Glucose Tolerance Test - Have I understood correctly??

[marmitesandwiches]

Hi there.

I've been asked by my GP's practice to return to the surgery tomorrow to have a glucose tolerance test. I had the standard 28-30 week blood test last week and it indicated raised glucose levels. I suspect this was mainly due to the timing of the test: I had to fast for an hour before the lucozade and an hour after, but immediately prior to that had consumed quite a large lunch .

My instructions for tomorrow are to fast for 12 hours overnight and to imbibe lovely lucozade two hours before the test. Nothing about attending for the doctor/nurse to take normal bloods before and nothing about waiting around for more than one test.

Has anyone else had a test structured this way - or have I misunderstood?

Think it's pretty likely to be negative - but having been offered the test I'd rather not mess it up!!

Input appreciated .

yep, that's how it is done here too.

ours is bloody ridiculous though because you have to take a ticket when you get to the blood place, which means that more often than not you're late for the test (normally a ton of people waiting), but you are NOT allowed to take a priority ticket. stupid

i always wonder too, if they genuinely suspect diabetes, if it's really a good idea to get someone to fast, drink lucozade and then drive themselves to a hospital

That's not how it's done here (Cambridgeshire). I had to fast from 10pm night before, present at 8.30am where I had a fasting blood test done. Then they gave me the drink (sugared water rather than lucozade), had to go back for more tests after one and then two hours of drinking. (Did get priority in the queue)

At the end of the day though the deciding factor was the result after two hours - had to be under 7.8 so I can see that your test would probably get to the same place. Just a bit more hit and miss re amounts of lucozade and timings.

Good luck

Thanks thisisyesterday. That's v helpful.

Asking people to drive is just touting for more business: So transparent .

Thanks Crapweasel. Uncharacteristic of me to respond to posts so quickly there: Am planning bath and early night to stop myself from eating anything - not a question of self-control (honest!), just pregnant forgetfulness. Went downstairs to feed the cat a minute ago and came dangerously close to grabbing a few grapes from the fruit bowl. Was a close thing!

God, I was made to fast for 12 hours - went to docs at 8:50 and had the first blood test. Then drank minging drink and was not allowed to leave the surgery for 2 hours, when the second test was taken.

this is becuase it puts the kidneys under a lot of stress, so they don't want you doing too much apparently. My lot sound good now, compared to others!

I had to fast 10 hours and have a fasting blood test, drink a precisely calibrated amount of lucozade (I mean, I had to draw it up with a syringe, it was crazy) and then back for another one 2 hours later. I don't really understand how they can calculate it otherwise - but didn't you say you'd already had a fasting test with lucozade? Or am I confused?

I was allowed to go home between tests, they weren't bothered about me walking back, apparently!

There do seem to be quite a lot of different methods - albeit all aiming to capture the same measurement.

The standard first test here - which is offered to everyone irrespective of the existence of particular risk factors - is to drink lucozade at home without fasting and attend for a blood test 1 hour later. I think this is why I failed it: You can eat whatever you like in the run-up to the test. If your test is scheduled for early am, you may only have had tea + toast - if like mine it's scheduled for just before 2pm, you may have just polished off a large-ish lunch. Maybe it should have occurred to me to eat more sensibly (i.e., less!).

In my hospital they take this very seriously. You fast from midnight. They start the fasting blood tests around 9:00 a.m. (depending on where you are on the list). You drink your lucozade - weighed out - in front of the assistant within 5 mins. You tell the woman taking the bloods when you have finshed so she can note the time. She then calls you back for the second blood test exactly 2 hours later. We weren't allowed to leave the ward in between - they count that as a invalid test. Apparently the extra walking would count as exercise and so would help your body deal with the sugar.