I don't believe I'm diabetic. I know I'm not the doctor, but I just don't agree. My A1C is 6.7 and they're basing my diagnosis on that, and also on the fact that my morning fasting number is between 130-140. I do believe I have PCOS, but not diabetes. Any opinions?
I don't believe I'm diabetic. I know I'm not the doctor, but I just don't agree. My A1C is 6.7 and they're basing my diagnosis on that, and also on the fact that my morning fasting number is between 130-140. I do believe I have PCOS, but not diabetes. Any opinions?
Even if you don't like the term diabetic, your blood glucose level is above that of a normal person.
Your fasting is in a diabetic range. Your 1ac is just in range of a diabetic with 'reasonable' control. Under 5 would be that of a normal person. I was diagnosed diabetic a second time with a 5.9. I worked it down to a 5.1. 6.7 is far from that of a normal person.
To me a diabetic is someone who's blood glucose levels are not normal, for whatever reason. Whether the cause is PCOS or whatever, you need to be careful since your levels are not normal.
I suspect if your fasting is 130 and your 1ac is 6.7 you are having some pretty high 2 hour after meal readings. Just a hunch you want to look into.
Well, you may have PCOS, but regardless of what the cause is, you also have diabetes. It's like T1 and T2...they have different causes, so the treatment may be a bit different, but in the end...they both need to be treated.
Now, you have some choices here. You can stick your head in the sand and refuse to treat the diabetes, thus risking loss of sight, kidney failure, heart failure, neuropathy (both peripheral and autonomic and let me tell you, autonomic neuropathy is really bad), possible amputations, skin problems, frozen shoulder, and on and on...
OR...you can start treating the diabetes and learning all you can about how to manage it, thus insuring that you will live a long and healthy life. The choice is yours.
I don't believe I'm diabetic. I know I'm not the doctor, but I just don't agree. My A1C is 6.7 and they're basing my diagnosis on that, and also on the fact that my morning fasting number is between 130-140. I do believe I have PCOS, but not diabetes. Any opinions?
PCOS is about insulin resistance and often diabetes is either a cause or a co-factor. I know because I went to the acclaimed PCOS clinic here in San Francisco at UCSF which is doing the research on this. I was having uterine hemorrhaging for months and ended up in their ER plus mysterious weight gain and no ovulating for years and tons of severe cramps... had I been diagnosed with diabetes earlier I would have been able to have a child and not a bad case of PCOS. They are who discovered my diabetes because they knew to look for it in all the patients with PCOS.
My diabetes and PCOS are heredity so it really peeves me a doctor didn't look for it sooner. I have a low level of it and I am managing it through diet and exercise and not medication or insulin.. yet.. expect to when I am much older but postponing it through good habits.
The funny thing is regardless what you think.. the controlling of PCOS is the exact same way you control diabetes... so start the good habits and get in shape! You will be killing two birds with one stone.
P.S. Did you know the diabetes is one of the easiest things to diagnose with hard data like what you have been already given.. making it very hard to argue against even if you were a doctor But that PCOS is not? PCOS is diagnosed by eliminating other problems in fertility first... not hard data like diabetes is.
Here is their site and a simple FAQ on these facts: [url]http://www.ucsfpcos.org/CommonQuestions.htm#What_causes_PCOS_[/url]
Diabetes is diagnosed with 2 fasting blood sugars of 126 or anytime over 200. They cant diagnose based on a1c. If you want to control the PCOS and the diabetes, follow a low carb high protein diet, keep exercising and watch and see what happens.
When I was diagnosed with Type II, my A1C was 5.4 and my fasting blood sugar level was 86! However my 3 hour reading (during a glucose tolerance test) put me in range of a Type II diabetic - I think it was something like 201.
My doctor was surprised too b/c I am not overweight, and I'm relatively young. However there is a strong history of Type II in my mother's side of the family and she is also diabetic, so genetics play a very strong role in the disease.
Despite the diagnosis I manage to maintain relatively normal blood sugar levels. My doctor considered a fasting glucose anywhere over 120 abnormal. Since, in the beginning, my morning glucoses were between 110 and 115, he put me on metformin at night. So now my morning fasting numbers range beween 95 and 105 most of the time. Occasionally I might go up to 115.
Diet of course is key, and I personally find that exercise also makes a huge difference for me. On the days I don't work out my numbers are slightly elevated.
I don't believe I'm diabetic. I know I'm not the doctor, but I just don't agree. My A1C is 6.7 and they're basing my diagnosis on that, and also on the fact that my morning fasting number is between 130-140. I do believe I have PCOS, but not diabetes. Any opinions?
PCOS causes insulin resistance, which has to be managed just like diabetes and eventually usually leads to diabetes. I started out with PCOS, and despite careful diet and med management of it, still ended up going from normal blood sugars for many years, to sudden full blown diabetes before I even knew what was happening. The insulin resistance makes it harder and harder for your body to maintain proper blood sugar levels because your body won't respond properly.
So regardless of whether you believe you actually have diabetes (yet) you should still manage your health as if you do, because really, the biggest part of it is making sure you maintain a healthy diet and exercise program. Which is something everyone should do anyhow. And then making sure you are tested regularly to make sure your blood sugar is actually under control. And a fasting number and A1C that you quoted is indeed high. The A1C is a pretty accurate way to diagnose, because it's not based on a single day's blood sugar levels, but tells how your body has been handling blood sugar in the past 3 months, so if it's high like yours is, that means your body has not been handling blood sugar well at all.
I'm actually on 1000mg of Metformin a day, and have been for over a year. I also walk almost everyday. So, I am trying.
great start! there's no shortage of things you can do to improve your situation though. whether you believe you have PCOS or diabetes, you need to get your blood sugar under control and despite walking and being on Metformin, if your fasting glucose levels are still in that range, you do not have control. look into making significant diet changes and checking MULTIPLE times a day for a full picture - not just when you first wake up. Just a suggestion - good luck!
But that PCOS is not? PCOS is diagnosed by eliminating other problems in fertility first... not hard data like diabetes is.
