Dr won't do blood test for diabetes update*

Status
Not open for further replies.
Y

Yumyum17

Member
Hello im 38 female with no diabetes diagnosis.

For the past 6 months I have had the following symptoms:

Excessive thirst (especially at night)
Frequent urination
Itchy and dry heels at night (no athletes foot)
Achy legs
Tingly fingers and palms
Mild blurry vision but possibly due to needing and eye test and stronger glasses

I presented this to my gp who said ask I'm not loosing weight and nothing is showing in a urine sample there is no need to test.

He did give me a blood form tho to check cholesterol and thyroid.

Should I get a second opinion
 
Last edited:
@Yumyum17 You could try asking whoever takes your blood to add an HbA1C test on, I guess, but the symptoms you’re having are quite common so could be a number of things. Do you have any risk factors for Type 2? Is it in your family?

One of the common signs is thrush, which you haven’t mentioned. Have you felt concerned about diabetes in the past?
 
Inka said:
@Yumyum17 You could try asking whoever takes your blood to add an HbA1C test on, I guess, but the symptoms you’re having are quite common so could be a number of things. Do you have any risk factors for Type 2? Is it in your family?

One of the common signs is thrush, which you haven’t mentioned. Have you felt concerned about diabetes in the past?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. What are the T2 risk factors?

I return from Spain 6 weeks ago and had thrush and then a UTI straight after. Never had thrush before and it was awful! Got OTC creams from pharmacy and sent urine sample to check for infection.

No diabetes in the family.

I'm healthy weight and BMI
 
Here’s a link @Yumyum17

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes/diabetes-risk-factors

Not having it in your family and being a normal weight make Type 2 less likely but not impossible. It seems your GP ruled it out due to a urine test, but might also have taken these factors into account. However, if you’re still not happy, you could ask for a second opinion and/or an HbA1C blood test, which is the test used to diagnose diabetes. That will give you a number showing whether you’re in or near the ‘diabetic zone’ so you’ll get a definite answer.
 
Lloyds pharmacies will do a spot random test if you say you have some diabetic symptoms so if that is higher than expected for then although not diagnostic it would give some evidence to take to your doctor. The pharmacy may even say that you would be wise to get an HbA1C test which is diagnostic. If you go to the pharmacy for a test then eat normally but either go before you eat or leave it 2 hours after you have eaten.
You do seem to have a few symptoms which could be indicators but also other things.
 
Yumyum17 said:
Excessive thirst (especially at night)
Click to expand...
That's surely a sign of something being wrong. Untreated diabetes causes thirst (and urination) because with high blood glucose the body tries to excrete it through the urine. But then you'd expect to find it in the urine which is what your GP is presumably commenting on.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes-insipidus/ says

Also see your GP if you're:​
​
  • peeing more than normal – most healthy adults pass urine 4 to 7 times in a 24-hour period
  • needing to pee small amounts at frequent intervals – sometimes this can occur along with the feeling that you need to pee immediately
Children tend to pee more frequently because they have smaller bladders.​
​
But seek medical advice if your child pees more than 10 times a day.​
​
Your GP will be able to carry out a number of tests to help determine what's causing the problem.​
​
(I'm not suggesting you're likely to have diabetes insipidus. As I understand it it's a rather rare condition. Just that if you're excessively thirsty even at night, that's something your GP should be interested in addressing.)
 
That's surely a sign of something being wrong

Or not @Bruce Stephens …Depends what ‘excessive’ means to the individual, and if there’s a cause eg in this heat many people might drink extra, if people snore or have a dry mouth for another reason they can feel thirsty, catarrh can make you thirsty, antihistamines can make you thirsty, etc.
 
Wow, appreciate all the replies 🙂

I can't get enough of water. My mouth constantly feels dry and thirsty.
When I go to bed I chug a massive bottle of water. When I wake I feel like I've smoked 30, had 30 tequila shots and a salty greasy kebab lol, that type of morning thirst 😉

Yes, Ive been worried for years. But I feel like I'm wasting Drs time. Today for example, he said no need to do a test. I feel like a bit of a pain or a paranoid burden. You hear of people collapsing and being very ill before their diagnosis.

Edit:
I only take vit D and omega 3
 
Don’t feel a burden @Yumyum17 It’s perfectly reasonable to worry. From what you’ve said above, I wonder whether it’s an ENT thing? My daughter, who doesn’t have diabetes, wakes with a horrible dry mouth, but hers is due to sleeping with her mouth open and allergies.

My advice is to keep your mind open as to the cause. Your Type 2 risk is low, and if you were an undiagnosed Type 1 from all those years ago, you’d be very obviously ill by now (at best….).
 
I’d also add that drinking can become a habit. Try having just a few sips of water, and then swilling some around your mouth at bedtime. Try the same when you wake. Another thought: try an SLS-free toothpaste. Some toothpastes and mouthwashes dry the mouth and cause a feeling of thirst.

I have Type 1 diabetes and I take insulin. My blood sugar is well-controlled. However, I have a very sensitive mouth. I can’t bear salt in pre-prepared foods and I have to use an SLS-free toothpaste. I know it’s not high blood sugar causing my problems. It’s an actual physical cause.
 
Yumyum17 said:
Hello im 38 female with no diabetes diagnosis.

For the past 6 months I have had the following symptoms:

Excessive thirst (especially at night)
Frequent urination
Itchy and dry heels at night (no athletes foot)
Achy legs
Tingly fingers and palms
Mild blurry vision but possibly due to needing and eye test and stronger glasses

I presented this to my gp who said ask I'm not loosing weight and nothing is showing in a urine sample there is no need to test.

He did give me a blood form tho to check cholesterol and thyroid.

Should I get a second opinion
Click to expand...
Can you not just tick the box yourself to add in the HbA1c?
 
Sometimes it's good to have the old system.
Mine is all online, but the nurses are usually quite amicable to adding things on if I ask.
 
Hi. I would ask the local pharmacy to do a spot finger-prick test. You could always buy a test kit for less than £20 online or at the pharmacy.
 
Thrust can be a sign of diabetes as well.You can have thrust in your mouth as well.Has that been check as well.
 
When diagnosed I was told that I was a very bad diabetic - but I had no obvious symptoms other than the weight gain.
I tested for glucose in the urine - not a trace - I kept testing every day for a month - nothing.
No thrush, no excessive thirst, no excessive urination - but Hba1c 91. Absolutely definitely no other diagnosis possible.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top