If I had diabetes, would it be treated as urgent? Medical professional.advice needed please

[BarbaraVineFan]

I went to the GP about three weeks ago for a blood test, as I was concerned I might be pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes due to various factors (family history, having had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, weight gain round my tummy). The nurse did a blood sugar test (can't remember what it's called - the one which measures your average blood sugar) and I was asked to come in for an appointment to discuss my results.

This appointment.is now coming up and I'm starting to get worried that I may in fact be diabetic :( what I want to know is, if my results had shown that I was diabetic rather than pre-diabetic, would I have been called in for a more urgent appointment rather than having to wait a couple of weeks? Can I assume that, not having been treated as an urgent case, I am not yet diabetic? Or should I prepare myself to be told that I have type 2 diabetes? Any advice from medical professionals would be greatly appreciated just so that I know what to expect.

I rarely go to the doctors, so not sure what the usual process is or whether this is normal, but I have anxiety, and preparing myself in advance for what might be said will really help me.

Hba1c test measures blood sugar over past 3 months. Usually it is repeated if it is in the diabetic range a few months later, after you have had the opportunity to make diet and lifestyle changes, before medication is prescribed.

I work in a GP practice. New diagnosis of type 2 is not generally considered urgent. We diagnose multiple people every day and most just get a telephone call, then will be asked to book in with a hca for some further checks, then an invite to some group sessions.
If blood sugar level is very high then it is treated as urgent, especially if you are symptomatic
That is fairly unusual though.

Thank you very much for your reply @LIZS . So in your view, even if it were in the diabetic range, it would still not be treated as urgent? So when I go in for my appointment they might tell.me it's in the diabetic range?

Thank you @hazelnutlatte , that's also very helpful. So I may be diabetic, but not at such a drastic level that it would be an urgent case?

Possibly or prediabetic. If you were presenting as unwell or levels very high it might be dealt with more urgently.

Do you think it's a bad sign that they didn't tell me the results over the phone?

No , our surgery never do. Might have been added to the app already though.

Hard to tell. Some chemist do blood sugar testing if you are desperate to know how you are right now.

Thank you very much @LIZS . I don't think my surgery has an app, or if it does, I'm not on it! I'll do my best not to worry until I go for my appointment on Weds.

Even if you are diagnosed as type II diabetic or pre diabetic, this can easily be reversed by eating low carb.

Type I quite different, but type II responds really well to low carb way of eating.

No one on this thread can know what your results are - but yes, you could be diabetic, or pre diabetic. A receptionist wouldn't be able to tell you that - at our practice they would see a note on the blood result as something like 'abnormal, see Dr within 2-3 weeks' and that's all they would be able to say to you.
As others on the thread have said, don't panic -this is potentially something that can be reversed with diet.

My husband had the A1C test. It came back positive and the GP phoned him to come in a few days later.

I had the same test and went in a few weeks later for follow up and I'm only just pre diabetic.

So if you are diabetic I'm sure they will call you as you'd need to be on either medication or diet to control your blood sugars.

If you are pre diabetic you can easily control by diet. Look at the Glycemic index (online) and only eat from the food on the green or amber columns.

If you are diabetic or pre diabetic you can get a two week free trial from libre2 which is continuous blood monitoring using a small device in your arm and a smart phone.

If you are worried in the meantime, you can check your own blood sugar. Get yourself a blood glucose meter (I use this: https://www.glucorx.co.uk/our-products/glucorx-nexus-mini-ultra/) and test strips. Test your blood glucose the moment you wake up, just before each meal, and exactly two hours after your first bite of food for each meal.

Look at https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/ .The forums are the best place I have found for getting information about prediabetes and diabetes.

It might be an appointment to check your BMI and blood pressure, it might be your cholesterol, it might be your Hba1c is slightly elevated or not. Go to the appointment and take on board what they say, follow the recommendations and you will be fine. Please understand that people with diabetes don't experience diabetes complications for years and years (and well controlled diabetes causes no complications).Having slightly elevated blood glucose for weeks is not a serious problem. You can deal with whatever your results are (and worrying doesn't affect the results).