diabetes Now I Have Diabetes

[huskerfanfl]

I just heard back from the VA nurse. I have had two high glucose reading in a row, 2 weeks apart. She said the doctor wanted to know if they were true fasting labs. I asked the nurse who in the hell would want to fake them. Anyway, I told her they were so she said I am now classified a diabetic. I was not in Vietnam, so there is no presumption there. I have been having elevated blood glucose readings going back to 2002 (I retired from the army in 2004), have had high blood pressure since 2001, and high cholesterol since 2003.

The three HBP, High Cholesterol, and Diabetes have been shown to occur in groups (get one probably will get the other). Does anyone think I may have a chance to get this service connected?

[john999]

I think if you had high glucose readings on active duty or within one year of discharge you would be on more solid groud. I think that if you have DMII five years after discharge it will be hard to get it SC'ed unless you can show you were exposed to AO.

[huskerfanfl]

There are two tests that need to be done to get a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type II, one is the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the others is a blood draw to measure your HgbA1C. The first one will show how you metabolize sugars over a period of time, and the second will show what the blood sugars have averaged over the last three months.

For them to diagnose you as having Diabetes Mellitus Type II, with two high glucose readings is very sloppy medicine. And if you are properly diagnosed with DM II, and your SMRs show HTN, Elevated glucose levels, and hig cholesterol, I would say you have a good chance to get the DM II service-connected, IF you can get a doctor to say 'it is as likely as not' that your DM II existed while in the service, but went undignosed for a number of years.

Not to be an ass, but the standard I found on the internet is still two fasting glucose tests. This is because it is cheaper. There is a movement to use the A1C test, but it has not been adopted yet. Bottom line is I agree that those tests should be done, but they are not the standard yet.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/h...e-diabetes.html

[Bonzai]

...the standard I found on the internet is still two fasting glucose tests...

I guess the standard, like anything else in medicine, can vary from organization to organization. I worked for the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians for 8 years, and the doctor I worked with had 17 years of specializing in diabetes treatment. Our standards for ascertaining whether or not someone had Diabetes Mellitus Type II were the GTT and HgbA1C. Since Native American have the highest incidence and prevalence rates of any nationality in the world, we had a lot of new cases that we were diagnosining in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to mislead you in any way by stating it was sloppy medicine. But we had a case of 'Dawn Phenomena' where growth hormones were causing high fasting blood glucose levels, and we ruled out diabetes through the GTT and HgbA1C. Then the trick was to find out what was causing the high glucose levels...

[Pete53]

I had many blood draws with high readings and also high sugar in urine analysis The VA did not diagnose me as a diabetic till I told Doc I was one and one A1C later I was a diabetic.

As far as your claim I think you have an excellant change with your medical records to link to service. You are one IMO and a claim away,

[Bonzai]

I had... ...high sugar in urine analysis...

Diabetes is a Greek word for 'that which passes through' and Mellitus is Latin for 'Honey'. The doctor I used to work with always told me that the urine of someone with diabetes mellitus is sweet, and in the old days, a doctor would taste the urine before making a diagnosis.

[JADMP]

Diabetes is a Greek word for 'that which passes through' and Mellitus is Latin for 'Honey'. The doctor I used to work with always told me that the urine of someone with diabetes mellitus is sweet, and in the old days, a doctor would taste the urine before making a diagnosis.

Making me glad that I am not a doctor from the old days!