I’ve been thinking about diabetes lately, because I’m very sedentary (though fortunately not overweight — perhaps even the opposite), I eat a lot of carbs, and my feet have been feeling cold at times. I’m thinking of getting an overdue medical checkup, but is there any reason to do the fasting blood glucose test? When I’ve gone to the doctor in the past, they’ve just taken the blood sugar level right then and there, no matter when I last ate, but that has to be significantly less accurate, right? Should I ask for it?
if you suspect you might be diabetic, your doctor might order a hemoglobin A1c. it is a measure of your blood sugars over the past 120 days, HgA1c and is used to diagnose diabetes and determine how well your treatment is controlling your diabetes.
Yeah, well, I can “suspect” anything and everything just fine, thanks to the Internet. 
Since I don’t have insurance, I’m not about to ask for stuff willy-nilly. How do I determine such? Though I suppose it could be that I should just ask for it no matter how small the possibility and how much the expense — better safe than sorry? I guess I’m just afraid that I may find out that my life will be turned upside-down into years of joyless deprivation.
That and I’m a complete and total needle wimp.
You could just have the blood test done. A quick googling shows it’s only $50-$75, and depending where you go, you could get an uninsured discount. It’s worth the peace of mind. Here’s a link to an online lab I found through google, that will do it for $59.
you can buy a glucometer and strips and take your blood sugar first thing in the morning for a while, that will give you a good idea if you are diabetic. normal fasting numbers are 60-100, 101 to 125 is prediabetes, 126 and over is considered diabetic.( Not just one reading, though) Walmart has a meter for about $15, with strips at $20 for 50 strips.
And Kroger has a meter for $4 (test strips run $35 for 100). At that price, I keep one each at home, work and in my travel “kit”.
Definitely do this. Stop worrying and wondering and find out.
Test first thing in the morning when you wake up before any food or food-like substance has touched your mouth (like toothpaste or mouthwash, for instance), and then test at different times during the day, like right before you eat, two hours after you eat (“post-prandial”), after exercise, etc.
This is the ONLY way to find out what your blood sugar is doing. Diabetics should do this, too. Different people react to foods different ways. When I started doing this I found out EXACTLY what effect carbs have on my blood sugar, including carbs with a so-called “low glycemic index.” That is a bogus concept IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. Brown rice drives my blood sugar sky-high just as fast (and as high) as white rice.
Get to know your **own **body. The tools are readily available.
normal fasting numbers are 60-100, 101 to 125 is prediabetes
I’m diabetic and take oral medication to control it. A fasting reading over 100 is unacceptably high for me and I have the disease. A healthy person fasting should be around 80.
For certain. I don’t have much of a problem with pasta at all, while even a small amount of white rice makes my blood sugar spike.
You should do an annual medical checkup. There are all kinds of things which if caught early can be controlled with a pill-but if you wait until major symptoms show up will cause major problems. What test did the doctor do? I think it is more probably he gave the A1c test which doesn’t matter what you have just eaten.
I’d do this- what’s likely to happen is that your Dr. will give you a full blood chemistry workup- probably a CBC and a comprehensive metabolic panel, which includes a fasting blood glucose test.
Depending on your age, history, symptoms and the results, he may order more tests, including an A1C test, which is more indicative of average blood sugar levels over time than a point-in-time blood glucose test, but the point-in-time blood glucose tests are something that’s part of the standard metabolic panel that’s been part of every annual physical I’ve ever had as an adult.
I didn’t even think of the home test thing, but that’s a good idea, if only for peace of mind or cause for further investigation. Hell, I got a free meter a few years ago for this very purpose, but then forgot about it (mostly because of the aforementioned needle thing). Does the massive amount of passed time make any difference to the testing stuff? Though if the modern versions have options that aren’t as wince-worthy as the older needles (again, a big reason for reluctance on my part), it might be worth shelling out cash now. Not to mention that I could get regular health insurance (as opposed to the catastrophic only I have now) in a few months, and might want to wait until then for the checkup just in case of preexisting condition thing).
Usually, the clinic I’ve been going to for the past few years for doctor’s visits just used what look like a standard home-style testing kit for that part of the checkup (the drawn blood was used for a cholesterol check only), probably because of costs. I’m not sure I have any reason besides my own “paranoia” to ask for anything further… I suppose that’s for me to ask the doctor?
Thanks for the ideas so far, though. Keep it up!
You’ll want to get a fresh set of testing strips, and probably replace the battery in the meter.
If you use a fresh lancet (I’m bad about reusing them a few times, and they hurt more when they get a little dull), and do the prick on the side of your finger (parallel to the bed of your fingernail), it doesn’t hurt very much at all, IME.
Newer meters let you test on the arm, and need far less blood, just a speck.
Older meters seem to need you to locate the aorta to start…
So much word to this. I’m not diabetic or anywhere near it but I have a host of blood sugar issues, and I’ve been close with several diabetics. Individual reactions to different carb sources can vary HUGELY.
Although for some reason I can’t find a cite for it right now, I have read that the ‘Glycemic Index’ is based on research which used data collected from a tiny number of actual people (like, 12 or something) which seems so misguided and inadequate that I can’t believe the medical community would give the theory any credence.
Are you having any other symptoms of diabetes, like increased hunger, thirst, or urination? If not, I wouldn’t freak out about it. 'Cause there are a million reasons your feet could be feeling cold, ranging from “It’s February, wear some thicker socks” to “Your femoral arteries are 98% blocked and your legs are about to fall off.”
Not as far as I can tell (assuming “increased” would be noticeably more) — at least not the three you mentioned. That’s what I meant earlier about finding any symptom I wanted thanks to the Internet. Like my foot fell asleep for a bit earlier today, but was it because of my sitting position? It usually doesn’t, so who can say?