Why wouldn’t your doctor tell you that you have prediabetes?
Each of us who write for this site has been prediabetic, and our doctors did not tell us until years after our blood sugar numbers started climbing higher and higher.
We wish we had known what to look for before we had to work so hard to bring our blood sugar and A1c numbers back in line. Getting started and making healthy changes early can prevent damage and progression of the disease.
Prediabetes is a condition where a person has elevated blood sugar levels, the levels are not yet high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetes.
This condition is hard to recognize because it does not typically show many symptoms in the early stages.
Prediabetes is more common than Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. But it still comes with risks. Risks like developing high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
Some early warning signs of Prediabetes:
- Excessive thirst
- Tiredness
- Blurred vision
If you notice some of these symptoms, it’s important that you get tested.
There might be times that your physician may not be able to diagnose you with prediabetes. This can happen if they are only provided with a single isolated reading. They need enough evidence of prolonged periods of abnormal glucose levels.
Being proactive and testing your own blood sugar levels can help you present a case to your doctor that you are Prediabetic.
Looking at your family history will provide clues that you are at risk. If you have relatives with Type 2 diabetes, you should start tracking your own levels immediately.
We wrote a more in-depth article about the signs that you have Prediabetes, here.
So why do doctors forget to tell you that you have Prediabetes?
There are cases where doctors will not diagnose you as prediabetic if you are not at risk of diabetes.
This happens when someone experiences only a few symptoms of prediabetes. Also when blood sugar levels are not yet high enough. This usually does not raise a high enough level of concern to start treating the person with Prediabetes.
Most of the time, your doctor will only suggest that you lose weight and eat a healthy diet. Honestly, this is a helpful recommendation but, it’s also recommended for everything. A Ketogenic diet (Keto) can help get your Type 2 Diabetes into remission.
How do I start a Ketogenic Diet?
You need a diagnosis to get a prescription
It is difficult to get helpful prescriptions for prediabetes unless you have a diagnosis.
I was prescribed Metformin in my early 20s for a different health condition. I lost weight, my symptoms got better, and I felt better overall. This is likely because I was Prediabetic. I wasn’t diagnosed until my 40s.
Most doctors will respond that a prediabetes diagnosis cannot be made unless you take another fasting glucose test.
Usually, you can undergo another lab test after six months of undergoing the first one. That means you may have to wait an additional six months to get a treatment plan going.
Doctors will respond that the best way to prevent it from progressing to a more severe condition is by exercising and following a healthy diet.
The doctors did not forget to tell you that you have prediabetes. They are looking for more evidence before making a diagnosis.
If you want to know on your own if you could have Type 2 Diabetes or not, click here to read more.
The patient should have a consistent high fasting glucose test result. This requires several tests and exams to get a diagnosis and treatment.
If any of your tests show that you’re in danger of developing prediabetes, speak to your doctor. You need to raise the concern to ensure that you’re not at risk of having prediabetes.
You can join our free group here, and get some excellent dietary recommendations that may just reverse your Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis!
Her tragic family history of Type 2 Diabetes, and her own diagnosis of prediabetes in 2021 caused her to research more deeply, leading to a passion in educating people on how to hopefully put this disease into remission.
