Can You Self Diagnose Diabetes?

All too often we hear people saying that they are probably diabetic because of something or other they are feeling. Maybe they didn't eat for a few hours and are feeling a bit faint, maybe they feel the need to go to the bathroom more often than normal. None of these things alone mean you are diabetic.



You need to get a consultation from a Dr, the doctor will usually ask questions on your family history of diabetes, presence of other related medical conditions, risk factors for diabetes and will also check for symptoms.



Fasting blood sugar (FBS) is the most commonly used test. The subject is required to abstain from eating anything for at least 8 hours prior to the blood extraction. This is usually done early in the morning. A result greater than or equal to 126 mg/dL is usually indicative of diabetes. A confirmatory test is usually done. Results ranging from 101 - 125 mg/dL is indicative of impaired fasting glucose (IFG). People with IFG are not yet diabetic but are at high risk of developing diabetes (pre-diabetic).



Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) involves extracting blood for FBS, making the subject drink 75 grams of sugar dissolved in a glass of water. Blood is extracted exactly two hours after the drink. A person is considered diabetic if the result is over 200 mg/dL. If the result is between 140 and 199, the patient has impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). This is also a pre-diabetic condition. OGTT is the method of choice in confirming diabetes.



Glycosylated hemoglobin or hemoglobin A1c measures the average blood sugar for the past 120 days. It is more useful as a means of monitoring blood sugar than as a confirmatory test. Random blood sugar test can also be done on subjects who did not fast. This test assumes that the subject has had a meal and therefore has higher reference values than fasting blood sugar (FBS).



After reading this I am sure you will agree that trying to self diagnose diabetes is not a great idea. If you are genuinely worried that you may have it then make an appointment with your Dr right away.

Signs of Diabetes - Diagnose Early to Avoid Major Complications

Diabetes is chronic in nature only treatment can be given there is no proper cure for it. The signs and symptoms for diabetes develop very slowly and steadily but when they become more severe they lead to serious other complications. The main symptoms and signs of diabetes are



ท Increased thirst



ท Increase in appetite or excessive hunger



ท Increased urination, during night times



ท Weight loss or gain which is unexplained



ท Blurred or unclear vision



ท Sores and wounds that do not heal



ท Dry itchy skin



In more complicated cases diabetes leads



ท Blindness



ท Kidney failure



ท Nerve damage and



ท Micro vascular and macro vascular diseases.



ท Micro vascular disease are related to small blood vessels.



ท Macro vascular diseases are related to arteries i.e. hardening of arteries and narrowing them and leading to strokes, heart attacks.



Diabetes is mainly classified into two types i.e. type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is mainly due to halt in production of insulin which is due to autoimmune system of the body, it destroys the beta cells of the pancreas which are responsible for secretion for insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus because insulin is a must dose over here. It is also by name Juvenile diabetes because it is more common among young adult and teenagers.



Diabetes type 2 is due to low production of insulin or the receptors of the cells not reacting with the insulin produced. This condition is known as insulin resistance. Here the body secretes more and more insulin rigorously and so it develops a resistance by itself.



The good news about diabetes is that it can be controlled or maintained naturally by taking well balanced diet, doing regular exercise.



Balanced diet in the sense diet should be rich in nutrition. For diabetes diet rich in fiber is recommended. Examples of diet rich in fiber are carrot, broccoli, peas, beans, apples, bananas, apricot, dates.

Glucose Tolerance Test, a Tried and True Way to Diagnose Diabetes

The glucose tolerance test is the best way to diagnose prediabetes or gestational diabetes because it shows how your body is reacting to sugar.It will be done at your doctor's office, and it can warn you of the onset of diabetes, or detect borderline diabetes (prediabetes).



Obstetricians use it to check for the presence of gestational diabetes, which only happens during pregnancy. It is also called the oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT.



It measures hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood) but it cannot be used to diagnose hypoglycemia (too little sugar in the blood) even if a fasting blood sugar is unusually low. There is really no test doctors can use right now to diagnose hypoglycemia, making it harder to pin down.



Preparing For the Glucose Tolerance Test



It is very important to eat just as you normally would in the days before the test, and to keep your activity level the same, too. Eating an unusually large meal the day before, or not eating normal meals can affect the results, making them inaccurate.



And if there is any illness going on, that will mess up the test too. You'll need to let your doctor know all the medications you are on, because some of them may affect the results of the test as well.



Other things that might make the test a false positive for diabetes are stress, trauma, heart attack or stroke, and anything that would affect your pancreas, such as pancreatitis. For that reason the American Diabetic Association recommends doctors do the GTT twice if it comes up positive, just to be sure it is giving accurate results.



What To Expect The Day of the Test



You must fast the night before the test and not eat breakfast that morning. No juice, nothing but water. You should have been fasting for 8 hours before the test begins. At your doctor visit, the nurse will give you a fingerstick blood test, which might hurt on the fingertip for a second.



The reading will be recorded. Then you will be given an 8-ounce cup of syrupy liquid to drink, and you should finish it within a 5-minute window. You'll wait for an hour, and then they'll give you another fingerstick blood test.



After a second hour of waiting you'll get a third fingerstick test. Some doctors continue for a third hour and do another fingerstick test, but the second one will tell them what they need to know.



What Do the Numbers Mean?



A normal fasting blood sugar should be below 110. If it is between 110 and 125 you will be considered a borderline diabetic or prediabetic. A fasting number above 125 gives you a diagnosis of diabetes if it is consistent over at least two fasting readings.



Assuming your fasting number is normal, if after 2 hours your blood sugar has dropped below 140 you do not have insulin resistance. If the number is between 140 and 200, you have impaired glucose tolerance. That means insulin resistance or prediabetes. If you are a woman that number may mean you have polycystic ovarian syndrome, which presents as prediabetes, and it would be a good idea to check this with your gynecologist.



Testing for for gestational diabetes is a little different, and the test might only take one hour instead of two or three. If you have gestational diabetes, your doctor will simply suggest ways to lower your blood sugar over the rest of your pregnancy. You will be treated as a higher risk pregnancy and your blood sugar will be watched closely. Most of the time blood sugars return to normal after delivery.



For the regular GTT, if the fingerstick test two hours after taking the glucose drink is above 200, you will receive a diagnosis of diabetes. Many times a doctor will ask for another oral glucose tolerance test to verify the diagnosis, especially if there are other things going on that make him or her suspect the test is not accurate, or if it is borderline.



You will be given suggestions for things to do to lower your blood sugar, such as limiting sugary and processed carbohydrates, starting an exercise program and losing a few pounds. Even small changes can make a difference in the numbers.



Some doctors like to start patients right away on metformin before they've even begun to try the diet and exercise route. Maybe they have little faith in patients changing their habits, and it's easier to just start the pills. And some of us have such high numbers already that we need treatment right away to bring the blood sugar down quickly.



The glucose tolerance test is a reliable first diagnostic tool for smoking out prediabetes, and that's great because those lifestyle changes can begin before you become diabetic. That's a great gift if you can recognize it and use it wisely.

Signs of Diabetes - Diagnose Early to Avoid Major Complications

Diabetes is chronic in nature only treatment can be given there is no proper cure for it. The signs and symptoms for diabetes develop very slowly and steadily but when they become more severe they lead to serious other complications. The main symptoms and signs of diabetes are



ท Increased thirst



ท Increase in appetite or excessive hunger



ท Increased urination, during night times



ท Weight loss or gain which is unexplained



ท Blurred or unclear vision



ท Sores and wounds that do not heal



ท Dry itchy skin



In more complicated cases diabetes leads



ท Blindness



ท Kidney failure



ท Nerve damage and



ท Micro vascular and macro vascular diseases.



ท Micro vascular disease are related to small blood vessels.



ท Macro vascular diseases are related to arteries i.e. hardening of arteries and narrowing them and leading to strokes, heart attacks.



Diabetes is mainly classified into two types i.e. type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is mainly due to halt in production of insulin which is due to autoimmune system of the body, it destroys the beta cells of the pancreas which are responsible for secretion for insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus because insulin is a must dose over here. It is also by name Juvenile diabetes because it is more common among young adult and teenagers.



Diabetes type 2 is due to low production of insulin or the receptors of the cells not reacting with the insulin produced. This condition is known as insulin resistance. Here the body secretes more and more insulin rigorously and so it develops a resistance by itself.



The good news about diabetes is that it can be controlled or maintained naturally by taking well balanced diet, doing regular exercise.



Balanced diet in the sense diet should be rich in nutrition. For diabetes diet rich in fiber is recommended. Examples of diet rich in fiber are carrot, broccoli, peas, beans, apples, bananas, apricot, dates.