5 Hour Glucose Test

Hi Kurrykid and welcome! You can post the results and any one here can give an opinion based on what we know but remember we're not doctors.

A five-hour GGT? That's a long one. Is there a history of diabetes in your family? Have your regular blood sugar tests been out of range?

Yeah, the OGTT (or more familiarly known as the GTT, Glucose Tolerance Test), is usually no more than 3 hours and more likely just 2 hours.

This is from the National Institutes of Health:

"Normal Results
Normal blood values for a 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test used to check for type 2 diabetes in those who are not pregnant:

Fasting: 60 to 100 mg/dL
1 hour: less than 200 mg/dL
2 hours: less than 140 mg/dL
The examples above are common measurements for results of these tests. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results."

You can search online for GTT results and you'll find the same information from the Mayo Clinic as well as other sites.

Although it might seem that your blood sugar was elevated at 1 hour during the test, it drops quite a bit to under 100 at the 2-hour mark. Then, you hit too low at 39 (no wonder you didn't faint) but then the blood sugar rises back to normal.

So if you consider your results and the parameters the labs have for normal, you seem to be fine. The only concern (in my opinion) would be that you had hypoglycemia episodes when you were younger. That can sometimes just be kids not eating properly and being very active but it could also be a precursor to blood sugar problems later on in life. I have read the some people who had hypoglycemia when they were younger frequently have elevated blood sugar when they're adults.

Maybe that's why your doctor ordered the 5-hour test: to see how low you might go and your recovery. I'm guessing here.

So, if I were you, I would continue to watch the blood sugar. You might even buy a blood sugar meter yourself (Walmart's ReliOn brand and its test strips are pretty cheap.).

When you see your doctor the next time, please pin him/her down for interpretations of the test (all tests you have) and always get copies of lab tests for yourself to keep. Ask if you should be aware of any possible future problems or concerns.

I think it's important that you are asking questions (even here and we're not your doctor) to understand what's going on because then you should be able to have good control over your own health.

I hope this helps. I'm glad you're looking for answers.

Hi there KK, I'm really glad you are on top of things about your health. Nowadays with the Internet, it's so easy to get information, too, although there is a lot of junk on the web as well.

Anyway, as far as I know, for those who are dealing with hypoglycemia now, the best course of action is to have smaller, more frequent meals during the day (or regular meals and some kinds of snacks in between) so your blood sugar does not spike and dip. Also, in order to help stop that, don't overdo the carbs because they will make you (and most other people) spike and then drop - which is why so many people want to take naps after Thanksgiving dinner!

I hope you find the cause of your brain fog and can get on with Life! So, good luck with that!

Any time you have questions or comments, you know where to find us!

Hi again! Thanks for updating us on what's going on. It's great that you and your doctor are talking about these results and how to deal with the reactive hypoglycemia.

Here is a website with lots of information about blood sugar. You can use their search box for specific articles about reactive hypoglycemia. www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php

And, as already mentioned, the best plan for this is to try keeping the blood sugar level, which is done by eating a balanced diet and not overdoing carbs. Proteins, vegetables, some dairy, some fruit, some nuts will help you do this.

I hope you can avoid those lows by watching what you're eating.

Good luck.