
May 16, 2003
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, USA:
I am a 56 year old white male with a family history of diabetes who had a fasting blood glucose of 252 mg/dl [14 mmol/L] about two months ago. I went on a low carb diet, lost 15 pounds and 30 days later my fasting blood glucose was 117 mg/dl [6.5 mmol/L]. My doctor is not concerned, is not advising me to monitor my levels at home, and I am not scheduled to see him for another year. Do you think I should buy a self testing kit? If so, how often should I test?
Answer:
A fasting blood sugar of 117 mg/dl [6.5 mmol/L] is still elevated and may indicate prediabetes. I suggest you ask your doctor to do additional testing to make very sure you do not have type 2 diabetes.
JS