Confused about 3 hour glucose test results. Please help

Ugh · 12-03-2003, 01:15 PM

I was diagnosed over 2 years ago with PCOS. I went from 152 to 135 in weight and I'm still losing by jogging and exercising plus eating low carb. I take glucophage, aldactone, and yasmin. However, my sugar levels have become worse in the past two years. I was shocked. My doc says that I have the start of Type II Diabetes despite all my effort to control IR. My fasting blood was about 78 during the first drawing of blood. However, it jumped to 222 once I had the drink. I always thought that a high fasting rate was the way of diagnosing Diabetes....but mine was only 78 at the fasting rate. I am confused. My doc just increased my insulin intake to 850mgs. twice a day.

cystermoon · 12-13-2003, 11:33 PM

I have learned thru personal experience that BCP like Yasmin will increase your blood sugar levels. I would ask your doctor if both your meds could be to blame and if there are any alternative meds that won't affect the levels as much. Kudos on the weight loss, though!

Jllrdh · 12-14-2003, 03:44 AM

I was under the same impression. All these years, my fasting glucose level was with in normal ranges. But last month I had the glucose intolerance test done, and that showed that i was only 9 points away from diabetes. It just means that for what ever reason our bodies are IR and it takes a while to deal with the insulin. She raised my met up to 2000 a day, and I must admit, that I feel alot better. I warned my sister and her daughters about it, I wonder how many years my glucose was so out of control.

Well good luck, I also found out that my triglycerides had risen with BCP, and since Ive been off them for the past 6 months, it has gone back to being with in normal ranges.

Good luck,
Jenny

prunepie · 12-14-2003, 03:48 AM

isnt the best way to tell if you are diabetic is by taking that test... that measures your average blood sugar over the past three months?? i cant remmber the name but its just a single blood draw xo jen

nobimbo · 12-14-2003, 09:16 AM

The two tests used to diagnose diabetes are the fasting blood sugar and the glucose tolerance test. The Hba1c is the three month average blood glucose test, and it is used to monitor diabetics once treatment has begun, but it is not used for diagnosis.

Here is some more info about the glucose tolerance test:

The oral glucose tolerance test is conducted by measuring blood glucose levels five times over a period of 3 hours. In a person without diabetes, the glucose levels in the blood rise following drinking the glucose drink, but then then fall quickly back to normal (because insulin is produced in response to the glucose, and the insulin has a normal effect of lowing blood glucose.) In a diabetic, glucose levels rise higher than normal after drinking the glucose drink and come down to normal levels much slower (insulin is either not produced, or it is produced but the cells of the body do not respond to it) (see details on type 1 and type 2 diabetes for more information on this topic).

As with fasting or random blood glucose tests, a markedly abnormal oral glucose tolerance test is diagnostic of diabetes. However, blood glucose measurements during the oral glucose tolerance test can vary somewhat. For this reason, if the test shows that you have mildly elevated blood glucose levels, the doctor may run the test again to make sure the diagnosis is correct.

Glucose tolerance tests may lead to one of the following diagnoses:

Normal Response

A person is said to have a normal response when the 2-hour glucose level is less than or equal to 110 mg/dl.

Impaired Fasting Glucose

When a person has a fasting glucose equal to or greater than 110 and less than 126 mg/dl, they are said to have impaired fasting glucose. This is considered a risk factor for future diabetes, and will likely trigger another test in the future, but by itself, does not make the diagnosis of diabetes.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance

A person is said to have impaired glucose tolerance when the 2-hour glucose results from the oral glucose tolerance test are greater than or equal to 140 but less than 200 mg/dl. This is also considered a risk factor for future diabetes. There has recently been discussion about lowering the upper value to 180 mg/dl to diagnose more mild diabetes to allow earlier intervention and hopefully prevention of diabetic complications.

Diabetes

A person has diabetes when oral glucose tolerance tests show that the blood glucose level at 2 hours is equal to or more than 200 mg/dl. This must be confirmed by a second test (any of the three) on another day. There has recently been discussion about lowering the upper value to 180 mg/dl to diagnose more people with mild diabetes to allow earlier intervention and hopefully prevention of diabetic complications.

And here is info about the Hba1c test:

Periodic measurement of Glycosylated Hemoglobin. Another method to monitor the control of blood sugar in diabetics is through a blood test called Hemoglobin A1c or Glycohemoglobin (or glycosylated hemoglobin). This test can be done through a local laboratory or can be drawn at a doctor's office, but unlike simple measurement of blood glucose levels, this cannot be done at home. The level of glycosylated hemoglobin correlates very well with a person's recent overall blood sugar levels. Hemoglobin A1c will tell what the diabetic's blood sugar levels have been running for the past 2-3 months. If the blood sugars have generally been running high during the previous few months, the level of hemoglobin A1c will be high. If blood glucose concentrations have been running close to normal during this time, the hemoglobin A1c level will be close to values seen in normal persons. It is an important value to monitor periodically. Studies have shown that glycohemoglobin values in the "better ranges" correlate with less incidence of diabetic complications later in life. Type 1 Diabetics will typically have hemoglobin A1c levels determined every 3 to 4 months, while Type 2 Diabetics will often require measurements less often.

Values vary from lab to lab but below is a common value system for Hemoglobin A1c:

Hemoglobin A1c
Normal: Less than 6.5
Excellent: 6.5-7.5
Good: 7.5-8.5
Fair: 8.5-9.5
Poor: Greater than 9.5

http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/diagnosis.html

Linda