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Fast blood sugar

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Rainbowbrighty

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At risk of diabetes
Hi all
I have my first appointment for a fast g blood glucose test next week. The appointment is at 8:30. I have been doing my sugars in a morning around 7am, as I’m up at 6:30 and they have been between 6.5 and 8.
my worry is that if I have it done later at the drs and I’ve done quite a bit before I go in terms of moving around etc it will be lower and so not show as as bad as I think it is. Does that make sense?
Don’t get me wrong I’m happy if I don’t get diagnosed? However I do t want it to be a falso reading if you like.
 
If this is a diagnostic test for diabetes then it will be an HbA1c reading where they take blood from your arm and send it off to the lab. This is very different to the finger prick test you do on a morning and it gives an indication of your average BG readings over the past 2.5-3 months rather than testing that moment in time. They may also ask for a BG fasting test but it doesn't tell them a lot and would not be used to diagnose diabetes... it just helps them to see the bigger picture.
You might actually find that your fasting reading goes up rather than down if you have been up and about a while before it is done and not eaten anything. This is due to something called Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor syndrome where the liver pumps out glucose in the absence of food to give you energy for the day, so it is at least as likely for your levels to go up as to come down, unless you do a 4 mile brisk walk before going to the surgery for your appointment and even then, it will not affect the HbA1c result, just the Blood Glucose reading at the moment in time when the sample is taken.

It surprises me that surgeries still do fasting tests. My GP practice seems to have abandoned them as they are of limited use and just inconvenience people.
 
rebrascora said:
If this is a diagnostic test for diabetes then it will be an HbA1c reading where they take blood from your arm and send it off to the lab. This is very different to the finger prick test you do on a morning and it gives an indication of your average BG readings over the past 2.5-3 months rather than testing that moment in time. They may also ask for a BG fasting test but it doesn't tell them a lot and would not be used to diagnose diabetes... it just helps them to see the bigger picture.
You might actually find that your fasting reading goes up rather than down if you have been up and about a while before it is done and not eaten anything. This is due to something called Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor syndrome where the liver pumps out glucose in the absence of food to give you energy for the day, so it is at least as likely for your levels to go up as to come down, unless you do a 4 mile brisk walk before going to the surgery for your appointment and even then, it will not affect the HbA1c result, just the Blood Glucose reading at the moment in time when the sample is taken.

It surprises me that surgeries still do fasting tests. My GP practice seems to have abandoned them as they are of limited use and just inconvenience people.
Click to expand...
You beat me to it.
But I would suggest that @Rainbowbrighty asks for the HbA1C test to be done if that is not what they are going to do anyway.
 
Ok that’s great thanks. The Dr just said fasting blood glucose but I’ll mention the other to the nurse when I see her
 
Depends what other things el Doc happens to want testing at the same time. If it is ONLY your BG at that exact moment it isn't a true fasting test really if you've even got up for a wee before you did the test. And no way Pedro do they need 'an armful of blood' and a Path. lab to measure that - finger prick a couple of mins after you wake up and had a stretch, and still in bed. That's a fasting BG test!

Doc could easily be testing shedloads more things at the same time - (eg TSH, HBA1c, eGFR, U&E, LFT, Chol etc) did he actually give you a form with his list of things wanting testing on it?
 
Hi there

no she didn’t give me a form as the consultation was by telephone. She did mention testing Vit D and iron. Not sure if that routine but historically mine as been pretty low before now
 
If you are in doubt about what is needed then give them a ring and check.

As others have said a fasting finger prick will tell them very little, whereas an HbA1c will be useful to see what has happened over the past three months. The person gathering the blood is unlikely to have any impact on the tests that are done as this will have been decided by your GP or possibly a Diabetes Nurse.
 
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