diabetes testing??

[Guest guest]

Hi Kris,

You could have a fast over night, and have a blood test done in the morning.

A fasting blood sugar level can give an indication of diabetes. If your

fasting blood sugar level was border-line or high, i'm afraid the glucose

tolerance

test is the best way to diagnose diabetes. It involves a fast, then drinking a

gluocse drink, and a series of blood tests, which will show how you deal with

the glucose.

Sue (UK)

[Guest guest]

Can anyone tell me what the easiest test would be to check for

diabetes? I hate the thought of having to drink a glass full of

surgary stuff. Will a blood test tell or does one have to have the

drink too? Thanks for any comments.

Kris in TN

[Guest guest]

Kris,

I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in January 2003. My problems began in

October 2002, 3 months after I started back having attacks of acute panc.

Despite having been diagnosed with diabetes over 18 months ago, I rarely have a

fasting blood sugar that is above normal. My fasting blood sugar is more likely

to be lower than normal. When I had surgery on my wrist, they had to switch out

my IV fluid before surgery because my blood sugar was only 42! I just thought I

was cold and shaky because I was dreading not being able to use my right hand

for a while!

For me, the problem began with my blood sugar dropping too low if I went more

than two hours without eating. My mom has type II diabetes and when I had an

episode of feeling cold, shaky, sort of dizzy and nauseated, my mom thought it

might be my blood sugar. She didn't have her monitor with her at the time. We

had just driven to 100 miles for a doctor's appt. Anyway, she had me eat a few

jelly beans and in a few minutes I was fine. The next day, I had a similar

episode. I checked my blood sugar and if I remember correctly, it was in the

low 50s. The doctors initially thought the low blood sugar was just because I

had been so sick and my nutritional status was very poor. The doctor told me to

make sure I ate something at least every two hours while I was awake. For a

while that took care of things. If I happened to forget to eat every two hours,

my blood sugar would let me know. It made me feel like crap! The low blood

sugar episodes made my brain feel fuzzy and just overall crappy! Until this

time, I never realized that diabetes actually made you feel bad! It didn't take

long for my body to adjust and a blood sugar in the 50s didn't make me feel as

bad as it did at first. Of course, this was both good and bad. I was glad to

not feel crappy, but I had to pay more attention to what I ate and checking my

blood sugar because it took greater fluctuations for my body to notice them.

Over time, my blood sugar began flip-flopping; too high, then later too low.

The too high blood sugars made me feel hot and often so tired I thought my

eyelids must have bricks on them! Gradually my highest blood sugar reading was

getting higher. When I started having readings over 200, I went to an

endocrinologist and he immediately diagnosed me with type II diabetes. We

assume the panc attacks caused it, but I could have inherited it from my mom.

However, my mom was over 50 when she became a diabetic and I was only 41 when

mine started. Also, the fact that the problems began 3 months after the return

of the panc attacks and the blood sugar problems got worse the more panc attacks

I had - that leads me and the doctors to think my diabetes is caused by the panc

attacks. Anyway, I'm still pretty lucky. At home, I am pretty much able to

control the diabetes by diet. When I am in the hospital with panc attacks, they

almost always have to give me insulin. Still, my highest blood sugar has been

about 325. Even when I have a panc attack, it only rarely goes over 250. When

I have a panc attack, I almost always end up having an episode of low blood

sugar at least 1 or 2 times while I am in the hospital. The last hospital

admission, I just got sort of hot all of a sudden. I checked my blood sugar

thinking maybe it was up, even though they were only letting me have ice chips

at that time. My blood sugar was only 52. About the time I checked it, I

switched from hot to a major cold sweat. I had sweat dripping off my face and I

was shaking like crazy, freezing, and just feeling awful. I called the nurse

and they checked my blood sugar with their monitor and it was 50. They wouldn't

let me eat or drink anything because I was still supposed to just have ice. It

felt like forever before the nurse finally came and gave me IV dextrose (I guess

that's what you call it). Once she gave me that, I was fine in just a few

minutes. It's funny because sometimes a blood sugar in the 50s or 60s can make

me feel really bad. Other times, it might be as low as 40 without any real

symptoms. Same thing with it going high. Most times, if my blood sugar is over

150, I get hot and just feel icky. However, I've had times when it was near 300

and I had no clue it was even elevated.

Well, as usual, I got off track. My whole point was to tell you that, in my

opinion, the best way to determine if you are a diabetic is to get a blood sugar

monitor and check your blood sugar 2-4 times a day for at least 2-3 weeks. By

the way, I have not had a glucose tolerance test (where you drink the icky

sugary stuff) in over 15 years. My endocrinologist told me it wasn't necessary.

The diabetes education nurse that I went to also told me that it is very normal

for diabetes to start as mine did - with just having low blood sugar and no

problems with it going too high. She said you can have that for a few months or

sometimes a few years before you start having problems with it going too high.

She said that people with low blood sugar should monitor their blood sugar and

follow a diabetic diet because low blood sugar is almost always an indicator

that diabetes is beginning. Honestly, the diabetic diet is probably one of the

safest and healthiest diets there is. It is a diet that almost anyone could

benefit from following.

I hope you don't have diabetes, but there are many people who have diabetes and

don't know it. It can go undiagnosed and uncontrolled for years before it is

diagnosed. This is when you are really in danger of the many types of damage

diabetes can cause. The earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to get it

under control. The more in control the diabetes is, the less likely you are to

have damage to your body from diabetes. I am not trying to down play diabetes.

It is a very serious disease. However, early diagnosis and treatment is the

safest bet and the best way to avoid major problems. In my case, the diabetes

has progressed with the progression of the cp. There will probably come a time

that I will have to be on medication even at home to keep it under control since

cp is a chronic and progressive illness. As the damage to my pancreas

increases, my pancreas may eventually be unable to produce any insulin at all.

For now, though, my diabetes is more an annoyance than anything. Of course, I

am dealing with several chronic and progressive illnesses, so diabetes just

makes the mix more interesting!

I have systemic lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome (an autoimmune clotting

disorder), type II diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune liver disease,

genetic IgG deficiency, and have had several TIAs (mini strokes caused by the

clotting disorder).

Oh, one more point on diabetes - ignoring it, sticking your head in the sand, or

putting off monitoring it can have serious consequences. My sister-in-law had

her first heart attack and heart bypass surgery at age 50. Over the last 10

years, she has had 2 open heart surgeries, many many angioplasties with stents

in the arteries, and a defibrillator installed in her heart. She has congestive

heart failure and there's not much more they can do for her heart. It may last

for many more years, but it's also entirely possible her heart will 'give out'

at any time. Several months ago she had her first known episode of elevated

blood sugar. She was in the hospital and routine lab work revealed a fasting

glucose of about 220. She was given insulin and her blood sugar was okay for

the remainder of the hospital stay. This woman was a nurse and even taught

nursing prior to going into business for herself about 20 years ago. When she

told me about her blood sugar being elevated in the hospital, I told her she

should buy a blood sugar monitor and check her blood sugar at home for a few

weeks. She just pooh poohed the idea and said she couldn't stand the thoughts

of having one more health issue to deal with. I certainly understood that.

Over the next few months, she had some episodes that surely seemed like her

blood sugar was going both too high and maybe too low. I tried a few more times

to talk her into getting a blood sugar monitor, but she refused. At a routine

appt with the doctor, her fasting blood sugar was 240. The doctor immediately

put her on medication and diagnosed her as a type II diabetic. She still

refused to get a monitor and check her blood sugar at home. When she went back

to the doctor a couple of weeks later for a re-check. Her fasting blood sugar

was 295 on medication! He upped or changed her medication and then told her to

get a monitor and check her blood sugar 4 times daily at home. She got the

monitor that day and the first time she checked it, her blood sugar was 490.

She called me and she and I both decided the monitor just had to be bad. I

tried to get her to go get another one that evening but she said she was too

tired. She did promise she'd get one first thing in the morning. The next

morning she did go to the drug store before going to her office. Her blood

sugar was 525! The pharmacist even called the monitor company to make sure the

monitor was calibrated correctly. when they checked it one more time, her blood

sugar was 530. She called the doctor and he told her to get her butt to his

office immediately. He checked it when she got there and it was about 485. He

sent her straight to the hospital. After several months of trying every

combination of medication along with being very dilligent with her diet, she

still could not get her blood sugar under control. They started her on insulin

in addition to the oral meds and still couldn't get her blood sugar to stay

controlled. Finally after working very closely with a wonderful

endocrinologist, weekly meetings with a diabetic education counselor regarding

her diet, and exercising under the guidance of a personal trainer, I think

things are improving for her. Because she already has congestive heart failure,

diabetes is very dangerous for her. To make matters worse, since being

diagnosed with diabetes, she has lost three very close friends who also had

congestive heart failure and diabetes. The combination of uncontrolled diabetes

and congestive heart failure is a dangerous one. Actually, uncontrolled

diabetes is dangerous no matter what other health issues you have. In my

sister-in-law's case, they now think she may have had diabetes for up to 10

years prior to being diagnosed with it. They don't necessarily think the

diabetes caused the initial heart problems, but they definitely think the

diabetes sped up and added to the heart issues she has.

I'm not trying to put you or anyone else in a panic mode about diabetes. Just

asking that everyone pay attention to your body. consider investing in a home

blood sugar monitor and doing home testing for a while if you think diabetes is

a possibility for you.

take care,

W

alabama