Good day to all - a puzzle!

[Crustybrain]

Good morning, during lockdown I have been unable to visit my usual NHS GP and so have been using an 'online' GP. Following a routine annual blood test I was 'advised' that I may be resistant to insulin. Having done some reading I am a little unsure of the doctor's reasoning. My HbA1C results for the last five years have all been in the high 30's so well within the limit. I bought myself a monitor from Boots and my levels are consistently between 5 and 6.5 after fasting overnight. After meals my levels return to 'my' normal within two hours - the one exception was after a very gluggy Chinese takeaway. Don't get me wrong I am a big bloke but I happily walk 3-5 miles a day for general exercise, don't smoke and rarely drink more than two pints. My research seems to indicate that there are a variety of views as to what is 'normal' blood sugar and I'm not convinced that my levels indicate a serious issue especially as I have no other indicators or symptoms. Views?

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Crustybrain, welcome to the forum.

Hmm, this is a bit of a strange one… did they give you any indication at all as to why they felt that way?

They could just be looking at risk factors such as age and weight but it still does seem to be an odd choice of words based on the info given.

Do you have confirmation of what your HbA1c is this time around?

 

[Crustybrain]

Hello there Cherrelle (lovely name BTW!), my HbA1C was 39. I'm wondering if the doctor is being a bit too pessimistic or overly cautious. The variety of 'normal' ranges I've seen bandied about do seem to show that there is more scope for individual variation than a hard and fast number. Interesting stuff...

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Thanks so much! I was actually looking at your name and thinking about how much I relate to it

Might be because it's increased slightly? Would be good to have a chat with someone if you can and just confirm why they mentioned that so you can do take preventative measures.

 

[Docb]

Hi @Crustybrain (can empathise with that username) and welcome to the forum from me.

Agree with Cherelle when it comes to the words used. Whenever somebody says that something "may" be the case then I almost automatically add on "but it probably isn't" event though they did not say it. As far as I know there is no test for "insulin resistance" so I'm thinking that your man has made a bit of a guess from what he has in front of him and if your HbA1c results are the only things he has, then it's a pretty bold guess. He may be right (but probably isn't).

 

[Inka]

@Crustybrain Those are normal blood sugars and your HbA1C is normal too. You say you’re “a big bloke” - perhaps the doctor was hinting about that and the effect it may have on your endocrine system. People can have some insulin resistance and not be diabetic. So for anyone, keeping within the advised BMI limits and doing things like taking regular exercise is wise.

Perhaps your doctor was alerting you to the possibility of a slow creep towards pre-diabetes?

 

[Crustybrain]

Thanks all. Inka, you're probably right and the doc was perhaps being somewhat diplomatic! 🙂 My dad first suffered from type 2 diabetes in his 70's but was only diagnosed after he lapsed into a coma one day - he said he 'felt a bit rough' the day before. And two of my siblings are mild type 2. I'm going to take it as a subtle hint, do some more research and make some changes to my lifestyle while I can. Thanks again all

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Ahhhh! The Drs comments make more sense if they know your family of T2? Your HbA1c are currently in the normal range, so it feels like a bit of an early warning, that gives you plenty of time to react. We’ve had many forum members who have been able to take preventative action and avoid a gradual climb into the diabetes zone with a bit of a reduction to their total carbohydrate intake.

Welcome to the forum!