I am a forty six year old with a family history of heart disease and diabetes. I have carefully watched my diet and eating habits for many, many years to make sure that I take care of myself in the eventuality that the family demons don't show up in my world

I have had a fasting glucose level @ 105 for the last twenty-five years. For twenty-four years, my competent doctors in my former home town told me not to worry, quit smoking, lose a little weight, etc.

A year ago, we moved to a sparsely populated area in the Rockies, and our insurance coverage went markedly down. So, long story short, since I hadn't had my blood work done for a couple of years, I participated in a health fair locally with our employer since the whole thing was done on the really cheap.

Twelve hour fast showed blood glucose at 103, about what it has been since I was an adult. I show the same thing non fasting by the way.

Now my new doc hit the panic button because of the numbers guidelines. I was pretty happy all around since the blood work in general showed my in better shape than I have been in for several years. Cholesterol down, liver function solid, excellent kidney function (very excellent since I only have one functioning kidney!), etc.

Why are my providers all of a sudden hitting the panic button? I told the doc that this is NORMAL FOR ME.

A little advice here would be helpful. Thanks

Well, there are a couple of things to consider... first of all, exactly what is your new doctor telling you - in other words, what exactly is the "panic button?" If the doctor is telling you that you are borderline diabetic or glucose intolerant, that is quite different than if the doctor is suggesting that you begin taking oral medication for diabetes control.

The fact is that the standards for "normal" have recently been lowered - I don't think this is a bad thing because SOOOOO many people learn WAY too late that they have developed diabetes. Many doctors now alert patients of their risk if they have fasting levels over 100.

The difference for you is that you are quite aware of your risk factors and you know that your glucose levels have remained constant for many years. This is not the case for many people. My recommendation is that you have a candid conversation with your new doctor and explain that you know where you stand regarding diabetes. I would certainly NOT recommend that you take any medication and if you agree, you need to communicate that clearly with your doctor.

Just out of curiosity, how is your health in general and what is your diet and excercise routine like? Because you are 46, it is very likely that your glucose will become more difficult to control over the next 4-8 years. You will need to become more careful and deliberate with your diet, knowing that you are in a high risk group. If you are already extremely careful with your diet, then you probably have nothing to worry about.

After doing a great deal of reading on the subject. I really don't think I have anything to worry about. Thanks for your reply.

Numbers can be so arbitrary.