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My doctor took back my diabetic diagnosis and said I am now impaired glucose tolerant

Looking4someone2help

Looking4someone2help

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Can someone tell me their thoughts... My doctor called after a1c test in Oct (5.3) to see me. She kept asking how I felt and I said better but I been sick. She looked in my throat, nose ears, she listen to my heart, lungs, and tummy, and then checked my temp and blood pressure. She's retesting my lipids and vitamins right away fasting 12 hours. She said I am not diabetic anymore but impaired glucose tolerant. She says my test results show I went from diabetic to normal in 6 months without medicine and if I was diabetic that wouldn't be possible. She said she would have thought it was a fluke if she didn't think the previous was a fluke and retested me 3 months later. She says later I might be diabetic but not now. She knows I can go beginning of hypo and hyper if I get sick and stressed but normally stay great. She says she's never seen this and wants to make sure I'm eating well and wants me to loose some weight. I told her I just accepted my diagnosis a few weeks ago and I saw it go up real high after being sick and it's now starting to go back down after being so sick. She just said it was normal and that's why I'm not diabetic. So what are your thoughts? I should be happy but I'm confused as they wanted me to be on medicine 6 months ago and I may not have needed it or maybe it was diet changes. I don't know what to think.
 
Looking4someone2help said:
Can someone tell me their thoughts... My doctor called after a1c test in Oct (5.3) to see me. She kept asking how I felt and I said better but I been sick. She looked in my throat, nose ears, she listen to my heart, lungs, and tummy, and then checked my temp and blood pressure. She's retesting my lipids and vitamins right away fasting 12 hours. She said I am not diabetic anymore but impaired glucose tolerant. She says my test results show I went from diabetic to normal in 6 months without medicine and if I was diabetic that wouldn't be possible. She said she would have thought it was a fluke if she didn't think the previous was a fluke and retested me 3 months later. She says later I might be diabetic but not now. She knows I can go beginning of hypo and hyper if I get sick and stressed but normally stay great. She says she's never seen this and wants to make sure I'm eating well and wants me to loose some weight. I told her I just accepted my diagnosis a few weeks ago and I saw it go up real high after being sick and it's now starting to go back down after being so sick. She just said it was normal and that's why I'm not diabetic. So what are your thoughts? I should be happy but I'm confused as they wanted me to be on medicine 6 months ago and I may not have needed it or maybe it was diet changes. I don't know what to think.
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I think you need a referral to a endocrinologist who specialises in metabolic conditions.
What your doctor means is that you can't tolerate high glucose in your blood and high glucose makes you ill.
For some reason and only tests that a specialist would recommend can really diagnose you.
You have an imbalance in your blood glucose/ insulin response especially when eating carbs and sugars.
I believe that because you have altered your diet to low carb, that you have got your Hba1c back into normal levels.
In my experience doctors do not have the knowledge or experience of some metabolic conditions, especially like mine.
If low carbing makes you well, then that is the best treatment.
Finding out how different foods affect you, will greatly help with your health.
 
What happens if you eat high carb foods? Does your blood glucose spike into diabetic range?

If it does, you are a diet controlled diabetic - a well controlled one.
If you don't spike, and your bg stays in the normal range whatever you eat, then your doc may be right. But neither of you can know that from just an hba1c.

In my opinion you would need to self test a number of high carb meals, or have an glucose tolerance test in order to know for certain.

Congratulations on the hba1c though -that is brilliant!
 
Looking4someone2help said:
Can someone tell me their thoughts... My doctor called after a1c test in Oct (5.3) to see me. She kept asking how I felt and I said better but I been sick. She looked in my throat, nose ears, she listen to my heart, lungs, and tummy, and then checked my temp and blood pressure. She's retesting my lipids and vitamins right away fasting 12 hours. She said I am not diabetic anymore but impaired glucose tolerant. She says my test results show I went from diabetic to normal in 6 months without medicine and if I was diabetic that wouldn't be possible. She said she would have thought it was a fluke if she didn't think the previous was a fluke and retested me 3 months later. She says later I might be diabetic but not now. She knows I can go beginning of hypo and hyper if I get sick and stressed but normally stay great. She says she's never seen this and wants to make sure I'm eating well and wants me to loose some weight. I told her I just accepted my diagnosis a few weeks ago and I saw it go up real high after being sick and it's now starting to go back down after being so sick. She just said it was normal and that's why I'm not diabetic. So what are your thoughts? I should be happy but I'm confused as they wanted me to be on medicine 6 months ago and I may not have needed it or maybe it was diet changes. I don't know what to think.
Click to expand...


Congrats that your Hba1c went to normal .. i think this is because you have altered your diet together with exercise that you have got your Hba1c back into normal levels just continue on that ..
 
In the words of my GP and I quote at the time of your blood tests you where or are not diabetic but you are still a diabetic.

Congrats on your results though. And I think your GP needs reeducating on what is possible and what is not.
 
Excellent HbA1c, keep doing what you're doing and if it involves eating less carbs you're well controlled rather than no longer diabetic. I think if you can see an endocrinologist, he/she should be able to tell you what's what.
 
well I still hope there is such a thing as full remision .. so hope your GP is right about that
 
Brunneria said:
What happens if you eat high carb foods? Does your blood glucose spike into diabetic range?

If it does, you are a diet controlled diabetic - a well controlled one.
If you don't spike, and your bg stays in the normal range whatever you eat, then your doc may be right. But neither of you can know that from just an hba1c.

In my opinion you would need to self test a number of high carb meals, or have an glucose tolerance test in order to know for certain.

Congratulations on the hba1c though -that is brilliant!
Click to expand...
Yes GTT required I think.
 
My first question would be what was your first hbA1c test result? Having a recent test result of 5.3% just means that you have good controlled blood sugars. I've not heard of impaired glucose tolerance as a diagnosis... but then I possibly am living under a rock. I would've thought all diabetics have impaired glucose tolerance anyhow as the body either doesn't know what to do with insulin or doesn't produce the insulin needed. I would agree with others that further tests should be done... especially the GTT which would show how well your body can process sugar. If it can't, then you'd be watching your diet, etc. to control it. Also I agree with what others have said about testing for yourself after a high carb meal (eg. 1 hour, then 2 hours afterwards, even test at 3 hours to see what it is) to see what your sugar levels are doing. If they go outside of normal range during those 3 hours then you'd be diabetic. I wish you the best. :)
 
@Mep 7.0 in March, 5.7 in July, 5.3 in October.

Yes. I made some changes. I use to skip breakfast and eat a snack at 11 then healthy big lunch around 1:30 and then a snack around 8pm. Now I strive to eat 1 HR from waking up. I eat my healthiest meal as lunch around 1:30 and still working on dinner around 6 but it usually still smaller. I am struggling to find a balance with my meals with carbs. They told me 60 carbs and that's a lot more than I eat. The most I eat is 45 in the morning with fruit, oatmeal, and milk. Lunch it's the same thing the most I eat is 30 on my unhealthy meals with a sandwich and salad. Dinner the most I eat is 30 with my unhealthy meal with a salad, potatoes, and hamburger. I am still hungriest in the afternoon and usually not in the morning or evening. I eat low carb, but I actually eat more carbs now. I have never been a big rice, pasta, cereal, or bread eater. I've always had a sweet tooth and I did give in around 11 to a rice crispy treat or cheese. I eat more, but I try to spread it out more. I'm trying not to eat until I am full most afternoons. And I eat more balanced nutritious foods through out the day. I eat fruit when I crave sweets, added beans and whole grains. I use to snack on cheese a lot, but I don't now. I haven't ever been a big meat eater. I think, I wasn't eating enough and my pancreas was dumping and then I was snacking after the dumping and I was full to eat at night. That's not what a doctor told me but a personal guess. I also see my numbers go up when I'm sick or stressed.

Ok I will test after a burger and fries tomorrow night at dinner. That should spike it... If diabetic.
 
@Looking4someone2help - I don't tend to eat more than 30g of carbs on average with my meals, and I'm not even doing low carb diet. See what you get after your high carb meal. I'm not sure about the "pancreas dumping" as such... I'm assuming you mean you think it's dumping too much insulin? With type 2 diabetes your pancreas produces insulin to begin with but your body doesn't know what to do with the insulin so the sugar just sits around in your blood for a bit instead of doing its job. This is known as insulin resistance. So if you're getting high sugars after your high carb meal that is likely what it would be. To control that you'd start off by reducing your carb intake per meal. The 60g of carbs you mentioned is too high to be eating if you're watching your sugar intake (as mentioned I have half of that on average and I'm on insulin also). If you're not on insulin you really would struggle to control your sugar on 60g of carb per meal. Have a look around this forum and you will see that a lot of people on diet control are eating the low carb high fat (LCHF) diet. That works well for most... not everyone though. But it's worth a try. You'll probably notice a lot of people doing this diet are lucky if they eat 60g of carbs the entire day. A lot would eat less than that... some only doing 20-30g per day. Anyhow see how you go with your testing and that should give you a good idea what your body is doing. I wish you the best. :)
 
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