:
Welcome to the forum. Are you in the US? Those numbers look ok to me.

The main test for diabetes is the HbA1c. It is not a fasting test but shows your average over the last three months.
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Hi, yes I am in the US. Would an HbA1c be on a metabolic panel or is it a specific blood sugar test?
 
Working4rest said:
Hi, yes I am in the US. Would an HbA1c be on a metabolic panel or is it a specific blood sugar test?
Click to expand...
Looked up a metabolic panel, and that'd be glucose only. That'd be what your blood sugars are doing right now. A HbA1c is an average of 3 months, weighing heavily on the last two weeks. So yeah, that's a different test. Thing is, there's not a universal unit to test in, so let's see.... Your blood sugars topped out at 7,5 mmol/l for our European/British readers. ;) Which isn't all that high. What did you eat before those levels were taken, do you remember?

If you drink a lot of water, that could explain the night-time urination. Do you drink because you feel thirsty, or do you just do it because it's just the thing to do? Excessive thirst would be an indicator for something off, otherwise you just have kidneys that deal with what you're passing through them as they should.

In any case, I don't think there's a lot to worry about as yet, as you were having a panic attack while the blood sugars were taken and you were not fasting at the time... Stress elevates blood sugars, and you ate. If you were 100% certainly diabetic, the odds are the results would've been significantly higher. Still, when you see someone, ask for a HbA1c test to make sure, because it's going to be on your mind all the time if you don't.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
Looked up a metabolic panel, and that'd be glucose only. That'd be what your blood sugars are doing right now. A HbA1c is an average of 3 months, weighing heavily on the last two weeks. So yeah, that's a different test. Thing is, there's not a universal unit to test in, so let's see.... Your blood sugars topped out at 7,5 mmol/l for our European/British readers. ;) Which isn't all that high. What did you eat before those levels were taken, do you remember?

If you drink a lot of water, that could explain the night-time urination. Do you drink because you feel thirsty, or do you just do it because it's just the thing to do? Excessive thirst would be an indicator for something off, otherwise you just have kidneys that deal with what you're passing through them as they should.

In any case, I don't think there's a lot to worry about as yet, as you were having a panic attack while the blood sugars were taken and you were not fasting at the time... Stress elevates blood sugars, and you ate. If you were 100% certainly diabetic, the odds are the results would've been significantly higher. Still, when you see someone, ask for a HbA1c test to make sure, because it's going to be on your mind all the time if you don't.
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Thank you for the great response. I cannot remember what I ate at all. I just have no real reference on what my numbers should look like so when they are over I get nervous. I am never "thirsty" unless its after exercise. I have just worked myself into drinking alot of fluids over the years because I have been very athleti . So I drink a lot of water through the day.
 
Don't take this the wrong way. How about you stop testing until you have had the test. If your result shows diabetes or pre diabetes, we can guide you.

At the moment, you are taking readings, you don't know how to interpret them and you are just feeding your anxiety.

We are not going anywhere. Stress can raise your levels.
 
Working4rest said:
Thank you for the great response. I cannot remember what I ate at all. I just have no real reference on what my numbers should look like so when they are over I get nervous. I am never "thirsty" unless its after exercise. I have just worked myself into drinking alot of fluids over the years because I have been very athleti . So I drink a lot of water through the day.
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Thirst after exercise is normal, and if you drink often as a matter of course, then having to go a few times a night is okay. It's when you can't stop being thirsty no matter how many liters you put away a day, that it's something to worry about. I don't think your blood sugars are anything to worry about, as you are perfectly in range right now. So take a breath, and go over your worries with your PCM. I don't think anything's wrong with your blood sugars, but like I said, it'll stay on your mind until you have a HbA1c and it's a heck of a lot more conclusive than a run of the mill finger prick.

You're going to be okay, okay? And if you have anything come up, we're right here.
Jo
 
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