# Diabetes: do I get tested? And what is the latest test? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958 "2002-08-15T03:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/1 "2002-08-15T03:26:48Z")
My mother’s family has a history of diabetes. After an incident when I was 17, I was tested (horrible glucose tolerance test), and told I was diabetic. I got more sick, saw an endocrinologist, took a whole bunch of “spot check” blood tests, and he told me I was fine. In the past 13 years, I’ve felt worse and worse, and my mother suggested I get tested for diabetes again. But what is a good test? The endocrinologist dismissed my glucose tolerance tests because they weren’t realistic (in his opinion): here I was fasting for a day, then downing a bunch of sugar every half hour. Still, I display a lot of the symptoms. I’m a zombie until I can down some sugar. I’m always tired, always thirsty, my appetite is low, I’m fatigued, dizzy, and what not. Is there a better, more accurate test than that horrible glucose tolerance thing? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/2 "2002-08-15T03:38:06Z")
No. Google, “diagnosis diabetes tests”. [http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/diagnosis.html](http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/diagnosis.html) > [@](#): > > The two primary tests and their results > which combine to make the diagnosis of diabetes: > > \< snip \> > > [1] Fasting Blood Glucose (Blood Sugar) Level: > > The “gold standard” for diagnosing diabetes is an elevated blood sugar level after an overnight fast (not eating anything after midnight). > > \< snip \> > > [2] The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test > > An oral glucose tolerance test is one that can be performed in a doctor’s office or a lab. The person being tested starts the test in a fasting state (having no food or drink except water for at least 10 hours but not greater than 16 hours). An initial blood sugar is drawn and then the person is given a “glucola” bottle with a high amount of sugar in it (75 grams of glucose), (or 100 grams for pregnant women). The person then has their blood tested again 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours after drinking the high glucose drink. There’s a home test, the “Chemcard[sup]R[/sup] Diabetes Test”, only $16.95, which is touted as being "98.9% accurate. > **[The domain Glucose-Testing.com is for sale for your next Glucose Testing...](http://glucose-testing.com)** > > The rare domain name Glucose-Testing.com is now available for purchase, lease or rent for your next Glucose Testing project. The perfect name for your marketing and advertising campaigns. BUT–all it does is tell whether your blood glucose is high, which by itself isn’t an indicator of diabetes. Don’t screw around with this–what’s the big deal with the oral glucose tolerance test? 😕 You go down to the doc’s office or the lab, you drink the Orange Pop From Hell, you spend the morning sitting there in the waiting room, reading magazines or watching TV, reporting to the back for blood test every so often. No biggie. [shrug] And they give you those kewl Snoopy Band-Aids, too… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/3 "2002-08-15T04:19:49Z")
I don’t know anything about diabetes except that my brother just found out he has it yesterday and they found out from a routine blood test. Good Luck to you **scott evil** ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/4 "2002-08-15T04:25:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scott evil \* > \*\*The endocrinologist dismissed my glucose tolerance tests because they weren’t realistic (in his opinion): here I was fasting for a day, then downing a bunch of sugar every half hour. > > Still, I display a lot of the symptoms. I’m a zombie until I can down some sugar. I’m always tired, always thirsty, my appetite is low, I’m fatigued, dizzy, and what not. Is there a better, more accurate test than that horrible glucose tolerance thing? \*\* The endocrinologist sounds like an idiot, IMHO. You definitely could use a thorough physical examination. **DuckDuckGoose** has already mentioned the two major tests used in diagnosing diabetes; a third, ancillary test that can be useful is measuring hemoglobin A1c levels. This is elevated if blood sugar levels are consistently high, and is useful in monitoring the success of a diabetic’s overall long-term glucose control. But it’s not as useful for establishing the diagnosis as a combined fasting blood glucose level and glucose tolerance test. Don’t mess around with possible diabetes - untreated it can cause serious, irreversible physical problems, or kill you. Go make an appointment and get yourself checked out. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/5 "2002-08-15T05:01:16Z")
If you know someone with diabetes you can test yourself quickly, cheaply & easily with either their urine test strips or (even better) their blood glucose meter. If your blood sugar is over **180** see a doctor quick! ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/6 "2002-08-15T06:21:37Z")
Forget the home test. The home test is useful for long-term, continual self-monitoring. For actual diagnosis of diabetes, you want to see a medical professional and undergo the tests previously mentioned in this thread. The glucose tolerance test is a good indicator of diabetes, even though the test seems unrealistic, because a normal, non-diabetic person, even after fasting for 12 hours and downing 50g of a sugary drink, will still be able to process the sugar and will not have significantly raised blood glucose levels. A diabetic person will have raised levels. Being thirsty all the time definitely rings a few alarm bells for me. Please do go back to the doctor (and yeah, I’d suggest maybe finding a new endo) and have a GTT, fasting test, and hemoglobin A1c test done. I wish you well. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/7 "2002-08-15T12:57:13Z")
I disagree. The home test is a pretty clear indicator of diabetes - my meters are the same, exact ones that are routinely used for the “spot checks” in the doctor’s office. And anyone who repeatedly is up around 200 or so - or even up around 160 or so for an extended time - most likely has a serious problem. What else raises blood sugar consistantly up above 200? Pancreatic cancer comes to mind, but really, what else? In any event, there’s nothing _non-serious_ that does it. If the Canadian Health care system is so much cheaper and more highly touted than the US, why don’t you just go back and get tested again and again? Why are you coming to the SDMB of all places for something as serious as your health? Take care of yourself, and get back in to the doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/8 "2002-08-15T13:42:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scott evil \* > **… when I was 17, I was tested … and told I was diabetic. I got more sick, saw an endocrinologist … and he told me I was fine. In the past 13 years, I’ve felt worse and worse, … The endocrinologist dismissed my glucose tolerance tests because …** It sounds to me like you might be quoting what the endocrinologist said 13 years ago. Consider the possiiblity that he might actually have been correct, but **now** you **do** have it! My blood tests were fine for many years (I’m now 48), then they started going borderline, and 6 months ago my doc decided that I now have type 2 diabetes, which used to be called “Adult Onset Diabetes”. Its now under control and I feel great. Go to your doctor and get it checked out at your earliest opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/9 "2002-08-15T15:14:31Z")
I’ll second what’s been said above. Please make the appointment today. While you’re at it, please schedule up a thorough eye examination as well, if you haven’t had a thorough one within the last year or so. ---
**Author:** ![Lao\_Tsu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lao\_Tsu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lao_Tsu)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-do-i-get-tested-and-what-is-the-latest-test/123958/10 "2002-08-15T20:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scott evil \* > \*\*I’m always tired, always thirsty, my appetite is low, I’m fatigued, dizzy, and what not. Is there a better, more accurate test than that horrible glucose tolerance thing? \*\* I was in the same situation. (Same symptoms, etc.) For years, I would ask doctors to run a diabetes test for me whenever I had blood drawn. When the tests came back, I always asked about the results, as I was worried since both my parents are diabetic. The doctors always said I was fine. Then this past year, I really felt terrible, went to a different doctor and they discovered that I had been diabetic and for years. Long enough that now I have some issues with diabetic retinopathy. Nothing terribly serious, but something that probably could have avoided if I had been diagnosed and treated earlier. Now my diabetes is well under control and I feel a thousand times better. Sure, the tests are inconvenient and boring, but worth the inconvenience in the long run. Listen to everyone else above and go get the test. Good Luck!