[felinefan67]

Hi. (this is going to be long)

I haven't been "officially" diagnosed with pre-diabetes however my father was diagnosed with Type 2 last year (He's 70).

I am 40 and haven't had the greatest eating habits over the years and wasn't a very active person (especially in the winter).

I started testing my fasting blood glucose last fall with my dad's meter. I tested 99 in Sept, (Lab work at the dr.'s office also came back 99 fasting in Oct of 07. I remained 99 in Nov/Dec.

Over the winter I injured my femoral nerve in my right leg and my pelvic bone. I was pretty much laid up for much of the winter although I did get up and go to work every day.

I tested myself again this March on Easter Sunday and my FBG was 102. A week later it was 101, then a few weeks later it was 102. I asked my DR. for a A1C test which came in at 5.5 (I've seen some sites say that 5.6 starts pre-diabetes). During this time I started to exercise and diet (Eat Right 4 Your Type, blood type diet) The Nurse at my DR's office made light of my A1C reading and said 5.5 is normal and if I had any more concerns to consult with my DR. at my next physical (Oct of 08).

Just this morning I tested my FBG and it came out at 74!! I tested again an hour and 45 minutes minutes after breakfast (Oatmeal and fruit) it was only 85.


I am a bit confused and have some questions:

If FBG numbers can flucuate, how on earth can a Dr. make a diagnosis of "PRE-diabetes" from fasting numbers at a physical? What if I just went on a day where the numbers just happened to fall in the normal range or the abnormal range??

AND if the numbers can reverse down that low from 102 down to 74, does that mean I am pre-diabetic with a normal reading for a change, OR was I a normal, non-diabetic that happened to have a couple of abnormal (pre-diabetic) numbers due to stress (from my injury and subsequent inactivity??)

I also ate an abnormally high amount (way more than usual) sugars and carbs over the winter due to being "bored" and housebound from my injuries.

I had ONE doctor call me an out and out diabetic (Some of you here may agree) and another doctor say "102 was your fasting?" "Don't worry about it". "If you are pre-diabetic, then we all are."


I might add that my dad has the same blood type as me and is following this blood type diet RELIGIOUSLY and STRICTLY and his numbers are near normal most of the time. He was diagnosed when his numbers were in the 400's but very quickly on this "diet" his numbers came and stayed down. His doctor is skeptical but amazed at the same time.

Should I worry about my A1C number and the three FBG in the early Spring??

I'm beginning to think if the numbers can fluctuate between normal and abnormal then how can the medical profession truly nail down a diagnosis of pre-diabetes??

My Doctor didn't feel it neccessary to perform an OGTT test just yet.

[felinefan67]

I thought this would be helpful forum?? 65 views and not one reply??? Can anyone suggest a different forum maybe?

[xMenace]

If FBG numbers can flucuate, how on earth can a Dr. make a diagnosis of "PRE-diabetes" from fasting numbers at a physical? What if I just went on a day where the numbers just happened to fall in the normal range or the abnormal range??

I'm beginning to think if the numbers can fluctuate between normal and abnormal then how can the medical profession truly nail down a diagnosis of pre-diabetes??

It's like a speeding car. Do you really know it's speeding if it's going 60 in a 55?

Diabetes is like going 75+. I was doing 220 at diagnosis. It was pretty ****ing clear.

I thought this would be helpful forum?? 65 views and not one reply??? Can anyone suggest a different forum maybe?

At 12:15am you only have the west coasters, who we all know are high on designer drugs at that time, and the Aussies, who are shutting down for the winter because they no longeer sweat all day.

Really, do you think anyone is going to pay much attention to a normal person on a forum like this? Puhleeeeease!

The bottom line is a human body is a wondeful and complex thing. Testing procedures are not exact and neither is diagnosis. Wait until you get into treatment...perhaps you are glimpsing our whacky lives just a little bit

[Penny]

You are very welcome here. Some of us might read your post and not know how to help you. I often just greet people because I have little else to say. I don't understand what you need now....for someone to tell you that you are Diabetic? Your doctor needs to be tthe one to do that. This is a really good forum, just give them time, someone will respond with the information you need.

[davef]

Felinfan,

The area of pre-diabetes is not something I am at all familiar with, partly becuase in Ireland there is no official classification of pre-diabetes (I believe this is largely a political decision) and also because there was no doubt when I was diagnosed, my A1c was 11.6 and FBG was 378.

I would suggest that if you are seriously concerned about being diagnosed as T2 that you should consult your Doctor. He will not base diagnosis on one FBG, to my knowledge doctors look for 3 "abnormal" FBG AND look at your A1c's before making a diagnosis.

If you feel you are likely to be diagnosed and have a strong family history, then perhaps it would be wise for you to consider your diet, can you make any changes to make it a healthier diet, could you cut down slightly on your carbs or the sweet things?

You didn't get a reply from me earlier, because I haven't been online, like Penny I generally respond when I have something to offer. I don't think it is necessarily fair to complain about 65 views and no answers, it is no harm to have 100 views and only one valuable answers rather than 100 answers that won't help you.

You are very welcome here, please try to give your a little break and don't stress out to much, most of us here would love your BG readings. I would urge you, if you are concerned to speak to your doctor.

[fgummett]

Welcome... I agree with above comments. Your tests seem great to me. Bearing in mind that blood glucose meters are not that accurate... they can differ by 15, 20% or more, so you really can't compare a fasting 99 with 101, 102 or even 74 for that matter.
If you are concerned, by all means check with your Doctor but also use this opportunity to live a healthier life... the diet and exercise changes are really what everyone should be doing anyway.

[princesslinda]

Welcome Felinefan....sorry you've not gotten the number of replies you've hoped for....you came on past my bedtime .

With your dad's diagnosis, you now have a family history of diabetes, so there is a chance at some point in the future you may develop it as well. Maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise and eating will hopefully keep you diabetes free for a long while. Sounds like you are doing well for now.

I'd consider your dad's diagnosis a wake-up call for your entire family to be healthier.

One thing to consider....all of us Type 2's were pre-D at one point, whether we knew about it or not. If you think you may be pre-D (and only your doc can diagnosis this) be extra-diligent about your health and have regular checkups so that if you progress to T2, you'll know early and be able to control it easier.

[Coppernob]

Hey there Felinefan - please feel welcome as this is a wonderful and supportive group of people who always try to help - well that has been my experience anyway.

I did look at your thread last night but it was late and I was really tired. The other thing is I never encountered the term pre-diabetic until I joined this forum last month. Consequently I didn't feel I could help.

I know your physical is not until October '08 but could you not either ask for a phone consultation with your Dr or make an appointment - then make a list of all the things you want to discuss. Let your Dr know how concerned you are - that might help. Sorry not to have more concrete input. Apart from that, I agree with the comments and advice of the others here.

[notme]

Welcome to Diabetes Forums felinefan. Many times there are people who come to this site to just read. They are not members and they will view a thread without the ability to post. We have great members who do their very best to help anyone who may have a diabetes question. We have parents of children with diabetes and girlfriends who have questions about a boyfriend with diabetes.

In your specific case, I would suggest you not worry much yet. Meters have a 20% error rate and your tests suggest you are not pre-diabetic or diabetic. If you take an average of your readings, you are well within the normal range. I would be more concerned if you were symptomatic.

Stay in contact with your doctor. Let him run lab tests during your check-ups if you are concerned. If you develep symptoms of diabetes, by all means make an urgent appointment.

Good luck to you and Welcome to Diabetes Forums.

[patricia52]

So sorry I did not see your post earlier. I know how frustrating it is to be uncertain about your #'s and symptoms. I was there just a few months ago.
It sounds like the diet and exercise accomplished for you what I was not able to accomplish. Keep up the good work and keep a watch on those #'s from time to time. If they start to creep upward again talk with your doctor again.
Check back here any time you have questions. There are some really good people here that know a lot more than I know.

[Tropo]

Originally Posted by felinefan67

I tested myself again this March on Easter Sunday and my FBG was 102. A week later it was 101, then a few weeks later it was 102. I asked my DR. for a A1C test which came in at 5.5 (I've seen some sites say that 5.6 starts pre-diabetes). During this time I started to exercise and diet (Eat Right 4 Your Type, blood type diet) The Nurse at my DR's office made light of my A1C reading and said 5.5 is normal and if I had any more concerns to consult with my DR. at my next physical (Oct of 08).

I'll put it to you straight and tell you what you probably don't want to hear.

I've had 2 recent HbA1C's at 5.7 and I consider myself to be pre-diabetic. You're getting close to those numbers and you have a sedentary lifestyle with bad eating habits and you're 8 years my junior.

Your HbA1C of 5.5% translates to an average BG level of 119. Mine translates to 126. A truly normal level is under 100 average which translates to an HbA1C of under 5.0%.

You should be concerned.

Did you know that some people can have good FBS readings but still have impaired glucose tolerance?

Some people can have impaired fasting glucose with normal glucose tolerance.

Your doctor sees quite low numbers so he considers you to be normal and probably didn't see the need to check your glucose tolerance with an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test).

Get a test done and check for yourself exactly where you are.

Right now you may be a pre-pre-diabetic, but you're near the border and with your lifestyle things can only get worse.

[REDLAN]

nice post with some interesting numbers...

to answer the question - am I pre-diabetic?

I don't know, and nor does your doctor....

yet

let's first off clear up some of those uncertainties

first off Hba1c's and those average BG's - they were calculated from the DCCT - Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, which looked at type 1's. They're still relevant to type 2's, however there is something that you need to understand about HbA1c's.

there is large variations between individuals. Similar average BG's can lead to HbA1c's to vary by as much as 1.0%. Your 5.5% could be someone else's 4.5%, and you could both have the same average BG. Treat HbA1c as your own personal average BG, and you won't go far wrong. Oh and differences of 0.1 to 0.3% from one reading to the next are of no consequence - effectively they need to be treated as though they are the same. It's down to the accuracy of the machine that measures them.

Now for the fasting glucose test results...

WHO guidelines say that IFG (impaired fasting glucose) are values between 6.0 and 7.0 mmol (108 to 126). So....

technically you do not have impaired fasting glucose, but what is described as a high normal fasting glucose. However your family history means that your high normal is more significant, and may mean that you are at much greater risk of developing diabetes.

so why do they choose 108 as the cut off for IFG? It's all to do with false positives. They chose this value because it excluded a sufficient number of those high normals, to make it an effective cut off point.

A diagnosis is never made on the basis of just one blood sugar test. So could your high fasting glucose be down to your recent sedentary habits and an injury?

It's possible. If your fasting BG stays around it's current level you probably do not have anything to worry about. But don't take my word for it - see your Endo.

another cause for the variation in your fasting glucose. Over winter the body slows down and attempts to store fat. It does this by increasing insulin resistance (specifically your muscles find it harder to absorb glucose, forcing your liver to convert more glucose into fat). In your case it elevates your BG. Now that spring is here the reverse happens - insulin resistance drops and your body starts mobilising those fat stores.

onto glucose tolerance tests.

this is a much more sensitive test i.e. it will catch more people with pre-diabetes, however it will also catch a load more of those high-normals. They may well have borderline OGTT, but never go on to develop diabetes.

[jakesfnm]

Like you, I've got a dad with diabetes and like you, I was ill for quite some time during the late fall/winter. I was drinking lots of beverages with much higher carb content than usual because I couldn't eat much. I had a 6.1 a1c. Since then I've gone back to eating healthy and have cut down on carbs considerably. I've also had some "low" BG counts (65-80s) - but also a couple of 140s after higher carb meals. My suggestion to you is to relax. Test just enough to know how you react to certain foods/quantities. But most of all, take this as an opportunity to get healthy - exercise and eat a delicious "diabetic diet" as much as possible. My blood pressure's gone down and I'm fitting into smaller sizes for the first time in many years! I'm splurging on some of my favorite good-for-me foods (salmon, roasted veggies). I've switched now to just regular a1c tests. I'm awaiting the results right now! Good luck.

[felinefan67]

Well, things are worse then I was told over the phone. My lab results say 5.8 on the paperwork, NOT 5.5 like the nurse (or whoever) said. I am fairly certain I'm pre-diabetic. I just didn't think it could happen so fast (from last fall (FBG of 99) until March/April of this year. I still have seen some sites say that 6.0 -7.0 is considered pre-diabetes (A1C). My doctor is calling me back tomorrow to discuss my concerns.

So far my blood sugars are all within normal range after meals. It's the high fasting (those few times) and the high HBA1C that has me freaked.

The U.S.A cut-off for Fasting Blood Glucose is 99 for normals and 125 for pre-diabetics. After that, you are diagnosed Type 2.

[Coppernob]

Felinefan, I am sorry that you had a shock over the A1C but I am glad that the Dr is calling you tomorrow to discuss everything with you. Whenever I speak to the Dr by phone, I make a list so that we cover all the things I am concerned or have questions about. Good luck and think positive.