If you have found out that you are at risk of diabetes, your GP surgery or pharmacy would be the first port of call for an initial test for diabetes.
If you go to your GP, the test may be done at the GP surgery or you may be asked to go the hospital for your blood to be taken.
The test will involve either a random test (a test taken when you may have eaten recently) or a fasting test (a test taken when you have not eaten for a period of time, generally 8 – 14 hours before).
An initial test will usually be a ‘finger prick’ test. You will need to wash your hands and a small device will prick the side of your finger and produce a small drop of blood. This will then be placed on a strip in a blood glucose meter and a result will be produced within a few seconds.
If the result indicates that you have a raised blood glucose level, you may then have a further test – either a fasting test, where a sample of blood is taken from your arm, or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). For the OGTT test, you will be advised to fast overnight for 8 to14 hours, during which water may be drunk. A sample of blood will be taken from your arm and then you will be asked to consume a glucose drink. After two hours another blood sample will be taken from your arm. This will indicate how your body responds to glucose. You will normally have to wait for the result of either of these tests, which may take up to two weeks.