There is a test that can help determine if you have diabetes, a disease that affects the way your body manages sugar in your blood. There Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that there are now 24 million people in the United States living with diabetes.
Step 1
Schedule an appointment with a medical laboratory to have a glucose tolerance test and follow up with your physician to learn the results. The doctor, nurse or laboratory technician making the appointment will tell you what time to stop eating or drinking anything other than water. Fast for 8 to 10 hours before having your blood drawn to measure your fasting glucose level. Take all medications as prescribed unless otherwise directed.
Step 2
Review how glucose is used by the body so that your test results are meaningful. Food is converted to blood sugar, or glucose, to be used as energy by the cells of the body. However, glucose cannot enter the cells by itself; it needs to attach itself to insulin to be tolerated by the cells. Type 1 diabetes is defined by a person whose pancreas does not produce enough insulin to attach to sugar. In type 2 diabetes, the cells themselves become resistant to glucose.
Step 3
Show up promptly for your laboratory appointment so that your blood samples are taken on schedule. The phlebotomist will clean an area of your skin and draw a fasting blood sugar. If your samples are to be sent to an outside laboratory for testing, blood will be drawn from inside your elbow or from the back of your hand into a test tube. A drop of blood will be taken from a finger if glucose is to be measured with a glucometer, which is a hand-held device that gives instant glucose readings.
Step 4
Drink an 8-oz. sugary beverage given to you by the phlebotomist. If you are having trouble controlling your blood sugar because you are pregnant, there will be 3.5 oz. of sugar in the drink; if your doctor suspects you have type 2 diabetes, you will be drinking 2.6 oz. of sugar, according to MayoClinic.com. Your blood glucose will be measured again 30 minutes after you have finished the drink and again every 30 to 60 minutes. This test could take up to 3 hours.
Step 5
Schedule a return appointment with your physician to learn the results of your glucose tolerance test, and to discuss treatment options of the test results indicate you have diabetes. The National Library of Medicine states that normal fasting blood glucose level should be 60 to 100 mg/dL. One hour after eating, a healthy glucose level is less than 200 mg/dL. Your blood sugar should drop to around 140 mg/dL two hours after drinking the sugary beverage. A person with impaired glucose tolerance will have a glucose level of 140 to 200 mg/dL two hours after the drink, and someone with diabetes will have blood sugar measurements over 200 mg/dL.
Tips and Warnings
- Bring food with you in case your blood sugar is too low after your test.
- Do not perform this test at home with a glucometer. It could be very dangerous for you to fast, and your results will not be accurate. Do not leave the laboratory during this test. It is vital to have your blood drawn on time, and it may be unsafe performing other functions while fasting or when allowing your blood sugar to rise uncontrolled.
