Diatbetic or not?

Yesterday I went to my dad's house and grilled out, and my step sister is diabetic and checks her blood suger. So she had check mine. It was 247 it was high. Now I am freaking out that I may be Diabetic. Does anyone know about being Diabetic.

Take a couple of deep breaths and relax.  Freaking out is natural, but diabetes is not the end of the world.  It's not a picnic, but in the grand scheme of things there is one thing going for it if you have to have a chronic disease.  Diabetes is controllable - you can manage the disease and minimize your risks for complications.

247 is definitely something to be concerned about.  You should make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.  One of the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes is a blood glucose test result greater than 200.  The fasting criteria is 126.  These are lab results, so the doctor will probably order one for you.  Ask when you make the appointment if you should fast (at least 6 hours) before you come.

There are message boards at the American Diabetes Association website that are a great resource.  Everyone posting there has diabetes and will give you help learning to deal with the disease.

I was diagnosed in December.  There are three methods to control diabetes -- exercise, meal plan, and medication.  I'm currently not on medication - my doctor is very proactive and had been monitoring me so it was caught at the very early stages. 

You would like ideally to begin to bring your levels down even before you see the doctor.  The key to the meal plan is monitoring carbohydrates -- the general rule of thumb that most dieticians and diabetes educators recommend is 30-45 grams of carbohydrate per meal and 15-20 grams for snacks.  You'll probably adjust that to what your body can handle - monitoring your blood glucose levels yourself will help you be able to do that.

A couple of things to keep in mind when you go to the doctor -- you'll want to find out from your insurance which meter and test strips are the preferred brand.  The meters aren't expensive but the test strips are and you'll want the one with the smallest copay.  Ask about Diabetes Education Classes.  They are designed to give you all the info you need to control the disease.

Take a few deep breaths.  Despite what you may hear, YOU DID NOT cause yourself to have this disease.  Diabetes has a genetic component and without the genetic background you don't get it.  

You also don't get it overnight, so you won't get your levels under control overnight either.  It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Feel free to e-mail me if you like.   

Lisa

I'm 20, and I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when I was 18. Sad but true... a combination of horrible family medical history and being obese.

First, you should go to your doctor and do the necessary blood tests. He'll probably put you on medication, and be sure to take it. The most commonly prescribed diabetes medication is Metformin, which has no serious side effects. If your blood sugar remains high for a prolonged period, you could experience significant health problems. So don't risk it... take the medication.

It is also important to test your blood sugar throughout the day, every day. Test your fasting blood sugar as well as your blood sugar after a meal.

At the same time, however, be sure to control your diet and exercise. If you are overweight, you absolutely need to lose some weight. For me, when I first found out that I was diabetic, I lost about 30 lbs, and my blood sugar returned to normal levels. But then I gained like 10 lbs, and it was high again. Now, I lost 15 lbs this summer, and my blood sugar is back under control.

Regular exercise is really important for diabetics and has residual effects beyond mere calorie burning. I won't get into the boring details, but exercise increases the level of a molecule in your body that controls your blood sugar level.

Good luck!

Your blood sugar is high, but diabetes is something that is diagnosed through testing.  With a sugar that high and family history, it's likely you have diabetes.  It's a scary thought but it's something you can't ignore.  You should see your primary doctor and get your sugar under control before it damages your body. 

are you experiencing any other symptoms of diabetes?

frequent urination, with large volumes of urine (polyuria),

excessive thirst (polydipsia),

hunger (polyphagia), and

weight loss.

fatigue,

blurry vision,

odd aches and pains,

dry mouth,

dry or itchy skin,

impotence (in a male),

vaginal yeast infections (in a female),

poor healing of cuts and scrapes, or

excessive or unusual infections.