October 27, 1999
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from :
I will be 53 years old in October and don’t feel all that well. In a general medical checkup arranged by my office, I was told by a hospital doctor that my blood sugar was high and I had diabetes. I went to see my GP and after two blood tests, she said that, in the first test it showed my blood sugar level was 6+ [mmol/L; 108�mg/dl] and the second one showed 5+ [mmol/L; 90�mg/dl]. However, she said that I may be on the borderline and wouldn’t say that I have diabetes. Who can I believe?
I have been suffering from most of the symptoms in the booklets and articles. I was always told by the hospital doctors that there was nothing wrong with me. I even have cataracts in my eyes and blurred vision and severe, prolonged headaches. They still did not take me seriously and didn’t even check my eyes properly at the hospital. Please tell me — am I or am I not a diabetic?
Answer:
I am sorry that I cannot say. The blood tests that you report from the GP are certainly normal but were they after fasting? You should probably have a glucose tolerance test to answer the question one way or the other. You should also have a test called a haemoglobin A1c which is a check on how sugary your blood has been, on average, over about 3 months. These tests will help tell whether or not you have diabetes.
KJR
