Question from Spokane, Washington, USA:

About three months ago, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes after a glucose tolerance test came back abnormal (150 mg/dl [8.3 mmol/L] at two hours). I started monitoring my blood sugars and my fasting blood sugars were always in 80s mg/dl [4.4 to 4.9 mmol/L] and my post-prandials were general in the 110s mg/dl [6.1 to 6.6 mmol/L]. At that time, my A1c was 5.1.

Since then, I’ve been more active, but now my fasting glucoses are always over 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] and my post-prandials are at least 125 mg/dl [6.9 mmol/L] and can go as high as 160 mg/dl [8.9 mmol/L]. My A1c was recently 6.2. Throughout this whole time, I have had episodes of hypoglycemia.

I am almost 21. I weigh 108 pounds at four feet, ten inches. I have no family history of diabetes and I have no high blood pressure or high cholesterol. This seems to have accelerated rather quickly into what I understand to be the diabetic range for the A1c. What could I be looking at? I am scared to be put on pills if this is a form of type 1 but, I don’t want to take insulin if it isn’t necessary. I don’t know how to get antibody testing done, unless I can order the test myself. I am currently having terrible vision problems, and weight seems to slide off quickly, although I am still able to gain it back. How should I talk to my doctor and about what? I see him in three days, and I’m so nervous I don’t trust myself to come up with a good plan of attack.