Diabetes Testing

If you have risk factors for diabetes, getting tested is the best way to learn more about prevention and disease management.

LCH Health and Community Services offers diabetes testing at all of our locations, including West Grove, Kennett Square, and Oxford. Usually, we recommend diabetes testing during regular well checks based on your risk factors. If we see you for a sick visit, we might also recommend diabetes testing. Even if you have never been a patient, you can schedule a diabetes test with us.

There are a few different ways to test for diabetes. We’ll recommend the right test for your risk factors and symptoms.

Key Tests for Diabetes Diagnosis and Management at LCH

The four most common tests for diabetes are as follows:

• A1C Test – This test checks your average glucose levels over the past few months and tells your doctor if you have normal blood sugar levels, prediabetes blood sugar levels, or high blood sugar levels that indicate diabetes. 
• Fasting Blood Sugar Test – This test checks your glucose level after a night of sleep and before you’ve had anything to eat. If it’s still high after 8-10 hours of fasting, you may have either prediabetes or diabetes.
• Random Blood Sugar Test – This test is exactly what it sounds like. Your blood is drawn for a glucose test at any time, and if it’s at a certain high level, you may have diabetes.
• Glucose Tolerance Test – In this test, we get a fasting blood sample, have you drink something high in sugar, and then test your blood after 1 and 2 hours. If your blood sugar reaches a certain level after the drink, you may have prediabetes, diabetes, or gestational diabetes.

We draw your blood for all of these, and we send the sample out for lab testing. We usually know your results within a few days. If your tests come back with prediabetic glucose levels, or even in a high normal glucose level range, we’ll schedule a follow-up test to keep an eye on your health. If you have diabetes, we’ll get you started on a disease management plan that includes medicine, ongoing testing, and lifestyle education.

Preparing for Diabetes Tests

Since diabetes tests are a one-time blood draw, we need to get an idea of your normal lifestyle. Try not to make major changes to your exercise routine or eating habits a few days or weeks before your blood sugar test. If you are diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, we will work with you to make lifestyle changes that support your long-term health.

Besides not making any major changes, follow the pre-testing instructions exactly. If you are supposed to be fasting, but you had a midnight snack or breakfast, your glucose test will give us incorrect information about your glucose level.

For your test, we’ll ask questions about your health history, eating habits, exercise routine, and stress levels. We’ll also check your weight and blood pressure. Then we’ll take a small blood sample for blood sugar testing to go out to the lab.

If you have risk factors for diabetes, we may offer some health education about diet and exercise that can help you take the first steps for better health before we even get your results. Our office staff is happy to answer all of your questions about diabetes, how to read blood sugar charts, lowering your glucose with diet and exercise, and making great overall health choices.

Diabetes mellitus, mostly just called diabetes, is a chronic health condition that means sugar is not being removed from your blood the way it needs to be.

Blood sugar, called glucose, is an energy source for your body. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin that moves that sugar into your cells where it is most useful. When the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, or doesn’t make it at all, the sugar can’t move from your blood to your cells. This is called diabetes.

The high glucose levels in your blood create health problems with your eyes, kidneys, heart, blood flow, and nerves. People with diabetes need medicine to lower their blood sugar levels to a healthy range. If you have diabetes, you can live a long and healthy life by working with your doctors to practice good disease management.

There are 3 types of diabetes:

• Type 1 – the pancreas doesn’t work at all to produce insulin. This type has nothing to do with lifestyle or diet.
• Type 2 – the pancreas may produce insulin, but not enough. This type is usually connected to diets high in carbohydrates and sugar, being overweight, and an inactive lifestyle.
• Gestational – blood sugar levels are too high during pregnancy. It usually goes away once the baby is born but could return with later pregnancies. Any woman who is getting prenatal care will be tested for gestational diabetes.

Every type of diabetes should be managed with your healthcare provider. Diabetes needs to be monitored with regular exams and glucose tests to make sure your blood sugar levels are in a safe range, that your medicine is working, and that you are educated about your own health needs.