Question from Caribou, Maine, USA:

About six months ago, during a cardiac catheterization procedure, my husband had a glucose level of 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L] and was told to have it checked by his family physician, but since the doctor felt it was a stress related elevation, he didn’t check it out. One week ago, during another cardiac catheterization to place a stent in an artery, the attending cardiologist once again mentioned that my husband’s glucose level was a little over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. We were at a hospital 300 miles away, and upon returning home and contacting his family doctor, I told him I wanted my husband’s sugar levels tested, and once again got the same response that the high level was due to stress over the procedure. I pushed the issue and the doctor agreed to take one fasting blood test a week for three weeks to see if there was actually a problem. We have had one test done and do not yet know the results. I bought a test kit and have done testing on my husband and have had a fasting reading of 197 mg/dl [10.9 mmol/L] before breakfast, 188 mg/dl [10.4 mmol/L] before supper and 309 mg/dl [17.2 mmol/L] one-half hour after supper, and I am very concerned! My husband has heart problems, he had a double by-pass three years ago, and, in the past seven months, has had an angioplasty and a stent. His cholesterol is also very high, his triglycerides are 484, and he is on a new medication for them. Am I right in being concerned? I would greatly appreciate any information you can give me as I feel my husband is in need of help and his doctor is kind of brushing this under the carpet as if it is nothing of great importance. I really need some advice.