I’m 20 years old and I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes nine months ago. I sometimes feel perfectly fine. I have oral medications that I take every day. But, I’m wondering if the diagnosis could have wrong. Is it possible that the doctor was wrong with his diagnosis? My blood sugar stays the same except when I don’t eat or if I eat too much sugar. When I take the medications he put me on, I do feel a lot better.

I need to see a doctor, but I am uninsured and my family and I don’t have the money for me to have a regular doctor cause we’re a low income family. I test my sugar three to six times a day, plus I take energy supplements that the doctor recommended for me to take every day.

The guidelines for making the diagnosis of diabetes include a fasting blood sugar of greater than or equal to 126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/L] on two or more occasions, based on laboratory testing. You can also make the diagnosis with one or more random glucose values greater than or equal to 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. Talk to the doctor and ask them how they made the diagnosis. They should be able to tell you this. It is good that you feel better. In addition, it is good that your medication is holding your sugar in place. Remember that it is very important for you to work on weight loss and increase your exercise. In your situation, you need to communicate with the doctor to make sure you understand what information was used to make the diagnosis. This is black and white stuff. Either you meet the diagnostic criteria or you don’t. If you have had a noticeable improvement in health and blood sugar, chances are you have diabetes. However, you need to be convinced.

JTL

[Editor’s comment: See the ADA’s page on Arkansas or information on health insurance and assistance programs for the uninsured in your state.

BH]