what happens now?

[newbie1998]

I went to the GP on Thursday as I've been feeling generally tired and r8un down for some time. I'm nearly 20 and am usually pretty active so I thought I'd just been overworking or something. My GP asked if I had a dry mouth or felt the need to go to the toilet a lot, I said yes as that's been the case for a while, however I assumed this coincided with my new job, as the building is very 'dry' (because of the air con) so I've been needing to drink more fluids.
Anyway, my GP says he wants to get a urine sample to look for diabetes 1. He took some bloods from my finger and said my sugars were 8 point something, which is apparently high. I'm fairly clueless about what this all means so I'm not sure whether 8 point something or high sugar is a good or a bad thing or not. I gave him a urine sample and he's going to test that apparently. My question is what happens now? Will my GP let me know about the test? Like I said I don't know hardly anything but it seemed strange to me that he said he'd let me know about whether I have diabetes based on one blood test and a urine sample. Is this normally what happens to get disgnosed? Or will I have to be prodded and poked around a lot more to find out? Sorry if this is super long. By the way I am in England if that helps.

 

[Mike d]

Is this normally what happens to get disgnosed?

Yep, it is .... the test (HbA1c) is for blood glucose averages in your system for the previous 3 months. Wait it out and then you'll see

 

[Kittycat_7_]

Hi,
Your dr will do more blood tests such as a fasting glucose and HBA1C and usually it's done twice to diagnose diabetes.
Unusual to test urine, he will be looking for glucose in your urine or ketones.
Sorry you feel run down.
You will feel better once the cause is established.
Hope you feel better very soon.
Take care

 

[paulus1]

will be checking a couple of other things in you pee as well. re your 8.something was this a fasting test or had you eaten just prior to going to the doctor. dont worry too much just wait and see. i suspect your going to have a scare. can i ask are you overweight or have any health issues. its not acting like type 1and 20 is young for type 2 if not fat. there are rarer types is there any diabetes in your close family.

 

[catapillar]

Type 1 diabetes is indeed usually diagnosed by a single finger prick blood test. That finger prick blood test would be over 20.

A random blood sugar of 8 doesn't suggest diabetes. It's normal, any non diabetic can get an 8 after eating. To raise concerns about diabetes it would have to be over 11.1. 8 might be considered very slightly elevated, but it's certainly not diagnostic of diabetes.

You ask if high sugar is a good thing or a bad thing. It's a bad thing. Diabetes is a condition of high blood sugar. Blood sugar targets as to what is considered non-diabetic are levels to be under - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

I suspect your doctor is just being overly cautious given your slightly elevated random blood sugar and your symptoms. A urine test can't diagnose diabetes, it can tell you if you have glucose in your urine and if you have ketones in your urine. But those tests are done by sticking a dipstick in the pee and getting an instant result, had the test shown glucose or ketones you would have got a call back to the doctors by now because that would be dangerous. Have you also had a blood draw from your arm? That would be needed to perform a hba1c test. A hba1c under 42 is normal. 42-47 is prediabetic and 48 or over is diabetic.

 

[newbie1998]

Yep, it is .... the test (HbA1c) is for blood glucose averages in your system for the previous 3 months. Wait it out and then you'll see

it was only a finger prick test though, he didn't take any blood from my arm. Will this be enough or will I have to go back for more tests?

 

[newbie1998]

will be checking a couple of other things in you pee as well. re your 8.something was this a fasting test or had you eaten just prior to going to the doctor. dont worry too much just wait and see. i suspect your going to have a scare. can i ask are you overweight or have any health issues. its not acting like type 1and 20 is young for type 2 if not fat. there are rarer types is there any diabetes in your close family.

No I'd already eaten that morning. No I'm pretty physically fit as I'm a warehouse operative, and I'm not overweight or anything. There's no family history either. What do you mean its not acting like type 1?

 

[newbie1998]

Hi,
Your dr will do more blood tests such as a fasting glucose and HBA1C and usually it's done twice to diagnose diabetes.
Unusual to test urine, he will be looking for glucose in your urine or ketones.
Sorry you feel run down.
You will feel better once the cause is established.
Hope you feel better very soon.
Take care

sorry I'm a bit thick with these things, is the HBA1C just the finger prick thing that he did already?

 

[newbie1998]

Type 1 diabetes is indeed usually diagnosed by a single finger prick blood test. That finger prick blood test would be over 20.

A random blood sugar of 8 doesn't suggest diabetes. It's normal, any non diabetic can get an 8 after eating. To raise concerns about diabetes it would have to be over 11.1. 8 might be considered very slightly elevated, but it's certainly not diagnostic of diabetes.

You ask if high sugar is a good thing or a bad thing. It's a bad thing. Diabetes is a condition of high blood sugar. Blood sugar targets as to what is considered non-diabetic are levels to be under - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

I suspect your doctor is just being overly cautious given your slightly elevated random blood sugar and your symptoms. A urine test can't diagnose diabetes, it can tell you if you have glucose in your urine and if you have ketones in your urine. But those tests are done by sticking a dipstick in the pee and getting an instant result, had the test shown glucose or ketones you would have got a call back to the doctors by now because that would be dangerous. Have you also had a blood draw from your arm? That would be needed to perform a hba1c test. A hba1c under 42 is normal. 42-47 is prediabetic and 48 or over is diabetic.

Over 20? Mine only cam back as 8 point something so that's okay then surely? No I've not had a blood draw only a finger prick. What would that show?

 

[catapillar]

Over 20? Mine only cam back as 8 point something so that's okay then surely? No I've not had a blood draw only a finger prick. What would that show?

Yes, over 20.

Yes, as mentioned, 8 might be considered very slightly elevated, but it is certainly not diagnostic of diabetes. It's perfectly normal for a non diabetic to have a random blood glucose of 8. Only if it goes over 11.1 are concerns about diabetes raised.

The finger prick blood test shows your current blood sugar. Which, as discussed, was 8. It is possible to get a hba1c from a finger prick, but I wouldn't have thought those machines are really in use at GP practices.

 

[newbie1998]

Yes, over 20.

Yes, as mentioned, 8 might be considered very slightly elevated, but it is certainly not diagnostic of diabetes. It's perfectly normal for a non diabetic to have a random blood glucose of 8. Only if it goes over 11.1 are concerns about diabetes raised.

The finger prick blood test shows your current blood sugar. Which, as discussed, was 8. It is possible to get a hba1c from a finger prick, but I wouldn't have thought those machines are really in use at GP practices.

Would it have to be over 11.1 or 20 to be considered diabetic then?
Sounds like my gp is just being over cautious from what you’ve said. Thanks.

 

[Daibell]

I think your GP is right to do further tests although the urine sample if it's loaded with sugar will help confirm that diabetes is likely. The real test will be the HBA1c which involves taking blood from the arm and getting it lab checked within a few days. Those who are diagnosed will be checked at least annually. I was diagnosed by my 'diabetes' GP 15 years ago with a urine stick which is not the right way to confirm diagnosis but I did have the complete set of symptoms. I had an HBa1C after 3 months which was way too high and gave a solid confirmation.