My numbers are confusing

[SaltyPretzel]

Hi everyone,

I’m kind of tired of being a medical mystery. So my first set of concerning results was a FBG of 123 mg/dL. I got super depressed and starting eating a ton of junk food. I finally got the courage to get my A1C checked and it was 4.7% (???).

3 months later I decided to try to get my FBG rechecked. The only thing I had to drink in the morning was a tiny sip of Gatorade zero sugar. The rest water. So I assume it still counts as a fasting result. The whole bottle has 2g of carbs and 0 sugar.

Glucose from the lab was 107 mg/dL. I hadn’t changed diet or anything. A1C came back at 5.0%.

I started checking in the morning with Contour Next One and my levels have been between 94-99. Never above 100. Not sure if high 90s is concerning.

I even checked in the doctors and it was 97, prior to getting my blood drawn and seeing the 107 result. However, I thought I was just getting a finger stick that day, and after the finger stick, when the nurse said she needed to draw blood for other tests, I got panicky and nervous.

I know blood pressure can go up with stress, but I don’t believe glucose would. This was within 15-20 mins, between the draw of the finger and the vein blood draw.

Either it’s a statistical variance within my meter or it’s stress.

I also have super sweaty hands that sweat even when drying them, so I don’t know how much that will impact readings. I always try to dry them as much as humanly possible.

Help! Do I see an endocrinologist? Am I at risk for prediabetes?

 

[In Response]

I know blood pressure can go up with stress, but I don’t believe glucose would. This was within 15-20 mins, between the draw of the finger and the vein blood draw.

Yep, stress, weather, illness, fear, drugs, carbs, protein, bad night sleep, time of day, exercise, ... all affect blood sugar readings. They do not stay exactly the same just because you eat no carbs.

 

[searley]

Hi everyone,


I know blood pressure can go up with stress, but I don’t believe glucose would. This was within 15-20 mins, between the draw of the finger and the vein blood draw.

Either it’s a statistical variance within my meter or it’s stress.

I also have super sweaty hands that sweat even when drying them, so I don’t know how much that will impact readings. I always try to dry them as much as humanly possible.

Help! Do I see an endocrinologist? Am I at risk for prediabetes?

yes, mood and stress can cause the release of glucose so that can have an effect..

hygiene can have an effect.. so no clean/ sweat hands.. or alcohol wipes can al give false readings.. although the variance you are talking about is not massive 97 to 107 is not a big difference

but there is another factor to consider blood glucose meters are not 100% accurate, there is a reasonable 'margin of error' that is accepted for them meaning that you could use 2 different meters on the same spot of blood and get different result at your bg level the difference could be about upto 10mg/dl (20%) details of this can be seen at this page https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose-meters/iso-accuracy-standards.html

 

[SaltyPretzel]

“but there is another factor to consider blood glucose meters are not 100% accurate, there is a reasonable 'margin of error' that is accepted for them meaning that you could use 2 different meters on the same spot of blood and get different result at your bg level the difference could be about upto 10mg/dl (20%) details of this can be seen at this page:”

what is the error rate for lab readings? 107 was the lab, 97 was my meter.

 

[Antje77]

Help! Do I see an endocrinologist? Am I at risk for prediabetes?

You've had a single mildly elevated fasting finger prick test of 123 mg/dl (6.8 mmol/l).

With all your other numbers, both fingerpricks and hba1c being normal over months, I'd expect that single 123 figure was a test error like a dodgy test strip or something on your finger. Or perhaps you had something brewing that day, a cold or such, which can elevate blood glucose.
If you're worried about it, yes, please speak with your doctor about your worries though!

Seeing an endocrinologist for prediabetes or even full blown T2 with a very high hba1c and fasting numbers in the 200's is very unusual.
In the UK there is absolutely no GP who would give you a referral based on your numbers.

 

[Antje77]

what is the error rate for lab readings? 107 was the lab, 97 was my meter.

That's not that much of a difference, I can get this difference if I retest right away on a different finger.
And you didn't test at exactly the same time as your blood was drawn.

If you look at this graph from my glucose sensor you can see how quickly bg can rise (and it went higher than that too, my sensors read a little low) even without food in the equasion.
That day I had a dentist appointment at 2:30. I hadn't eaten. I'm rather scared of the dentist.
The rise starts at the exact moment I entered the clinic, which is of course the moment my fear shot up. Looks like I rose from about 86 to 118 in less than 10 minutes from adrenalin alone!

 

[Jaylee]

I know blood pressure can go up with stress, but I don’t believe glucose would. This was within 15-20 mins, between the draw of the finger and the vein blood draw.

Hi,

Yep, it's called "white coat syndrome" I believe?

Lol, I've seen perfect levels rise from a stressful drive. & even an intense manager encounter on a busy engineering production "shop floor." According to my sensor.. Dispite the other guys suggesting I was calm. & they wouldn't have taken it..
I feel it's just a natural human response..

By the same token. My BP has elevated due to low sugar levels as an insulin user too.. (There may well have been a liver dump too.) Long story, I've gone low at a check up. & also experimented with a home BP meter under simalar conditions.

 

[SaltyPretzel]

You've had a single mildly elevated fasting finger prick test of 123 mg/dl (6.8 mmol/l).

With all your other numbers, both fingerpricks and hba1c being normal over months, I'd expect that single 123 figure was a test error like a dodgy test strip or something on your finger. Or perhaps you had something brewing that day, a cold or such, which can elevate blood glucose.
If you're worried about it, yes, please speak with your doctor about your worries though!

Seeing an endocrinologist for prediabetes or even full blown T2 with a very high hba1c and fasting numbers in the 200's is very unusual.
In the UK there is absolutely no GP who would give you a referral based on your numbers.

That test was via vein. Both the 123 and 107. And jt was done by a lab. Which is why I’m concerned.

 

[Glink]

Based on what you've shared here I'd guess you're in the "grey zone" where some clinicians would call you prediabetic based on indications of some impaired fasting glucose (the 2 lab tests btw 100 & 125) and others wouldn't (with fine A1C results). What would it change for you if you were diagnosed with prediabetes? Are these things that would be good for you anyway? You don't say anything about your lifestyle, but if you could use a little more exercise or a little more veg/less simple carbs, like many folks these days, it wouldn't hurt to try those things out. Might even help your impaired fasting glucose numbers.

 

[Member496333]

Fasting insulin test will reveal all. If your fasting insulin is normal and your glucose is normal then in all likelihood your first glucose measurement was erroneous. It’s all about the insulin. In these scenarios, trying to analyse glucose data without insulin data it is a waste of time.

 

[Ronancastled]

Remember your meter only needs to be +/- 15% accurate.
So a reading of 100mg/dl could actually be 85 or 115.

 

[SaltyPretzel]

Based on what you've shared here I'd guess you're in the "grey zone" where some clinicians would call you prediabetic based on indications of some impaired fasting glucose (the 2 lab tests btw 100 & 125) and others wouldn't (with fine A1C results). What would it change for you if you were diagnosed with prediabetes? Are these things that would be good for you anyway? You don't say anything about your lifestyle, but if you could use a little more exercise or a little more veg/less simple carbs, like many folks these days, it wouldn't hurt to try those things out. Might even help your impaired fasting glucose numbers.

I ended up seeing a doctor and they said glucose can elevate due to stress. Blood draws stress me out a lot. So I don’t think I’m prediabetic given that my daily numbers in the morning are below 100. And the doctor said given the normal A1C Im not.

i lift weights 3 days a week and do high intensity interval training 1x a week plus 1 low intensity cardio.

I try to avoid refined carbs. But I do eat carbs.

reading today was 78 mg/dL right upon waking up. I think with a 15% variance that means it’s actually maybe 89.7.

I’m using the contour next one meter.

 

[SaltyPretzel]

Remember your meter only needs to be +/- 15% accurate.
So a reading of 100mg/dl could actually be 85 or 115.

True. I think most likely stress is to blame. I assume if my numbers are normal fasted without stress, then I have nothing to worry about. All the post prandials seem to be normal too.

And half the time I’m at low 80s or upper 70s, half the time mid 90s. So the former can’t be prediabetic and the latter could be.