Originally Posted by
mprelaw
The earlier that diabetes is caught, and a person makes the right lifestyle/treatment changes, the less chance there will be of complications. The best way to determine if one is a diabetic is a full glucose tolerance/a1c test. One single blood test, even if fasting, may not be enough for an accurate diagnosis. Stress, for example, can raise glucose levels. I test higher when I'm undergoing something stressful in life. Most doctors would use a glucose level of greater than 200 mg/dl two hours after taking the glucose test liquid, combined with an a1c of greater than 7.0, as a threshold diagnosis. Or 7.5 depending on whether they follow the ADA or the AACE protocol. Not sure which one uses the higher standard.
When my wife was pregnant with our first child 29 years ago, the OB wanted her to do a glucose tolerance test--she was quite distraught. She was distraught because a relative of hers did one, many years earlier, and the relative committed suicide. I knew it wasn't any use telling a pregnant woman that the two incidents were coincidental--I called the doc and asked if there was an alternative. The doc stated that if she had a large breakfast with juice and carbs included, she could come in 2 hours post meal for a blood test. I bet you guess which option she chose. Of course, I had to join her during the meal so she didn't eat alone, *wink*.
A blood test won't hurt and, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, it's best to find out early.