Relax.You BP 120/80 is normal.. and even the HbA1c is also not at a pre-diabetes level which is usually considered at > 6.0Keep exercising regularly and eat a balanced diet (which you already seem to be doing).. your cholesterol is also something that I would not worry about at this stage..no medical intervention is necessary at this time... lifestyle modification is sufficient.
I [22F] am prediabetic and prehypertensive and my doctor hasn't been helpfulHi all! I am looking for some guidance here. The stats I provide are also from a DEXA scan I did just this week as a participant in a longitudinal study on my campus:22F;166.4 lb;5'8";27.7% body fat;54.95 kg muscle mass (the form says "muscle mass" and idk if that's just lean body mass or muscle mass);1.055 g/cm3 bone density.Doing the DEXA scan and talking through it with the researchers was helpful because it put my weight into better perspective than just comparing it to my BMI.Summer 2021, I went for my first physical assessment living in the US and here were blood results:my A1c came back at 5.7;lipid panel all borderline high at 206mg/dL for cholesterol, 124 for LDL, 76 for HDL, but 62 for triglyceride;my blood pressure is consistently around 120s/80, including this week;my pulse is consistently in the 50s bpm, including this week at 55;I have mild anemia and take 65mg of iron daily. Over the past year my iron levels are back in normal range.I know of a family history of anemia, hypertension (my maternal uncle was also diagnosed in his 20s despite being seemingly physically healthy) and high cholesterol, but have no idea about diabetes.I freaked out at the blood work, and bombarded my doctor with questions including if I needed medication or if I should start monitoring my blood glucose. He gave the vaguest answers, saying there's no need for medication or monitoring at this time, just that I should change my diet and listed generic things I should eat that included a lot of tubers (huh?). I started monitoring my blood glucose anyway and scavenged reddit to learn what others do, but fell into a depression last year and only started picking up my discipline regarding my eating last December. I'd still been exercising throughout, though.I have a history of challenges with disordered eating behaviors and I have been working to address that and making good strides to recognize my triggers. I was overweight all my life and never learned what balanced nutrition or good regular activity looked like. I've been figuring that out for myself at college. For the past 4 years, I have been exercising pretty consistently 3-4 times/week for 45-60mins. I walk a lot, and have in the past six months increased cooking for myself to increase the protein (really just chicken, lentils, and beans lol) and green vegetables on my plate. I have been substituting rice with green banana (I don't really eat Western food) and have been successful at learning how to intuitively eat as a part of addressing my disordered eating habits.I am confident I can continue to improve my wellness habits, but need guidance on addressing my pre diabetes and prehypertension. I am awaiting bloodwork from the study at my school in a few days to see where my A1c and lipid panel's are nearly two years later. But I don't want to develop full blown diabetes and hypertension if there are things I can do now in the "pre" ranges to nip them in the bud.I have scheduled another physical assessment w my primary doctor in two weeks, where we will repeat those tests. I want to advocate better for myself given his last feedback. Should I ask to be put on metformin? What should I continue to do about being pre-hypertensive?I don't want to ignore my issues and don't want to be hard on myself about them either. I just want to know what I should do to live better and keep myself as well as possible. Thanks!