Getting an insulin lab test in Canada

[FCS]

I saw two doctors to get an insulin test but both of them declined to order a lab test for me. I do not suspect that I have diabetes but I'd like to monitor my insulin level primarily for metabolic evaluation - my personal goal is to have my insulin at a very low level. I never have a family doctor so I went to this walk-in-clinic. The first doctor mentioned that they only checked glucose and if glucose is okay, then insulin is okay. I did further research, came back to the clinic to see another doctor and explained what I'm trying to monitor, but the other doctor still declined. He mentioned that they can't do it unless there is an abnormality in the Glucose test, as it is a fairly expensive procedure and the lab's Chief Pathologist will question them.

I guess this is the marsupialed complication from socialised healthcare. I called the lab to say that I can pay it out of pocket but they mentioned that I still need to get a requisition form from the doctor, which means another waste of time lining up in the clinic for a 3 minute doctor's face time and form filling. At this point I wonder why the bureaucracy is this mind-boggling.

For Canadians who have done it, how do you usually get an insulin test? What's the easiest route for this?

 

[imhotep]

http://www.calbiotech.com/store/prod...catid=&pid=101

find a laboratory with a plate reader and do it yourself

 

[kulata]

Better just check your hemoglobin A1C which averages your glucose readings for 3 months

 

[FCS]

Originally Posted by imhotep

http://www.calbiotech.com/store/prod...catid=&pid=101

find a laboratory with a plate reader and do it yourself


What is it exactly? An equipment that I can use to check my insulin level myself? I don't think I would trust myself to administer it, anything involving semi-technical labour work and I suck big time at it.

What is a plate reader?

 

[why]

You're a dumbass. Really.

Is this a troll thread?

 

[Gibonius]

I think it's a waste of time to get this sort of test done unless you've actually got a problem. You don't really need to know how much insulin you're producing, just do whatever you need to do to minimize your body fat levels (presumably that's why you wants to keep his insulin levels low).

I'm a Type 1 diabetic, so I actually know exactly how much insulin I'm using. Even then it's still rather difficult to minimize intake beyond the obvious steps of minimizing carb intake and exercising to increase insulin sensitivity.

Originally Posted by kulata

Better just check your hemoglobin A1C which averages your glucose readings for 3 months

That's not really going to answer his question about insulin levels though. You can have perfectly fine glucose levels but still be producing more insulin than ideal because of insulin resistance.

 

[FCS]

Originally Posted by Gibonius

I think it's a waste of time to get this sort of test done unless you've actually got a problem. You don't really need to know how much insulin you're producing, just do whatever you need to do to minimize your body fat levels (presumably that's why you wants to keep his insulin levels low).

I'm a Type 1 diabetic, so I actually know exactly how much insulin I'm using. Even then it's still rather difficult to minimize intake beyond the obvious steps of minimizing carb intake and exercising to increase insulin sensitivity.



That's not really going to answer his question about insulin levels though. You can have perfectly fine glucose levels but still be producing more insulin than ideal because of insulin resistance.


It is really a way of keeping track my body metabolism function, a high insulin level preventing the body to use fat as energy sources, so minimising body fat is also largely a function of keeping insulin level low. As you said, blood glucose testing does not detect insulin resistance problem, and I'd like to know if this was an issue for me. My goal is to reduce my fasting insulin level to 5 or lower, but I currently have no idea what my level is.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by FCS

I called the lab to say that I can pay it out of pocket but they mentioned that I still need to get a requisition form from the doctor, which means another waste of time lining up in the clinic for a 3 minute doctor's face time and form filling.

I honestly don't know if this is serious or not. It can't be, can it?

 

[FCS]

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[FCS]

Originally Posted by harvey_birdman

I honestly don't know if this is serious or not. It can't be, can it?
Critically serious, of course not, more of an annoyance factor for an hour of waiting time (I don't have a family doctor and the walk-in-clinic in my area is fairly busy), on top of the previous visits. Not to mention the additional zero-value added billing that the doctors charge to the taxpayers. I just like to know if there is a smoother way to proceed in Canada.

 

[why]

You don't have a clue. Stop wasting everyone's time.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by FCS

Critically serious, of course not, more of an annoyance factor for an hour of waiting time (I don't have a family doctor and the walk-in-clinic in my area is fairly busy), on top of the previous visits. Not to mention the additional zero-value added billing that the doctors charge to the taxpayers. I just like to know if there is a smoother way to proceed in Canada.

No, I meant I don't know if you're being honest or sarcastic about how badly Canada's medical system must be if you have to see a half dozen people and get a requisition form just to have a test done that you're willing to pay for yourself.

 

[FCS]

I can't speak about other people's case or whether it is always that bureaucratic, but yes, for me that was the case. It might also be the lab's policy, although I can't comprehend why, rather than being government legislated.

To be fair, my limited experience with the system has been reasonably okay, not the greatest, but not downright pathetic either.

 

[Gibonius]

Originally Posted by FCS

It is really a way of keeping track my body metabolism function, a high insulin level preventing the body to use fat as energy sources, so minimising body fat is also largely a function of keeping insulin level low. As you said, blood glucose testing does not detect insulin resistance problem, and I'd like to know if this was an issue for me. My goal is to reduce my fasting insulin level to 5 or lower, but I currently have no idea what my level is.

Oh, I know exactly what insulin does for the body, believe me. I'm a chemist and have been diabetic for 22 years, you learn a few things along the way.

You say that you want to reduce your insulin level to a certain value (5 what, btw?) but I assume that's a secondary goal related to fat loss. Even if you know your insulin level, you're going to have to go through the same experimentation process to minimize your insulin levels as you would to lose weight.

If you lower your insulin levels, and you do lose body fat, then you don't need to know your insulin levels went down because you can track the BF% a lot easier. If you lower your insulin levels and you don't lose body fat, what good is lowering the insulin level? Either way, what do you really gain by knowing the insulin levels? It's more information, sure, but I don't see really what it tells you that would help you out appreciably.

I had some success dropping my BF% by manipulating my insulin levels, but I can do it directly without having to run any tests, since my insulin all comes from a vial. In the long run there was very little difference between normal weight loss techniques and insulin lowering techniques.

 

[FCS]

Originally Posted by Gibonius

Oh, I know exactly what insulin does for the body, believe me. I'm a chemist and have been diabetic for 22 years, you learn a few things along the way. You say that you want to reduce your insulin level to a certain value (5 what, btw?) but I assume that's a secondary goal related to fat loss. Even if you know your insulin level, you're going to have to go through the same experimentation process to minimize your insulin levels as you would to lose weight. If you lower your insulin levels, and you do lose body fat, then you don't need to know your insulin levels went down because you can track the BF% a lot easier. If you lower your insulin levels and you don't lose body fat, what good is lowering the insulin level? Either way, what do you really gain by knowing the insulin levels? It's more information, sure, but I don't see really what it tells you that would help you out appreciably. I had some success dropping my BF% by manipulating my insulin levels, but I can do it directly without having to run any tests, since my insulin all comes from a vial. In the long run there was very little difference between normal weight loss techniques and insulin lowering techniques.
I didn't mean to underestimate your knowledge, please don't take it that way. Anyways, yes, I've been experimenting with insulin level reduction since early-mid Dec and I think it has resulted satisfactorily. My waist line dropped by more than 3 inches and my food craving is significantly less noticeable, this with me not materially restricting the overall quantity of food intakes (while obviously eliminating simple carbs and sugar), so in term of body fat reduction, the theory that I'm experimenting with seems to be working out. My insulin level, which is really what the experiment largely focuses on, should have gone down too, but I have never measured it in the first place so other than gut feeling I don't have much ideas. I don't see why knowing this information wouldn't help tracking progress, it's also like monitoring other common variables like LDL, Triglycerides, cholesterol, etc, especially with insulin playing a major factor in how the body processing these substances. The only thing that I neglected to eliminate in my intakes was diet soda, which up until a few days ago I did not realise that there are considerable evidences suggesting that Acesulfame K causes insulin release. It was also the only major processed food consumption in my diet, I am swearing it off for a few months (if not permanently) and see if I'd feel better.