Three years ago, at the age of 39, I was rushed to hospital with a cardiac arrhythmia whilst on holiday in the UK. The arrhythmia turned out to be benign, although it has recurred intermittently, but during treatment the hospital informed me that I was type two diabetic. On returning home, I had a Glucose Tolerance Test, which partly confirmed that diagnosis - my fasting blood glucose was 7.1 and the two hour result was 11.0, placing me exactly on the threshold for diabetes.
My doctor concluded that "you're not diabetic, but we're going to treat you as though you are", and sent me to a dietician, as well as putting me on statins to reduce my cholesterol (5.8 at that point). My cardiologist additionally prescribed me a combined antiarrhythmic and blood pressure lowering medication (calcium channel blocker), and since then my blood pressure at rest has been between about 110/78 and 125/80, though considerably higher during times of exercise or stress. At around the same time, thorough cardiac testing (stress test, holter monitor, whole body ultrasound) showed no problems, although my doctor noted "you have fatty streaks in your liver – but I would have expected that".
The best part of a year later, I had lost three stones in weight, and we repeated the GTT. This time it produced a fasting result of 6.2 and a two hour result of 6.5, indicating that I had impaired fasting glucose but not glucose intolerance or diabetes. My hb1ac at the time was 6.0%.
Last year, I had a fasting blood glucose and hb1ac test. This produced a strange result, with my fasting blood glucose having increased to 6.7 and my hb1ac having dropped to 5.8%. Total cholesterol was 3.3, and lipids and all other readings absolutely normal. My doctor said she thought this was "absolutely fine and nothing to worry about", and suggested that the curious result may have been due to my feeling stressed on the morning of the test (which I was).
I've just had the test repeated, almost a year on, and am waiting for the result. What should I consider a normal outcome, a broadly satisfactory outcome, or a worrying outcome necessitating further weight loss or modified diet? And if I do not put on significant weight, what is the likelihood of my impaired fasting glucose causing complications or progressing to insulin-dependent type two diabetes?
My doctor concluded that "you're not diabetic, but we're going to treat you as though you are", and sent me to a dietician, as well as putting me on statins to reduce my cholesterol (5.8 at that point). My cardiologist additionally prescribed me a combined antiarrhythmic and blood pressure lowering medication (calcium channel blocker), and since then my blood pressure at rest has been between about 110/78 and 125/80, though considerably higher during times of exercise or stress. At around the same time, thorough cardiac testing (stress test, holter monitor, whole body ultrasound) showed no problems, although my doctor noted "you have fatty streaks in your liver – but I would have expected that".
The best part of a year later, I had lost three stones in weight, and we repeated the GTT. This time it produced a fasting result of 6.2 and a two hour result of 6.5, indicating that I had impaired fasting glucose but not glucose intolerance or diabetes. My hb1ac at the time was 6.0%.
Last year, I had a fasting blood glucose and hb1ac test. This produced a strange result, with my fasting blood glucose having increased to 6.7 and my hb1ac having dropped to 5.8%. Total cholesterol was 3.3, and lipids and all other readings absolutely normal. My doctor said she thought this was "absolutely fine and nothing to worry about", and suggested that the curious result may have been due to my feeling stressed on the morning of the test (which I was).
I've just had the test repeated, almost a year on, and am waiting for the result. What should I consider a normal outcome, a broadly satisfactory outcome, or a worrying outcome necessitating further weight loss or modified diet? And if I do not put on significant weight, what is the likelihood of my impaired fasting glucose causing complications or progressing to insulin-dependent type two diabetes?
