Do I need to take my life into my own hands?

[walktheline]

I really like my PCP and she is a great people-person, but here is my delimma:

She had me to do an initial A1C test at the hospital (the 6 hour version, being sticked every 2 hours) and my results came back at 6.2% I asked her if that meant that I was diabetic and she said yes and no (huh??). Well, she gave me a blood glucose monitor and to test myself every morning and shoot for a reading at or below 126 in the mornings and at or below 180 after meals. She said that because of my 6.2 result, she was going to see if I could control this disease with diet and exercise. Just as a side note, I have never experienced any diabetic "symptoms" that I know of (no excessive thirst, urination, neuropathy, eye trouble), thank God, but since my family has a history of it, I should get tested. Unfortunately, I had only lost 5 lbs, so she said she was doing another A1C and if the reading was high, we would have to look at medication. Well, my next reading came back at 6.0, so now she really wants me to work on the diet and excercise. My cousin who is also a Nurse Practitioner believes that she should put me on some type of medication because there may be damage going on at the cellular/vascular level that won't show up until later. I currently take one 25 mg diuretic for my blood pressure, and that is ALL I want to take! So question #1 is, is my cousin right? Even with my current A1C of 6.0, down from 6.2, do I need medication? Also, I asked my doc if I needed to get check-ups by an Endocrinologist, Ophthalmologist, and be put in contact with a Diabetes Educator, and she said "no" I didn't need all of that. Well, this kind of bothers me-I feel like I should meet with all of the above. What should I do, and do I need a PCP referral or can I go to these other professionals behind her back?

Thanks. Any info is appreciated.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

You need to pose all of these questions/concerns to your PCP and/or NP, then if you are not satisfied and still question anything, seek a second opinion. It is your body/your health.

allnurses.com cannot advise you in any way.

Good luck and be well.