My spouse came home from a stressful two week business trip, and he mentioned he felt like he had diabetes because he was tired all the time and thirsty. So I offered to test his fasting bg - and the result was 134. He snacked on some nuts at 10PM or so and slept pretty late (he’s a night owl). I’m trying not to freak out (he’s actually not at all concerned) but that seems pretty darn high for someone who isn’t supposed to have diabetes. Are there any other factors that might make his fasting bg so relatively high? He washed his hands before the test so it’s not likely he somehow had something sweet on his hands.
I will definitely make him see his doctor but since it’s a holiday I thought I’d post here and get some second opinions.
~Karen
dont freak out yet, one test does not make a diabetic. Meters current standards allow a margin for error of up to 20%. So he could be within normal range based on the margin of error. If you are concern though go get the A1C instead and get a better feel for what kind of glucose levels are there.
What Wil said…
Stress will increase your blood sugar, so I wouldn’t take one test as a diagnosis. Wait a few days, try again.
Have his doctor order a HA1c test along with a fasting BG. If his BG has been higher than normal for a longer period of time, you’ll have evidence of that. If not, he’s stressed, probably wasn’t eating well, and is pretty tired.
If it was me, I would test him before and 2 hours after a good meal. If that shows up high, it would be off to the doctor or else.
You can tell I’m not married with that “or else”. LOL
Don’t freak from one test. If his doctor objects to an A1c, you can get a home test A1c from a pharmacy.
Could be D or could be just the same things that affect our BG’s…other illness. My 350 lb spouse had a BG spike to 127 in the ICU after a pulminary embolus. Later testing revealed a 103 average. He has sweating and fatigue issues now that relate to low blood pressure. But being a guy…I know it’s hard to get them to see a doctor. Make an appointment for him for an annual physical - then back off. Remember the parable of the 5 blind guys and the elephant? All of them imagined the creature differently according to their own experience and none of them got it right. And yes, it makes me crazy that my overweight geezer husband has no metabolic issues related to the excess body fat. Pepsi, bacon, and ring dings are still staples for him…there is no justice.
I wouldnt freak out but would encourage him to have his A1C checked when he gets his next Dr appointment. I agree the meter could be off too. Whats interesting though is my girlfriend came back from the Dr and she was in the mid 120’s fasting and the Dr said just to keep an eye on it. Needless to say I was wound up.
As a T-2 I know that Dr B would have her on Metformin now as he doesn’t believe in this pre diabetes stuff, If your fastings are not in the normal range (70-100 my Dr) you need to change some things and may need medication. Unlike Type 1’s, T-2s just linger out there for years until it really becomes a problem. Many in the medical community too dont step down hard enough on this to prevent further problems.
Illness, possibly. I would continue to test BG occasionally, both fasting and one hour after a very high carb, high glycemic meal or have him drink a few cups of orange juice and test. Get a complete workup by a doctor. Fasting number alone would not worry me if it was a one-time thing, but he sounds like he is symptomatic (thirst, frequent urination).