I went to the doctor yesterday. My blood sugar level was 345 mg/dl (19.1 mmol/L]. For breakfast that day I had an apple and orange juice, not pure, and containing 29 grams of sugar. I also had ice cream with caramel, whipped cream, cherries and chocolate pieces on top the night before, right before bed. Neither of my parents, and none of my siblings have diabetes. The rest of my exam went smoothy. My doctor told me I was in great health.

My mom said her blood sugar level went up to 345 mg/dl [19.1 mmol/L] once and she was fine. I can go a whole school day without a drink. Although I usually drink a lot, this has never come up before. I don’t urinate that much. I can also go through a whole day of school without urinating. I had some glucose in my urine a while back and they ran test and I was fine. But when I eat, I get full. I can feel it, which isn’t a sign. They say you feel like you never get full. I’m confused

I presume your real question is: “Do I have diabetes?” Well, have you heard the expression “Not all that glitters is gold”? Well not all that is high glucose is diabetes. Many things can affect your glucose.

I will wager that your doctor tested your blood glucose with a little “finger-poke” meter. These meters are not designed to diagnose diabetes, but they can confirm. You should read more about Diabetes Basics.

But, given the degree of glucose elevation, and the history of glucose in the urine, you may have glucose intolerance, a form of “pre-diabetes.”

I suggest that you talk to your doctor about getting a confirmatory blood test, that is, from a vein in the arm, not a finger stick and in the local hospital lab after you have had nothing to eat or drink, except water, from about 10 p.m. or midnight of the night before. If that value is more than 125 mg/dl [6.9 mmol/L], then I would think that it is indeed consistent with diabetes. If it is less than 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L], I think you are okay, but should be screened periodically, fasting, especially if you do develop more classic symptoms of diabetes. If the value is between 100-125 mg/dl 5.6 – 6.9 mmol/L], you may warrant a carefully, properly done glucose tolerance test and a referral to an endocrinologist to be certain it is done correctly. Many general physicians, unfortunately, do not prepare the patient correctly with the correct diet the days before a glucose tolerance test and do not give the correct glucose load (1.75 gm per kg body weight to a maximum of 75g) and often fail to get glucose and insulin levels from a vein.

DS