Fasting test

[Maca44]

Had a call from diabetic nurse and she wants me t0 d0 a fasting bl00d test t see what my BG are reading, can the not tell by my home tests ?.

I get bad health anxiety s0 this worry's me.

Have t0 use a 0 because my keyboard is broken, but use spell check when I can.

 

[rebrascora]

My surgery don't seem to bother with fasting anything anymore... not even cholesterol thankfully... although they do like an annual early morning urine sample, but I get to sample that and submit it later in the day. It certainly isn't going to make a ha'peth of difference to an HbA1c blood test so unlikely to be that. My guess is that it is likely just going to be a finger prick check and I would just ring or email and tell them that you have been monitoring it yourself and give them a list of your last 7 days fasting readings (if you have that many) and say that you would rather not attend the surgery at the current time and you are managing things well.... unless you feel there are some questions you have that they can help you with or other benefit to you in attending.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. The HBA1C does not need to be fasting. The only reason I know of to have a fasting test as a diabetic is to check your lipids (cholesterol) and possibly for C-Peptide test. A fasting BS test (not HBA1C) is probably no more use than a finger-prick test?

 

[trophywench]

Well - it does tell everybody whether your own meter and test strips are working properly, and are accurate, doesn't it?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

A fasting BS test (not HBA1C) is probably no more use than a finger-prick test?

Might be a proper lab test of blood glucose (which would be more accurate than using a domestic meter).

 

[DaveB]

Might be a proper lab test of blood glucose (which would be more accurate than using a domestic meter).

Yes, but it would still only be a spot test at one point in time and therefore of little use?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Yes, but it would still only be a spot test at one point in time and therefore of little use?

True enough. I assume if they were doing that they'd also be doing a bunch of other tests (HbA1c, cholesterol, liver function, etc.).

 

[trophywench]

Ah well - it's sometimes been on my bumper list of tests once a year at my GP surgery (but never on the 6 monthly hospital ones) so the old phlebotomists there were nice actual nurses so would let me grab a teeny drop of blood on a strip in my meter to check it came up with the same reading as the lab test result did next day. Haven't done that for a few years now, cos they had a new not so skilled or patient phlebotomist who seemed pretty much incapable of doing abything else whatever, frankly. Nurses are still there - but only doing their proper jobs in the main.