Hi from a newbie here and to diabetes

[dk40]

Hi,
I'm new here. I don't actually have diabetes but my mum has type 2 diabetes and is insulin dependent.

I recently had a blood test and although the Dr didn't tell me I was at risk of developing diabetes, there was a note added to my medical record about individual targets recommended and links to this page.

I don't understand my blood test result and the Dr is never available to discuss them with me so I thought I'd join here and see what I can find out by myself.
I hope that's ok

 

[Lucyr]

Hi and welcome. What was your blood test result?

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the forum
The blood test you most likely had was an HbA1C test which is used to diagnose diabetes and is an average of your blood glucose levels over the previous 3 months. The threshold for a diabetes diagnosis is 48mmol/mol and above, between 42 and 47mmol/l would put you at risk or prediabetes and below than would be normal.
There may be some concern if your result was at the higher end of normal or border line into at risk but if so it would have been a good idea for your GP to have mentioned it to alert you the need to be careful of your carbohydrate intake.
A blood glucose monitor that you might use for home testing gives you your level at that moment in time and is in mmol/l and will vary throughout the day and be influenced by what you eat and your activity level so what is normal depends on when you test.
Did you have any worrying symptoms that led to you being tested or was it just routine.

 

[dk40]

I was tested to check for rheumatoid arthritis but as this was my first blood test (I'm 46!), they screened everything but forget to do rheumatoid arthritis!

There's so many results but I've attatched a photo of the results next to the link to this message.

 

[Leadinglights]

I was tested to check for rheumatoid arthritis but as this was my first blood test (I'm 46!), they screened everything but forget to do rheumatoid arthritis!

There's so many results but I've attatched a photo of the results next to the link to this message.

Certainly your HbA1C result is normal at 36mmol/mol. When they say normal is 20-41mmol/mol I have not seen many people report levels below 35 but then they are people with diagnosed diabetes or prediabetes and are striving for remission.

 

[Lucyr]

I was tested to check for rheumatoid arthritis but as this was my first blood test (I'm 46!), they screened everything but forget to do rheumatoid arthritis!

There's so many results but I've attatched a photo of the results next to the link to this message.

I think you’ve misunderstood by checking your results online. That a1c is normal, not diabetic or prediabetic. The comment about individual targets is just a standard comment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @dk40

Nothing to be concerned about with your HbA1c. I think the links are just there for further reading.

The reassuring thing is that it’s marked ‘Normal - no action’.

Hope that puts your mind at rest 🙂

 

[Burylancs]

I was tested to check for rheumatoid arthritis but as this was my first blood test (I'm 46!), they screened everything but forget to do rheumatoid arthritis!

There's so many results but I've attatched a photo of the results next to the link to this message.

Your HbA1c ( three month average blood glucose ) is 5.4 in old money.
You would need to be 11.1 to be dxed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's 36 in old money (post 2012 EU standard) compare that 36 with your mother's number.

 

[Lucyr]

You would need to be 11.1 to be dxed with Type 2 Diabetes

That's not right, the threshold for diagnosis of T2 is 6.5% or 48 mmol/mol. Prediabetes is diagnosed at 42 mmol/mol or 6.0%

 

[harbottle]

Your HbA1c ( three month average blood glucose ) is 5.4 in old money.
You would need to be 11.1 to be dxed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's 36 in old money (post 2012 EU standard) compare that 36 with your mother's number.

The 11 figure is the oral glucose test… 75g of glucose and sit and do nothing for 2 hours. This plus fasting glucose was used to determine diabetes years ago.

 

[Lucyr]

The Dr did speak to me

Sorry if i misunderstood but your first post sounded like the doctor hadn't spoken to you, and you've classed yourself as 'at risk of diabetes' under your name when your bloods are normal. This is what you said:

I recently had a blood test and although the Dr didn't tell me I was at risk of developing diabetes, there was a note added to my medical record about individual targets recommended and links to this page.

I don't understand my blood test result and the Dr is never available to discuss them with me

Then showed your bloods with normal stated and standard links underneath that would be there for everyone

 

[dk40]

Thank you for your reassuring replies.

Sorry Lucyr, my response about talking to the Dr was posted before I finished typing a reply. My phone seems to have a mind of its own.

The Dr did discuss my results but only inflammation markers, something to do with my kidneys and raised cholesterol. They didn't discuss diabetes but I now realise, after reading all the helpful replies here, that it's because my levels are within the normal range.

I have a needle phobia, which could explain why I'm only having my first blood test at 46 years old. I guess I panicked when I saw the links and thought I could be at risk of developing diabetes.

Thank you to everyone that replied and put my mind at ease.