No longer diabetic......TEST RESULTS

[sazzysarah]

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 17 (i'm 23 now) I had v high blood sugars and had to spend a week in hospital. They put me on quite a high dosage of Novo mixtard 30 (can't remember how much exactly). I sometimes found it quite difficult to eat the right food and would reach for chocolate on occassions. But overally I wasn't too bad. I was on that insulin for quite a while, then they swapped me to 50 units of Levemir twice a day. That gradually got reduced until I no longer needed to inject.

I went to the diabetic clinic at my hospital in October (about 7 months after he told me I no longer needed to inject) and he told me I was no longer diabetic and he discharged me from the clinic. He said he no longer believed it was the honeymoon period as my results were perfect (sometimes even a bit low) for quite a length of time.


I had a Glucose Tollerence Test done at the hospital a couple of weeks ago, and they wrote me a letter the other day and said that my fasting blood glucose was 5.7 and 2 hours after the sugary drink, it had risen to 7.8 (which I thought was a good reading, but obviously not)......they said that I am not classed as diabetic, but that I have impaired glucose tollerance......What exactly does this mean? I've tried researching it online, but it's all a bit confusing!

The hospital suggested that I should see my GP and start taking Metformin..........The GP rang me today and said that they want to do another Glucose Tollerence test, and that I'm not going to be put onto Metformin at the moment. Metformin is a tablet to treat type 2 diabetes isn't it? But they're saying I'm not diabetic. Makes no sense to me. I don't know whether to be happy or sad or indifferent.

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Sarah,welcome to the forum,this is a bit of a puzzle which I'm hoping someone more qualified than me will come along and answer.

 

[hanadr]

Hi
sazzysarah
I can't exlplain those results, but you do need to see a GP and get the whole thing investigated. If you are taking medication, and measuring BG.
It would probably be better to keep on doing so. If you stop and you are a T1 diabetic, you could become ill very quickly.
Keep using that meter. It might be your lifeline.
Diabetes, doesn't normally disappear.

 

[timo2]

Hello Sarah,

As far as I'm aware, 7.8 is bang on the limit between "normal" and "impaired glucose tolerance".
This would explain why your G.P wants a retest. It would take a Blood sugar over 11.1 mmol/l
(at +2 hours) to confirm full-on diabetes.

The fact that you were previously only put on a basal insulin (Levemir) would suggest that
you were never a typical type 1.

Best regards,
timo.

 

[phoenix]

you were never a typical type 1.

The trouble is that researchers are discovering that there are far more forms of diabetes than a simple type 1, type 2 division and people don't always fit into a neat box.
This page gives a brief description of the different types know at the moment.
http://www.diabetesexplained.com/types.html
You need to see what your doctor suggests, but also as Hana says do keep an eye on the meter readings and see your doctor asap if they start to rise to high levels.

 

[Trinkwasser]

you were never a typical type 1.

The trouble is that researchers are discovering that there are far more forms of diabetes than a simple type 1, type 2 division and people don't always fit into a neat box.
This page gives a brief description of the different types know at the moment.
http://www.diabetesexplained.com/types.html
You need to see what your doctor suggests, but also as Hana says do keep an eye on the meter readings and see your doctor asap if they start to rise to high levels.

Indeed. Also

http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/diabetesgenes/index.htm

http://www.genetichealth.com/Diabetes_Home.shtml

Sounds a bit bizarre. Some forms of MODY can be well controlled with low dose sulphs replacing insulin.

Referral to get a second opinion would be a good plan

 

[brianb]

Jsorry to hijack this thread BUT just a quick question

What if you had two Fasting glucose tests at say 8.9,i know that this is a confirmed diabetes diagnosis but what if you had a normal GTT? would you still be diabetic??

Thanks

Brian

 

[Dennis]

Hi Brian,
A quick answer to your quick question.

Yes.

 

[Katharine]

I wonder if you are really a type 2 but because of your young age you were diagnosed as type one.

If they did a C peptide or antibody tests at the time of diagnosis this would be useful to know.

If type twos are put on insulin their beta cells can recover. If at the same time you lost a lot of weight, perhaps you have recovered enough so that you are only a bit glucose intolerant.

Does this fit?

If it doesn't you are still a mystery!

 

[Trinkwasser]

If it doesn't you are still a mystery!

Perhaps she was eating those cured diabetic mice . . . <G>

 

[brianb]

I tried them but they made me sick :shock:
Brian

 

[rach]

Just a quick thought... but have they checked your kidney function?
Given how long you were diabetic for and that it was well controlled it is unlikely, but sometimes diabetic damage to the kidney can lead to a reduction in insulin requirement (as the kidney is involved in insulin breakdown). A quick check of your creatinine levels should work that one out though.
Hoping it's not that though, it's pretty unlikely just thought was one to mention.

 

[sazzysarah]

Thank you all very much for your replies.

I'm not sure if they have checked my kidney function or not......for the first couple of years after I was diagnosed, my blood sugar levels weren't always that well controlled, and it wasn't a shock when they would hit the 20's.....I might mention it to the GP when I go and see them so that they could check my kidney function.

Thanks once again!