My HbA1c has gone the wrong way!

[Flower]

So I had my 6 month review at the hospital today. My last HbA1c was 41 and I was told it was too low for my circumstances - no hypo awareness - and to increase it at least to the mid 40's. Today's result was 37 or 5.5% . Hhmm that didn't go down well and the results do show I've been hypo quite a high percentage of the time despite trying to be in range and stable. Reductions in basal made and going back in 2 months to see what's happening.

I was told I was trying too hard but I don't think I can try hard enough when the future of my leg and the little bit of sight I have left hangs in the balance. Still I took the advice to relax my control on board so I'm sitting on the sofa eating a caramel shortbread with my feet up. That should solve it 😉 I love the notion of uniformly relaxing my control just like loosening a belt by a notch and everything just falls back into place but a bit less tight. Ahh if only 🙄

I get a kind of comforting feeling sitting in the waiting area of the pump clinic. Nobody needs to explain the alarms coming from their clothing or why they are nonchalantly scanning their arms. I looked around and one lady was scanning her arm whilst my cgm was merrily alarming. Nobody said 'aren't you going to answer that'? which is what I was once asked when my pump was alarming.

So chips, bread, pasta and cake for tea it is then! 🙂 I swear I'll get the hang of this diabetes thing soon.......

 

[grovesy]

Oh dear.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about the hypos Flower. And yes it never is as simple as 'up a notch' is it.

Hope the CGM helps you adjust things a little more precisely though. Have they suggested tweaking your settings for smart guard and/or your BG range on the pump at all?

 

[jusme]

How strange Flower I went through the same at my check up yesterday and told to stay between 4 - 9 to stay safe - easier said than done, most of my basal rates were adjusted but I still went hypo at 11am this morning so I have adjusted that one in hope of a better day tomorrow. I am being careful of what I eat because I don't want to go over 9 but it is hard work for me when I never know what I am going to be doing. Oh well another day tomorrow ......

Take care

jusme

 

[Flower]

Thanks Mike, yes, I've slightly upped the target on my cgm and pump so that Smartguard cuts in sooner to try and avoid hypos but without any of the physical warning signs I do find it so hard to avoid falling down into the 2's and 3's.

Very strange @jusme ! I understand their reasoning for avoiding hypos but as you say it is so difficult to stay in range, I really don't set out to go hypo and because of all my complications I have a real fear of floating along in the 8's and 9's. I'll follow your advice 'another day tomorrow'.... 🙂

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Sorry to hear your HbA1c has got lower when you were trying to get it higher, Flower

I love the notion of uniformly relaxing my control just like loosening a belt by a notch and everything just falls back into place but a bit less tight. Ahh if only 🙄

I know the feeling - diabetes just doesn't play by the rules consultants expect it to play by, does it? Mine looked at all my hypos and said the thing I needed to do to regain hypo awareness was to "run your blood sugars a bit higher for a while" - as if I was deliberately "running" them between 1.6 to 4 and could just flick a switch and change the numbers to better ones. Pointed out that if I made the changes he wanted my levels would routinely be between 12-20 🙄

 

[Bubbsie]

So I had my 6 month review at the hospital today. My last HbA1c was 41 and I was told it was too low for my circumstances - no hypo awareness - and to increase it at least to the mid 40's. Today's result was 37 or 5.5% . Hhmm that didn't go down well and the results do show I've been hypo quite a high percentage of the time despite trying to be in range and stable. Reductions in basal made and going back in 2 months to see what's happening.

I was told I was trying too hard but I don't think I can try hard enough when the future of my leg and the little bit of sight I have left hangs in the balance. Still I took the advice to relax my control on board so I'm sitting on the sofa eating a caramel shortbread with my feet up. That should solve it 😉 I love the notion of uniformly relaxing my control just like loosening a belt by a notch and everything just falls back into place but a bit less tight. Ahh if only 🙄

I get a kind of comforting feeling sitting in the waiting area of the pump clinic. Nobody needs to explain the alarms coming from their clothing or why they are nonchalantly scanning their arms. I looked around and one lady was scanning her arm whilst my cgm was merrily alarming. Nobody said 'aren't you going to answer that'? which is what I was once asked when my pump was alarming.

So chips, bread, pasta and cake for tea it is then! 🙂 I swear I'll get the hang of this diabetes thing soon.......

Flower...confessed several times already on the forum...an absolute complete ignoramus when it comes to type1...pumps...cgm's...basal...but...had a 'rye' smile at your comments...yes...if only things were that easy...obviously if the Consultant/DSN says it is...then it must be...simple as that?...better get to it...chips...bread...pasta & cake for tea...great idea😱😱😱.

 

[Bloden]

LOL!😛😛 Flower, I love the mental image I've now got of your trilling and twittering pump clinic, hahaha. Good luck with your carb-fest / A1c hike. 🙂

Can you get your A1c to have a word with mine? It's been stuck at 8% for 2 years now and refuses to budge.

They (medics) do seem to think our 'control' is super-controllable, don't they? I was told to 'set' my BG a bit higher for work because it's an active job - I thought, "How the bleep am I supposed to do that when I can't lower my A1c, Einstein?!" Ho hum...

How many carbs in a Wagon Wheel, btw?🙂 I know you like em!

 

[Stitch147]

Hi Flower, hope you manage to get your HbA1c up (didn't think id say that to someone on here!). Enjoy the carbs!

 

[SB2015]

till I took the advice to relax my control on board so I'm sitting on the sofa eating a caramel shortbread with my feet up.

I hope you enjoyed the shortbread, and smiled whilst you ate it. That uses more carbs!!

I hope that you are able to get things sorted.

 

[Bubbsie]

I hope you enjoyed the shortbread, and smiled whilst you ate it. That uses more carbs!!

I hope that you are able to get things sorted.

Never knew that SB...smiling as I type this...will be smiling the whole day today...tomorrow...to infinity & beyonddddddddddddddddddddddd.

 

[Flower]

hope you manage to get your HbA1c up (didn't think id say that to someone on here!).

It is an alien concept quite honestly Stitch! I've spent the last 39 years battling to control this thing and then I somehow tip over into the dark side of HbA1c results.

Thanks everyone 🙂 @Bloden I've been neglecting my Wagon Wheel intake lately and that could well be the problem. I will start eating one WW a day asap 😉

 

[Lindarose]

I'm loving the smiling technique! 🙂
Here's to lots of lovely wagon wheels Flower! I haven't had one for ages so now I've got to try not to think of them. Specially as they are in packs of 4. Or is it 6? Yummmm

 

[Northerner]

I'm sorry you didn't manage to get the raise you were hoping for @Flower - hope the adjustments mean a much more 'well-received' number next time 🙂

I've been told in the past to 'relax my control a bit', 'avoid hypos' (!!! 🙄) etc. Maybe when artificial pumps become a reality we will be able to just tweak things up or down a bit? 😱 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Well I assume whoever has hypos at 11am, really changed their basal from 9am - just for anyone reading the thread not already well versed in pump management.

As for the OP and the rest of the comments - Yeah, and a great big LOL !

Now @Flower - and one of my daft questions! Just wondering, like ..... how long is it since you changed your basals upwards and got consistently mega high results? And ditto carb ratios? I know very well I've totally discounted some things cos disastrous results ensued last time, but eventually thought Oh stuff it then - I'll just try it and prove it's NBG to me - and sodding Bingo - this time it's only ruddy well worked. Stupid body ...... chunter chunter ....