So I know it’s weird for a Type 1 diabetic like myself to be so worried about a term associated with Type 2 diabetes but I am passionate about educating people on the disease as a whole.
Something that has irritated me for awhile now is the term “pre diabetic.” If you take time to do some research on the term, you will notice the general definition as the following, “A condition characterized by slightly elevated blood glucose levels, regarded as indicative that a person is at risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes.”
Now the problem I have with this term is that there has been a number of times where I have talked to family friends or other various people that think because they are pre diabetic, means they are out of the woods and don’t have a real medical condition.
My view on the matter is, you’re either diabetic or your not. Type 2 diabetes is elevated blood sugar caused by insulin resistance. What is the symptom of “pre diabetes?” You guessed it, elevated blood sugar caused by insulin resistance. So why would we label someone that has obvious insulin resistance as a pre diabetic? What makes them pre? So because their blood glucose haven’t reached quite high enough we are going to pretend they aren’t diabetic?
See my main problem with this is I think people take the term pre diabetic, a lot less seriously than they do the term type 2 diabetic. A lot of doctor send a “pre diabetic” patient on their way after telling them to just eat healthier and exercise. Is that really enough? In some cases if the person is overweight and eats very badly, that will be enough to curb the problem for the time being. But what about those who are already fit and eat the way they should? Shouldn’t we really be labeling them diabetic and starting them on an oral medication? Why not treat the problem before blood sugars get dangerously high?
Moral of the story. If you are reading this and have been labeled a pre diabetic and your family doctor doesn’t take it too seriously. Do yourself a favor and make an appointment with an endocrinologist. If your A1C is higher than normal, you have insulin resistance which means you are diabetic. Fix the problem before it come a bigger one, and PLEASE, take the problem seriously!
Just curious to hear what others think on the matter. I had this discussion with my endo the other day and it drives her nuts too. She refuses to use the word pre diabetic.
Thoughts?
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