DIABETICS!!: whats your HBA1c???

Toto Wolfcastle · 20-08-2010 09:32AM

I attended the DESMOND course recently with someone who was diagnosed with Type 2 recently and it was fairly informative. They'll answer any questions that you have and you might learn something that you didn't know. You should definitely do one of them.

Little Mickey · 21-08-2010 01:49AM

I'm typically in the region of 6.8 to 7.5, there has been hiccups here and there though, especially recently.

I have a question about the HBA1c though, just to satisfy my curiosity.

A person has a 12Wk period where thier blood sugar reading is always 7.5, ie it never changes over that time period.
Then that person has another 12Wk period where it's 5.0 for half of the time and 10.0 for the other half of the time - these readings can be either scattered at random times accross the 12Wk period such that they total 6Wks each or they can be 6 consecutive Wks each.
When you do math there you will see that the average for both of the 12Wk periods is 7.5, so my question is will the HBA1c result be identiclal both times?
Or does it read by some other way?

Obviously I'm using totally impossible control here but it's just to make my question clear!

The_Conductor · 21-08-2010 07:22AM

Glucose molecules can become associated with red blood cells for a period of up to 120 days. The HbA1C reading is a simple average score- so in your example- yes, you would have an identical reading in the HbA1C test for both examples. You can do a much more detailed test (which is seldom used, as its time consuming and more expensive), which determines the age of the red blood cells, alongside their actual glycation profile- which gives an actual graph of blood sugars over a 100-120 day period, rather than an average. It is difficult to determine glycosated levels however- and the test is horrendously expensive (and takes well over a week to get results back from the lab)- so its only rarely done.

FAYESY · 28-08-2010 01:02AM

I went off my meds for 2 years! The combination made me allergic to my pets! They made me constantly sick & sniffly! Accidently left them at home when on holiday in America opps & felt fantastic! Now I am back on meds since June - differnt combo of drugs & seem so so, so far but my bloods are often 8-12.

Back to the doctor on Monday for more bloods so will see what he says! Still waiting to be seen by the hospital! I go to the clinic in Portlaoise hospital! One doctor upset me so much! Does not help I suffer with mild depression, have anxiety problems & hate being touched! So a doctor touches me & up goes my BP - NIGHTMARE!

Zaph · 07-09-2010 08:56PM

Got the results of my first hba1c since I was diagnosed today. It was 10 when I was first diagnosed, it's now down to 6.4. I'm absolutely delighted, it makes all the effort I've put in over the past 3 months (radical change of diet, lost nearly two and a half stone, joined a gym) most definitely worth it. Tbh, I would have been really happy had it been below 9.

MUSEIST · 07-09-2010 09:38PM

^^^^^ well done zaph, thats excellent after 3 months:)

I just got mine down to 6.2 (lowest ever) I have been type 1 diabetic for 14 years now. Normally I am mostly in the mid sevens so my aim now is to keep it in the sixes.:D

Carsinian Thau · 07-09-2010 10:20PM

A 3.6% drop in 3 months?? If I can manage even half of that I'd be very very happy.

Seriously well done, Zaph.

I'd offer you a cookie to celebrate but, well....

:o:o

Zaph · 07-09-2010 10:24PM

I can have cookies now? \o/

Toto Wolfcastle · 07-09-2010 10:25PM

Zaph wrote: »

I can have cookies now? \o/

Yes, but I will be confiscating them. For the good of your health, you know?

To be fair to you though, you have done really well.

Zaph · 07-09-2010 10:26PM

janeybabe wrote: »

Yes, but I will be confiscating them. For the good of your health, you know?

So near, and yet...

5live · 19-09-2010 09:44AM

Hi there. I know i am a bit late but only found found this section today. I was advised to up my hba1c from 6.2 to over 7 as my doc worried about hypos as i work on my own all day. Is this common or normal advice? i was fairly paranoid about control for first 15 years but now more relaxed with hba1c of 7.2. Life fairly good(if you ignore the risk of your extremeties falling off):D

The_Conductor · 19-09-2010 10:15AM

Just an observation- I'm furious with 2 endochronologists- concerning their advice about HbA1Cs. The problem with this measurement is that it hides a myriad of issues- an average of 6 masks a 1 and an 11- and the person with wide swings in their measurements- gets a pat on their head. I've had to give glucagen to 2 people in the past week- both of whom have 'perfect' blood sugars........ Arrrgghhhhhh........

CramCycle · 20-09-2010 03:33AM

5live wrote: »

I was advised to up my hba1c from 6.2 to over 7 as my doc worried about hypos as i work on my own all day. Is this common or normal advice?

Without getting into the finer details of your control or giving medical advice, I'd get a second opinion or another doctor, 6.2 is a good hba1c, I can't imagine any doctor asking you to do that. If your on your own and paranoid, maybe increase the number of tests and maybe see if you can get one of these to supplement your normal testing:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/continuous-glucose-monitoring

scarymoon1 · 30-09-2010 07:50PM

my last one was 6.1 and my consultant was NOT happy. Working on bringing it down to my usual 5 before my next visit. Not sure Il achieve it though - I like chocolate too much

5live · 01-10-2010 10:09AM

If i was to aim at 5 i would be permanently in hypo mode. I try to avoid hypos because i dont sleep and my short term memory gets fuzzy. Then with hypers i feel 8 hours sleep is only 4 and dragging my ass around after me all day(its a nice ass but still..) and my head feels like i drank a bottle of whiskey through a straw before going to bed. Can i just have a normal pancreas back now please:o

Alanstrainor · 02-10-2010 12:53PM

scarymoon1 wrote: »

my last one was 6.1 and my consultant was NOT happy. Working on bringing it down to my usual 5 before my next visit. Not sure Il achieve it though - I like chocolate too much

That is nothing short of insane! An HBA1c of 5! **** that. Your consultant needs to step out of lala land and realise that it's simply dangerous to expect anyone to achieve such a low HBA1c, 6.1 is perfect.
I remember years ago having a HBA1c of around 6.0ish, and being told that i must have been having far too many hypos to achieve a reading that low and to ease off slightly.

viper.10 · 04-10-2010 10:40AM

ive been a type one diabetic for around four and a half years now when i went up for my check up around two months or so ago my blood sugar averaged at around 7.8 and they said that i wasn't looking after myself as well as i could be and i should be more careful, i was told when i was first diagnosed that anything between 4.8-8 was pretty good. unless im crawling in on my hands and knees with low blood sugar my doc thinks im a chocalolic, unfit, reckless maniac

The_Conductor · 04-10-2010 10:50AM

viper.10 wrote: »

ive been a type one diabetic for around four and a half years now when i went up for my check up around two months or so ago my blood sugar averaged at around 7.8 and they said that i wasn't looking after myself as well as i could be and i should be more careful, i was told when i was first diagnosed that anything between 4.8-8 was pretty good. unless im crawling in on my hands and knees with low blood sugar my doc thinks im a chocalolic, unfit, reckless maniac

There really doesn't seem to be a consensus among the endocrinologists- I've heard 3 entirely different ranges from 3 different consultants- alongside the advice of one diabetic nurse who is adamant that a HbA1C of under 4 is entirely feasible. Sigh........

5live · 04-10-2010 12:07PM

smccarrick wrote: »

There really doesn't seem to be a consensus among the endocrinologists- I've heard 3 entirely different ranges from 3 different consultants- alongside the advice of one diabetic nurse who is adamant that a HbA1C of under 4 is entirely feasible. Sigh........

Is that nurse insane or just stupid? A HbA1c of 4 would mean you would spend at least a third of the day in hypo mode. Just shows the difference between reading it in a book and actually living with a condition. I had to quit seeing a diabetic nurse down here because she was insisting that i stuck to a diet which would have supplied, at best, 2/3 of my energy needs. I dont sit down in front of a screen all day but apparently that didnt matter. Only one way, hers! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

yungwan · 05-10-2010 02:04PM

My 7 year old son was diagnosed with T1 in August this year and was 12.8% at diagnosis.

We attended clinic 2 weeks ago and it was down to 9.4.... so we are getting there thank god.

His diabetic team are aiming for about 7 with him. Thankfully he has a good diet and is fairly active.

His novomix is now at 2 units am and pm so I am happy with his progress.

cynder · 05-10-2010 02:22PM

yungwan wrote: »

My 7 year old son was diagnosed with T1 in August this year and was 12.8% at diagnosis.

We attended clinic 2 weeks ago and it was down to 9.4.... so we are getting there thank god.

His diabetic team are aiming for about 7 with him. Thankfully he has a good diet and is fairly active.

His novomix is now at 2 units am and pm so I am happy with his progress.

welcome to the club,

my lady was diagnosed age 7 and a half she had an hba1c of 10.5 when diagnosed her blood sugars were 42 , she is now 11. we have never been anywhere near 7, we had an hba1c of 8 at the last clinic,and there last year she had a tummy bug and was rushed in again (diabetic ketoacidosis)had a hba1c of 10.2.

she is now on

novo rapid 5,5,5 (sometimes it can go up to 10,10,10) and lantus is 'am' 27.

She was on mixtard and that didnt work and niether did novomix and she is allergic to levimir.

Another appt in crumlin in november (fingers crossed she is put on the waiting list for pump) .

joolsveer · 05-10-2010 02:26PM

I went for my checkup today and was told that I had a score of 6.3 and that I must be doing something right! Last time it was 10.

yungwan · 05-10-2010 02:33PM

grindelwald wrote: »

welcome to the club,

my lady was diagnosed age 7 and a half she had an hba1c of 10.5 when diagnosed her blood sugars were 42 , she is now 11. we have never been anywhere near 7, we had an hba1c of 8 at the last clinic,and there last year she had a tummy bug and was rushed in again (diabetic ketoacidosis)had a hba1c of 10.2.

she is now on

novo rapid 5,5,5 (sometimes it can go up to 10,10,10) and lantus is 'am' 27.

She was on mixtard and that didnt work and niether did novomix and she is allergic to levimir.

Another appt in crumlin in november (fingers crossed she is put on the waiting list for pump) .

Wow she sounds like she has had it tough. My sons sugar was 22 when he was admitted. Thankfully he wasnt admited to ICU, we got it just in time in a urine sample - I thought he had a kidney infection).

My biggest worry is diabetic ketoacidosis as a result of illness, and with winter coming up as he also has asthma. Fingers crossed he gets on alright.

His glucometer read just "low" this morning... what does this mean? I had never seen it before but he said it sometimes reads that at school but he didnt know what it meant.

The_Conductor · 05-10-2010 02:46PM

You really need to get a better glucometer to be honest. 'Low' is worthless. If a blood sugar is so low as to be unreadable- there is an issue, however if the machine is simply not up to measuring and instead giving vague messages such as 'Low'- then you need a new machine.....

cynder · 05-10-2010 02:49PM

yungwan wrote: »

Wow she sounds like she has had it tough. My sons sugar was 22 when he was admitted. Thankfully he wasnt admitted to ICU, we got it just in time in a urine sample - I thought he had a kidney infection).

My biggest worry is diabetic ketoacidosis as a result of illness, and with winter coming up as he also has asthma. Fingers crossed he gets on alright.

His glucometer read just "low" this morning... what does this mean? I had never seen it before but he said it sometimes reads that at school but he didnt know what it meant.

OK

Low is when the blood glucose is under 2 or 1.5 depends on the blood monitor.

That happened with my lady at few times and it was when she pricked her finger and squeezed the top to push blood out, the problem with doing that is that your squeeze out moister from your finger which gives the low reading.

Change the was he forces blood out of his finger work the blood up from the bottom of the finger upwards rather than at the finger tip (that's called milking). this should stop the false readings. if you have any concerns phone his diabetic nurse. Nurse ann quinn is in the limerick hospital and is great. (just to say it could be a faulty monitor but from our experience its the way she forces the blood out of her finger, always recheck if he has a low reading also washing hands in warm water helps the blood flow)

ketoacidosis is scary you should have ketostix to check for ketones or certain blood sugar monitors check for them as well. phone your doctor or your diabetic nurse if concerned that ketones are present.

my lady sometimes has ketones and the next time she checks they are gone again. the tummy bug last year was quite major but she was right as rain 2 days later (after being on a drip).

just to note my lady was going into a coma when she was first diagnosed, the doc said she was the first child he diagnosed with diabetes that was awake all others were in a coma (his an old doctor) we missed all the signs and put them down to the new baby.

best of luck

if you ever want to pm(personal message) me do

CathyMoran · 05-10-2010 03:01PM

grindelwald wrote: »

OK

Low is when the blood glucose is under 2 or 1.5 depends on the blood monitor.

That happened with my lady at few times and it was when she pricked her finger and squeezed the top to push blood out, the problem with doing that is that your squeeze out moister from your finger which gives the low reading.

Change the was he forces blood out of his finger work the blood up from the bottom of the finger upwards rather than at the finger tip (that's called milking). this should stop the false readings. if you have any concerns phone his diabetic nurse. Nurse ann quinn is in the limerick hospital and is great.

ketoacidosis is scary you should have ketostix to check for ketones or certain blood sugar monitors check for them as well. phone your doctor or your diabetic nurse if concerned that ketones are present.

my lady sometimes has ketones and the next time she checks they are gone again. the tummy bug last year was quite major but she was right as rain 2 days later (after being on a drip).

just to note my lady was going into a coma when she was first diagnosed, the doc said she was the first child he diagnosed with diabetes that was awake all others were in a coma (his an old doctor) we missed all the signs and put them down to the new baby.

best of luck

if you ever want to pm(personal message) me do

Was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 10 and am 36 now - it was hard for me to keep good blood sugar control when I was a child but we had to use a syringe! My blood sugard was 44 at diagnosis - none of our doctors would test for diabetes - grr. The child could have a genuine low blood sugar, have never seen a case where my blood sugar was not low when the machine said it was (as she writes with a blood sugar of 2.8 (have taken sugar)). Infections and monthly cycle for females will be among many things that will affect blood sugars - as your child gets older they will be able to take greater responsibility. I have a bad cold at the moment and it is playing havock with my sugars so I am testing and adjusting as necessary. Best wishes.

yungwan · 05-10-2010 03:01PM

grindelwald wrote: »

OK

Low is when the blood glucose is under 2 or 1.5 depends on the blood monitor.

Change the was he forces blood out of his finger work the blood up from the bottom of the finger upwards rather than at the finger tip (that's called milking). this should stop the false readings.

ketoacidosis is scary you should have ketostix to check for ketones or certain blood sugar monitors check for them as well. phone your doctor or your diabetic nurse if concerned that ketones are present.

best of luck

if you ever want to pm(personal message) me do

Thanks very much GW, thats very kind of you.

I never heard about the "milking" before, I will get him to change this, as you suggest. This low was his fasting sugar and he had been checked during the night (he was 6.4) and ate a slice of brown bread at that time so I was surprised it was so low at 7am. Maybe it was false, I gave him a lucozade tab and his brekkie.

Unfortunately he doesnt really recognise any symptoms of hypos yet, but hopefully they will come in time.

We had the ketostixs alright, must try testing him more often over winter to be sure.

cynder · 05-10-2010 03:08PM

CathyMoran wrote: »

Was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 10 and am 36 now - it was hard for me to keep good blood sugar control when I was a child but we had to use a syringe! My blood sugard was 44 at diagnosis - none of our doctors would test for diabetes - grr. The child could have a genuine low blood sugar, have never seen a case where my blood sugar was not low when the machine said it was (as she writes with a blood sugar of 2.8 (have taken sugar)). Infections and monthly cycle for females will be among many things that will affect blood sugars - as your child gets older they will be able to take greater responsibility. I have a bad cold at the moment and it is playing havock with my sugars so I am testing and adjusting as necessary. Best wishes.

Im dreading the start of puberty, its gonna get worse before it gets better, thankfully they introduced little needles instead of those big syringes. We find that her blood sugars go manic if she has any sort of infection or illness/cold. what a nightmare, at least after 3 years we know more and are more confident and change her insulin according to her readings, but i tell you one thing I HATE CARB COUNTING how the hell am i ever going to get the hang of that. time time and more time, will get there sooner or later. Trying to get my hands on the little gem carb counting book.

very true it could be a genuine low reading.......

CathyMoran · 05-10-2010 03:16PM

grindelwald wrote: »

Im dreading the start of puberty, its gonna get worse before it gets better, thankfully they introduced little needles instead of those big syringes. We find that her blood sugars go manic if she has any sort of infection or illness/cold. what a nightmare, at least after 3 years we know more and are more confident and change her insulin according to her readings, but i tell you one thing I HATE CARB COUNTING how the hell am i ever going to get the hang of that. time time and more time, will get there sooner or later. Trying to get my hands on the little gem carb counting book.

very true it could be a genuine low reading.......

I still have not fully worked out time of the month even now but I have managed to have a child so I must be doing something right! I have the carb counting books but I have it so many years now that I sort of know depending on the food as well as the amount in grams. Mine are mad at the moment with this cold, just have to keep a close eye on it. My bloods do go abover 10 the odd time (like with this bad cold) but that is a rare occurence, it does get easier as you get more accustomed to it.

cynder · 05-10-2010 03:17PM

yungwan wrote: »

Thanks very much GW, thats very kind of you.

I never heard about the "milking" before, I will get him to change this, as you suggest. This low was his fasting sugar and he had been checked during the night (he was 6.4) and ate a slice of brown bread at that time so I was surprised it was so low at 7am. Maybe it was false, I gave him a lucozade tab and his brekkie.

Unfortunately he doesnt really recognise any symptoms of hypos yet, but hopefully they will come in time.

We had the ketostixs alright, must try testing him more often over winter to be sure.

test for ketones if vomiting or if blood sugars over 15, it doesn't do any harm to test once a day either if you want to.

it could be a genuine low if thats the case mention it to the diabetic nurse if it happens again as he might be taking too much insulin at pm or he isnt eating enough.

Brown bread wont sustain him as long as white bread ( i know they recommend brown bread but our lady eats both), its all trial and error as we found out, its a long, long road with lots of ups and downs. Whats good for one diabetic inst good for the next one so it is individual trial and error.

Also what works one day might not work the next, you will find that out in time. Take each day one at a time. best of luck.

DIABETICS!!: whats your HBA1c???

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