I personally do not like the "labels" that are used regarding elevated blood sugar levels. To properly respond to your post, I would ramble for a long time but I will try to be brief.

To be considered "pre-diabetic" for over 17 years sounds like you manage to keep your levels under some control by your life style.

There is no single "magic" number that medical professionals agree that one IS labeled a diabetic. It is not like one is either pregnant or NOT.

Many people can have a slightly elevated blood sugar level for years before they cross that invisible line into what is referred to sometimes as "full blown diabetes".

It is a delicate balance between the amount of insulin and glucose flowing through the body which is controlled by the pancreas and the liver. When they are out of balance, for various reasons, lab tests may show an elevation in blood sugar levels.

Much controversy exits over the point when one is classified as a "diabetic" and also controversy about "reversal" of type 2 diabetes.

When a person is a diabetic, they will ALWAYS be a diabetic. Where the statements of "reversal" come into play is when a person is able to manage to control their levels without medication. Some call that a reversal, but the person still HAS diabetes, it is just being controlled through diet and exercise and without medication.

The body is a miraculous machine and will work very hard to stay in balance. When the cells do not allow insulin IN, it is called insulin resistance. The body starts making more and more insulin to compensate. After a while, the beta cells get tired of all the overwork and begin to wear out. At this point, one goes from what is called "insulin resistance" to diabetes.

In a type ONE diabetic, the body does not make insulin, and it must be provided by insulin injections or pumps. That is why it is called "insulin dependent" diabetes.

You did not state any of your specific "numbers" but it sounds like you are continuing to creep upward and that is why you were told that you would soon be classified as a diabetic.

Diabetes (type 2) is not something you don't have one day and you do the next. It is a process that goes on within the body until one day a physician declares someone as diabetic but they were on the road for some time. Different doctors make this declaration at different stages of the disease. It is also a progressive disease, and unless properly managed, it can be very damaging to the entire body.

Without knowing your numbers, I would highly recommend changes to your lifestyle (diet and exercise) if appropriate, and if that alone does not control your levels, you may need medication.

Some physicians take a more pro-active approach and start a patient on medication before the beta cells get over worked. (During the period sometimes called "pre-diabetes".)

The more one reads regarding type 2 diabetes, the various contradictions and controversy they will encounter. Some is FACT and some is OPINION.

The above is my opinion from personal experience and much research.

Wishing you the best and hoping you don't cross that line. Not everyone can control when or if the threshold is crossed, but sometimes changes made help the body to get the required balance that is missing when diabetes is declared.

The reason they have a "pre-diabetic" classification is for those for whom it is a window of opportunity to aid the body back into its own balance by adopting a better diet that will not overly tax the body, an exercise routine that helps the cells use glucose, and helps the body regain the delicate balance.

OK, this was not brief, but for me to add all the other things I should say, it would be much longer.