Hello everyone, I am in nursing school and am under a great deal of stress from work, school and family. I am 21 years young, with a family hx of diabetes mellitus, lately due to school, I havent been exercising, but my diet has been normal. I understand cortisol is secreted during stress, but I thought that our homeostatic mechanism keeps blood sugar in check. Well this morning, my fasting blood was 98.i understand anything below 100 is within normal limits, but this is not my baseline. I am thinking of re checking again after my test next week . But until then, how do I interpret this?
stargirl018 52 Posts Sep 5, 2014 Also to note, I am relatively average size, 5 foot 3, weight of 123lbs
Long Term Care Columnist / Guide VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN 142 Articles; 9,981 Posts Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych. Has 26 years experience. Sep 5, 2014 Your numbers are fine. You don't need to worry about diabetes just yet. The fact that you have a family history of DM does put you at a higher risk for the disease than the average person, but at 21 and in decent shape, not overweight, you probably won't have anything to worry about until much later in life, if even then. Heredity is not destiny. :)
JustBeachyNurse, LPN 1 Article; 13,952 Posts Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager. Has 13 years experience. Sep 5, 2014 You don't interpret the results. You don't attempt to self diagnose. If you feel your stress is adversely affecting your health make an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss your concerns.Don't fall victim to applying nursing school knowledge to try and self diagnose the conditions as you study them.
stargirl018 52 Posts Sep 5, 2014 I agree with you, which is why I am rechecking the next week. If it happens again then I'll request for an a1c-test but in the meantime, I'll definitely have to reevaluate my lifestyle and nutrition. I am not self diagnosing, I am doing everything that I've been taught to do in nursing school : evaluate lifestyle, family history, Labs, and assess for physiological and psychosocial factors that may be contributing to the process. I'm not labeling myself diabetic, pre diabetic, or anything, but am simply asking for a possible explanation as to why this is happening. If no one knows, that's fine- I'll recheck and go to the doctor. If this is a common occurrence then I'll focus more on lifestyle changes as my goals and hope to never get to the point of being diabetic.
Trauma Columnist traumaRUs, MSN, APRN 165 Articles; 21,214 Posts Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU. Has 31 years experience. Sep 5, 2014 We wish you well with your healthcare decisions.
