Insulin blood test
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Welcome to the forum Jeaniemm,
Sorry for the delay, but was hoping someone that has used labs outside of a doctors practice to respond.
I personally am not familiar with tests not performed in my doctors office or hospital, but I aware that there are walk in labs or on line-labs that do testing. Probably best thing to do would be using your favorite search engine to find one and get in touch with them for what tests they offer and preparation instructions (fasting, etc.)
With the on line labs, I would think that you would have to go somewhere to get the blood drawn. If you use your doctor's office, why not just let them send it to where they normally send it to run the tests? Is the reason you are asking because your doctor isn't willing to order an insulin tests?
An insulin test by itself, may be meaningless, but not enough info has been offered. You may need to have blood glucose tested too, or C-peptide, or something else depending on the reason for testing to begin with. The labs may be able to answer your question if you are not going thru a physician.
Sorry for the delay, but was hoping someone that has used labs outside of a doctors practice to respond.
I personally am not familiar with tests not performed in my doctors office or hospital, but I aware that there are walk in labs or on line-labs that do testing. Probably best thing to do would be using your favorite search engine to find one and get in touch with them for what tests they offer and preparation instructions (fasting, etc.)
With the on line labs, I would think that you would have to go somewhere to get the blood drawn. If you use your doctor's office, why not just let them send it to where they normally send it to run the tests? Is the reason you are asking because your doctor isn't willing to order an insulin tests?
An insulin test by itself, may be meaningless, but not enough info has been offered. You may need to have blood glucose tested too, or C-peptide, or something else depending on the reason for testing to begin with. The labs may be able to answer your question if you are not going thru a physician.
Thank you. My Dr. orders A1C and blood glucose. I am no longer on metformin because Dr feels my bg and A1C are at good levels and therefore thinks nothing more is necesssry. I know how to use a walk in lab on my own but I am not sure what to order to get the best fasting insulin info. Is C-peptide something else I should order?
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If you and your doctor is sure you have Type 2 diabetes (and not LADA) there really isn’t much value to a C-peptide test.
An A1c is good for about three months (by design) and I don’t know what you would need more fasting blood glucose tests for at this point unless you find value in getting them more often than your doctor will refer you for them.
So it sounds to me like you’re about tested out, at least for the next few months. Let’s see if mbuster has any other ideas.
An A1c is good for about three months (by design) and I don’t know what you would need more fasting blood glucose tests for at this point unless you find value in getting them more often than your doctor will refer you for them.
So it sounds to me like you’re about tested out, at least for the next few months. Let’s see if mbuster has any other ideas.
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I would think C-peptide should be used in everyone's initial testing for diagnosis of what type of diabetes one has. Of course that should be coupled with antibody testing if C-peptides results are low, indicting low insullin production.
High C-peptide tests could indicate insulin resistance, you could be making several times as much insulin as normal and still keeping keep your BG and A1c numbers in good range. High/rising c-peptide levels could indicate progression of insulin resistance. High/rising C-peptide results could also be an indicator of potential blocking of the arteries. There is a lot of info on c-peptide on the internet.
Getting a c-peptide test, even if thought unneeded right now would give you a baseline number to look back at when/if tested again in the future. The lab or your doctor, would be better suited to advise you on what/when to test and why.
High C-peptide tests could indicate insulin resistance, you could be making several times as much insulin as normal and still keeping keep your BG and A1c numbers in good range. High/rising c-peptide levels could indicate progression of insulin resistance. High/rising C-peptide results could also be an indicator of potential blocking of the arteries. There is a lot of info on c-peptide on the internet.
Getting a c-peptide test, even if thought unneeded right now would give you a baseline number to look back at when/if tested again in the future. The lab or your doctor, would be better suited to advise you on what/when to test and why.
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I ordered an antibody test through JDRF at a cost of $65. They mail you the test and instructions on how to perform it. ( easy peasy). if you are T1 diabetic you will have antibodies. If not you will not have antibodies. If you have been T1 for a number of years, You may have low antibodies perhaps confusing the results. Our new endocrinologist says we could not possibly manage Ronnie's BG as well as we do if he was T1 diabetic.. He has been treated for t1 diabetes for over 21 years, by an endocrinologist with excellent credentials. (The doctor died and we have not been able to get the records. Please keep copies of your records.) That's another issue. You can go to Quest Diagnostics online and find their nearest location and the labs available. I do not know which test is the insulin test.
Thank you everyone. I guess I will just trust the A1C's for now, hard for me to do that when my mom, dad and all of my siblings are type 2. My mom has progressed to insulin injections and dad died of a heart attack. I also just found out I have multiple cysts on both kidneys after having a mri for back pain.
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Jeaniemm, just because your doctor writes for the big diabetes tests doesn't mean you can't manage some of it on your own. Maybe I missed it in reading your original post, but are you not checking your blood glucose at home at least daily?
Many of us have chosen to test a lot -- fasting blood glucose each morning and various times during the day. In fact, some of us were testing ten or more times a day (fasting, before each meal and an hour and two hours after) to figure out what our insulin response was to different foods we were eating. Keeping an eye on the trends also educated us on the effects of stress, infection, etc. on our blood glucose levels.
You do not need a prescription to buy a blood glucose meter or strips. And they don't have to be expensive, either. Several large chain stores in the U.S. sell meters for under $20 and strips for around 25-30 cents apiece in quantity. You certainly could monitor your blood glucose very closely by yourself, which could give you a great idea of your longer-term diabetic health. At my first A1c after diagnosis, after three months of testing before and after each meal, I looked at my spreadsheet of glucose levels and absolutely guessed my A1c level before the doctor brought back the test results.
Would testing like that be helpful to you?
Many of us have chosen to test a lot -- fasting blood glucose each morning and various times during the day. In fact, some of us were testing ten or more times a day (fasting, before each meal and an hour and two hours after) to figure out what our insulin response was to different foods we were eating. Keeping an eye on the trends also educated us on the effects of stress, infection, etc. on our blood glucose levels.
You do not need a prescription to buy a blood glucose meter or strips. And they don't have to be expensive, either. Several large chain stores in the U.S. sell meters for under $20 and strips for around 25-30 cents apiece in quantity. You certainly could monitor your blood glucose very closely by yourself, which could give you a great idea of your longer-term diabetic health. At my first A1c after diagnosis, after three months of testing before and after each meal, I looked at my spreadsheet of glucose levels and absolutely guessed my A1c level before the doctor brought back the test results.
Would testing like that be helpful to you?
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Sorry to hear there is more to worry about added to your plate. Probably best to focus more on the new issue, than your insulin levels. Hopefully the cysts issue is caught soon enough to have a positive influence on the outcome. There are certain foods to avoid and include in your meals. Maybe your doctor has discussed those things, if not there is a lot of info on the internet.
Also controlling BG is important as well, because high BG impedes healing. So you shouldn't totally forget to pay some attention to that too. Looks like itissteve has addressed what I was just thinking when reading back thru the thread. I'll second the motion to have your own BG monitor. There is an old saying that you don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul.
Also controlling BG is important as well, because high BG impedes healing. So you shouldn't totally forget to pay some attention to that too. Looks like itissteve has addressed what I was just thinking when reading back thru the thread. I'll second the motion to have your own BG monitor. There is an old saying that you don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul.
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May I know for what purpose you want to buy blood tests for insulin? Are you diabetic? Patients with diabetes frequently use complementary and alternative medications. As I know, Ayurveda approaches any illness or condition holistically, and diabetes is no exception. Ayurveda has a unique approach to diabetes treatment, including diet, medicines and medications, exercise, and bio-purification procedures. And alveda.life works if you stick to the treatment without stopping.
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