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Medichecks Fasting Insulin

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bulkbiker said:
But according to you there's nothing we can do about it anyway.. so why are you so worried about it?
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My concern is that fasting insulin testing might be seen, particularly by the newly diagnosed, as a essential measure of their illness when in fact it is unreliable and difficult to know how to interpret.
 
Mr_Pot said:
My concern is that fasting insulin testing might be seen, particularly by the newly diagnosed, as a essential measure of their illness when in fact it is unreliable and difficult to know how to interpret.
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I disagree.. if the NHS offered it as a matter of course it could save a number of mis-diagnoses as we have heard reported many times on the forum. And the results would become far better known and easier to understand.
I understand mine because I have done some research as I would recommend to any and every body with T2 diabetes to get as much knowledge as possible. You presumably understand your HbA1c results but pre diagnosis you had probably never even heard of it?
If the underlying cause of T2 is indeed hyperinsulinaemia then understanding your level of fasting insulin and insulin reistance is key. If the NHS actually bothered to test it we might see some major progress in treatment and outcomes.
Alternatively we could just bury our heads in the sand....
 
Discussion ruined. Thanks Mr Pot. Next time I wish to speak freely I’ll be sure to send you a PM and ask for your approval.
 
Jim Lahey said:
Discussion ruined. Thanks Mr Pot. Next time I wish to speak freely I’ll be sure to send you a PM and ask for your approval.
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So disagreeing with you constitutes ruining the discussion? I didn't realise only one viewpoint was acceptable.
 
Mr_Pot said:
So disagreeing with you constitutes ruining the discussion? I didn't realise only one viewpoint was acceptable.
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You are free to disagree with any answers I give to you or anyone else. You are not free to disagree with questions that I may ask. You are not my dad. I even nullified your concerns before you posted them, but honestly I don’t think you even read the discussion. If you did then I respectfully suggest that you may like to brush up on your comprehension skills.

In the interests of peace and decorum I shall leave it there. Good day to you sir.
 
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Jim Lahey said:
I’m very keen to know my fasting insulin and there’s more chance of getting blood out of a stone than getting my GP to agree to taking some out of my arm.

Medichecks do a home finger prick test kit which you then send back to them. It’s £39 which to me is very much worth it. Just wondering if anyone else has used this service and also if the finger prick method provides sufficient accuracy. I’m guessing it does or they would mandate a sample to be taken at a clinic. Very interested in getting this done along with a new HbA1c as my doctor no longer seems interested in testing that either :D

Thanks.
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Sorry. In answer to your question yes Medichecks I have found found to be good. Fast results. If you can coordinate with a hospital blood draw then it will save you the £25 they charge for another place to do it. They do send the needle etc if you know someone who can draw blood.
 
Flora123 said:
Sorry. In answer to your question yes Medichecks I have found found to be good. Fast results. If you can coordinate with a hospital blood draw then it will save you the £25 they charge for another place to do it. They do send the needle etc if you know someone who can draw blood.
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Cool. Thanks for the endorsement and information. I think I will start out with just a simple fasting insulin test which it appears can be performed at home and returned in the mail.
 
Whilst I’m not advanced I’m seriously tempted to get one now, once I get organised enough to sort it out anyway. If only for a baseline to look back on later and see what progress I may have made. Kind of wish I’d had one at diagnosis for the same reason. Ah well.
 
HSSS said:
Whilst I’m not advanced I’m seriously tempted to get one now, once I get organised enough to sort it out anyway. If only for a baseline to look back on later and see what progress I may have made. Kind of wish I’d had one at diagnosis for the same reason. Ah well.
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Yes, if only they were part of the NHS routine health checks. They don't cost the earth when done privately, so can't cost the NHS a great deal. It really could lead to a much earlier diagnosis of diabetes, and give those that care about their health a good idea of whether they are improving insulin-wise.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Yes, if only they were part of the NHS routine health checks. They don't cost the earth when done privately, so can't cost the NHS a great deal. It really could lead to a much earlier diagnosis of diabetes, and give those that care about their health a good idea of whether they are improving insulin-wise.
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Sadly at least from my perspective the Nhs and self empowerment seem diametrically opposed. I doubt very much that the privatization that it is slipping into will help either
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Yes, if only they were part of the NHS routine health checks. They don't cost the earth when done privately, so can't cost the NHS a great deal. It really could lead to a much earlier diagnosis of diabetes, and give those that care about their health a good idea of whether they are improving insulin-wise.
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Yeah it’s a bit bizarre that insulin is not checked under the NHS. It’s the very earliest marker of metabolic disorder and could predict the onset of diabetes several years before any HbA1c test blows the whistle on its progression. Never mind put a stop to several other ailments linked to hyperinsulinemia. Sadly, the conspiracy theorist sitting on my shoulder thinks there are possibly forces at work who don’t want to stop people eating grains and never take drugs. Insulin is the key to it all, but it seems we are happy to ignore it and focus on the tip of the iceberg where all the money is.
 
@Jim Lahey, I had my fasting insulin tested about 18 months ago and it came back as 3 however my FBG was 6.4 and my HbA1c was at 39. As far as I can tell my fasting insulin was at the lower end but obviously my FBG and HbA1c were at the higher end ..... not sure what this told me! Hope to get another done in the not too distant future to check again. I did mine with Thriva as @shelley262 did but had the blood draw at my surgery.
 
CoastGirl said:
@Jim Lahey, I had my fasting insulin tested about 18 months ago and it came back as 3 however my FBG was 6.4 and my HbA1c was at 39. As far as I can tell my fasting insulin was at the lower end but obviously my FBG and HbA1c were at the higher end ..... not sure what this told me! Hope to get another done in the not too distant future to check again. I did mine with Thriva as @shelley262 did but had the blood draw at my surgery.
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That is curious. Perhaps an indicator of fatty pancreas unable to secrete large amounts of insulin? That is a wild guess using pure logic rather than any clinical knowledge. I understand that fatty pancreas is the very last thing to clear up when trying to beat diabetes, so it’s conceivable I guess :)
 
I have decided that I will undertake just the fasting insulin test but on the same morning I will measure my own glucose and use the two numbers to calculate my HOMA-IR. I understand that my own glucose measurement carries a degree of inaccuracy but it will be an interesting additional piece of data. For now I’m really only interested in my fasting insulin.
 
I also had the test done in November. Not having a baseline means it’s not much to go on, but I intend repeating it to check progress. @Jim Lahey I had the blood drawn at the Medichecks lab in central London. Great service and the most pain free blood draw in a while.

Just to chime in on the other discussions, I don’t understand the view that all newbies will be confused and overwhelmed by detailed / ‘advanced’ discussions. I for one found the range of views and advice very helpful on diagnosis.

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Jim Lahey said:
That is curious. Perhaps an indicator of fatty pancreas unable to secrete large amounts of insulin? That is a wild guess using pure logic rather than any clinical knowledge. I understand that fatty pancreas is the very last thing to clear up when trying to beat diabetes, so it’s conceivable I guess :)
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Yes, that could be the reason but I had lost 18 kg and weighed 58kg at the time of the test. Maybe this is not enough to remove fat from my pancreas but don't want to lose any further weight as skin and bones now. Will be interesting to have another done in the near future.

Best of luck with your test and let us know the result if you're comfortable to share.
 
Signed up with Medichecks and ordered my fasting insulin kit. The whole dashboard thing is cool. Really digging the setup and it seems a great site for logging data. Quite amused to see my dietary rating at only 63% because I add salt to my food and consume no fruit. WOTEVA :stop:
 
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