follow-up question

[falcongrrl]

I got a postcard with my lab results for various things from the doctor. I'll post them just to see if any of you have comments, but they all appear to be normal. I guess I'm still going to the follow-up appointment, because some of the things they checked for (thyroid, etc.) aren't on the postcard.

Thanks for any info you can provide.


glucose - 96 (normal less than 100)
tg - 123 (normal less than 150)
cholesterol - 165 (normal less than 200)
HDL - 40 (normal greater than 55)
LDL - 80 (normal less than 130)
Ratio - 3.6 (normal less than 5.0)

The glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol all are higher than I'd like them to be, with the HDL needing to increase. I guess I'm most curious about if the 96 fasting glucose level indicates prediabetes, being so close to the cutoff point, or if it means I'm completely normal.

Comments

[iswari.livejournal.com]

Like I said, a fasting glucose level can miss a lot (particularly, how your body responds to carbohydrates, which you ingest all day). Given how close it is to the pre-diabetic range (my endocrinologist actually wants to see fasting glucose levels under 90) and given your high post-meal reading on the glucometer, I would defintely request a 3-hour glucose tolerance test and, if it's normal, just check again after a year has passed.

Cut-off levels are a little bit arbitrary. It's really more of a continuum than "if you're under this number you're completely normal or if you're over it, you've got a problem."

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense to me.

[magnifelyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, i would also request a 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And i would make sure to get insulin levels for that as well. Low HDL often occurs in insulin-resistant patients. So i highly recommend getting checked specifically for insulin levels during a 3-hour gtt. Often times, your glucose levels may be within the range of normal (albeit high-normal), but the amount of insulin your body must produce to achieve those levels is too high.

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That would make a lot of sense in terms of my symptoms.

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

I have high triglycerides. I haven't been re-tested yet, so I don't know if what I'm doing works. But what I have been told, and what all the net research I've done indicates, is that to keep them under control, you avoid sugar (this includes "natural" sugar like honey and maple, and fruit juice) and refined carbs. Skip the white rice and bread and go for whole grain. Oatmeal for breakfast instead of Cap'n Crunch. Avoid corn and potatoes. (Rats.)

It's a nuisance until you figure out how it's going to work for you, but you learn to read labels and identify what's actually in stuff, and after a while it isn't too hard.

It's probably what your doc would recommend if he's concerned about your blood glucose levels, too.

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

Wait! *reads a few entries back and blushes* You already do that. Oh ...