Sugar scales

[JohnD]

Hi.
I'm awaiting second blood test results after Doctor said I might be Type 2.
I'm confused about what scale he was talking about.
He told me 41 on the scale was ok and I'm registering 58. So I need to adjust diet and will likely be getting meds to help reduce my sugar levels.
I understand the fasting scale but don't know where I can see what this scale is about>
I'm a bit OCD and like to try to understand stuff.
Sorry for such a Newbquestion.

 

[Eddy Edson]

This pic is probably useful:




The numbers you're talking about are your "HbA1c", the blue numbers up the top. 42 and lower is "non-diabetic", above 48 is diabetic and in between is "pre-diabetic".

Your current 58, in the yellowy-green zone, is high but not super-high. Eg: Mine was 89 at diagnosis and plenty of people around here were higher. I got it down into the green zone in 6 months and again, plenty of people around here have done the same, or faster. So there's no reason why you can't.

HbA1c isn't a direct measure of blood sugar but is kind of a proxy measure which correlates with average blood glucose over the previous 8-12 weeks. The fasting reading you get from a lab and the reading you get from a fingerprick are snapshots of actual blood glucose level at a point in time.

The correlation is shown by the bottom numbers. Your HbA1c of 58 would correlate roughly with an average blood glucose level in the 9's over the last 8-12 weeks. Getting your HbA1c down to 42 would correspond to an average BG of around 7.

BG fluctuates a lot over the day, depending on what you eat, what you do, sleepings vs awake etc etc. A single snapshot doesn't give you a lot of information about what yr average BG is - hence the usefulness of the HbA1c test.

Hope that's useful!

 

[Ljc]

Hi.
I'm awaiting second blood test results after Doctor said I might be Type 2.
I'm confused about what scale he was talking about.
He told me 41 on the scale was ok and I'm registering 58. So I need to adjust diet and will likely be getting meds to help reduce my sugar levels.
I understand the fasting scale but don't know where I can see what this scale is about>
I'm a bit OCD and like to try to understand stuff.
Sorry for such a Newbquestion.

Hi @JohnD , welcome to the forum. It confusing isn’t it .
It the The Hb1ac you doc was talking about , this measures tyour average blood glucose levels over the last 12 or so weeks. 41 to 47 is pre diabetes, 48 upwards is diabetes. the measurement is in mmol/mol and just to confuse us some medics / nurses still use the old % scale which looks the same as our own glucose meters but is actually quite different.

Our own glucose meters test. are an on the spot measurement and measures in mol/L .
They give a good guide on how the various carbohydrates affect us so we can make informed choics

 

[Ljc]

I must learn to type faster lol

 

[Ljc]

You should find this blog helpful
Test review adjust by Alan S

 

[JohnD]

This pic is probably useful:


View attachment 13592

The numbers you're talking about are your "HbA1c", the blue numbers up the top. 42 and lower is "non-diabetic", above 48 is diabetic and in between is "pre-diabetic".

Your current 58, in the yellowy-green zone, is high but not super-high. Eg: Mine was 89 at diagnosis and plenty of people around here were higher. I got it down into the green zone in 6 months and again, plenty of people around here have done the same, or faster. So there's no reason why you can't.

HbA1c isn't a direct measure of blood sugar but is kind of a proxy measure which correlates with average blood glucose over the previous 8-12 weeks. The fasting reading you get from a lab and the reading you get from a fingerprick are snapshots of actual blood glucose level at a point in time.

The correlation is shown by the bottom numbers. Your HbA1c of 58 would correlate roughly with an average blood glucose level in the 9's over the last 8-12 weeks. Getting your HbA1c down to 42 would correspond to an average BG of around 7.

BG fluctuates a lot over the day, depending on what you eat, what you do, sleepings vs awake etc etc. A single snapshot doesn't give you a lot of information about what yr average BG is - hence the usefulness of the HbA1c test.

Hope that's useful!

Thank you so much. My first experience of it and very confusing.

 

[trophywench]

It isn't 'actually' an average - but it can be interpreted as an average because of -

The average life of a red blood cell (ie Haemoglobin, abbr. Hb) is approx. 120 - 140 days, as they snuff it, the body replaces them with nice new ones. This is where the '3 months' reference comes from.

The A1c test actually measures how much glucose has attached itself permanently to the red blood cells in that sample of blood. Because some of them are only half an hour old and others are 'elderly' in the sample, then they calculate the value and this means all the blood circulating in the person's body will show the same answer.

Glucose is not supposed to become permanently stuck, it's only allowed to sit there temporarily, hitch a ride on the blood cell, until it the circulation takes it to a different cell in the body that requires the glucose, where it drops the passenger of to undertake its designated job. When there is too much glucose floating around cos of diabetes, all the spare crams onto the haemoglobin cells, bit like the Japanese underground/ Indian trains films we used to see. Assuming D is undiagnosed, we'll always have a lot more overcrowded red corpuscles than lovely uncrowded ones.

If we stop 'putting coal on the fire' (ie eating high carbohydrate foods of which sugar is but one, so we have to limit any others too) then the fire won't go out instantly but die down gradually over time, so that the house stays at a reasonable temperature for comfort.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @JohnD

Try not to panic in the early weeks. Diabetes is generally slow moving, and you have plenty of time to adjust and adapt. A diagnosis with diabetes can take a bit of getting used to - some people liken it to a form of grieving.

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations. It’s something that you can learn to live well with, and shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. Many forum members later reflect that their diagnosis was a sort of catalyst which prompted them to make positive changes towards a healthier and more active life.

When it comes to managing your diabetes, it’s best to make changes to your menu and activity levels gradually - partly because they need to be sustainable long term, but also because very rapid and sudden changes to blood glucose levels can actually cause problems with some parts of the body including eyes and nerves.

The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to food are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which forms and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself. But the good news is that it is possible to check this for yourself and tailor your own ideal way of eating that suits you and your BG levels.

You can use a BG meter as suggested in the post that @Ljc suggested earlier - checking before and after meals, and noting what the differences are. That way you can identify any carbs that seem to be causing BG upheaval and varying or reducing them (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference)

One of the most affordable meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50

For a bit more background information, the ‘useful links’ thread is a mine of helpful information - useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes

Members here frequently recommend Maggie Davey’s Letter and Gretchen Becker’s book, as very helpful starting points.

Good luck, and keep asking questions!

 

[JohnD]

Thank you all so much. It does feel devastating, but as you say, it seems to be spurring me to a much needed (and sinfully neglected) need for change. Already walking more each day, and making gentle minor diet adjustments as I go. Get second test results tomorrow and then we shall see.
THANK YOU!!!

 

[Tee G]

Hi and welcome @JohnD. You have had great advice/info here. I wont add to it or your eyeballs will be fused to the screen by the end of all this reading. Just wanted to say hello

 

[JohnD]

OK, so I've had my second results, long term has dropped very slightly, but the fasting test is "over the magic 7".
So I'd like to tell you a little about me, and then check whether I have the general principles right about this ... it was a phone appointment so Doc still wants to see me face to face to explain more, but I'm impatient to get started.
I have - for too many years, but certainly the last 5 - eaten too much (large portions - huge possibly) and mostly meals based around carbs.
As I understand it - reducing portion sizes to "normal" and especially watching ALL carbs, I should start to make progress.
I gather that I do not need to eliminate carbs, but rather to limit them strictly.
I understand this will be a long process.
It seems to me to be a matter of changing habits and understanding what I eat.

I forgot to mention the doc has prescribed a low dose of metformin to start with.,
So, off to walk to the doctors (now doing at least one brisk walk a day of around 15 mins duration and planning to increase as I go on) to pick up the pills.

THANK YOU so much. Don't hesitate to disabuse me of any misconceptions I have. This is important and the most help I've had to date is from you guys.

 

[grovesy]

Well you could start by either cutting out some of the carbs or reduce the portion of carbs.

 

[JohnD]

Well you could start by either cutting out some of the carbs or reduce the portion of carbs.

Thanks . That's what I was trying to say I thought I should do. 🙂

 

[Eddy Edson]

OK, so I've had my second results, long term has dropped very slightly, but the fasting test is "over the magic 7".
So I'd like to tell you a little about me, and then check whether I have the general principles right about this ... it was a phone appointment so Doc still wants to see me face to face to explain more, but I'm impatient to get started.
I have - for too many years, but certainly the last 5 - eaten too much (large portions - huge possibly) and mostly meals based around carbs.
As I understand it - reducing portion sizes to "normal" and especially watching ALL carbs, I should start to make progress.
I gather that I do not need to eliminate carbs, but rather to limit them strictly.
I understand this will be a long process.
It seems to me to be a matter of changing habits and understanding what I eat.

I forgot to mention the doc has prescribed a low dose of metformin to start with.,
So, off to walk to the doctors (now doing at least one brisk walk a day of around 15 mins duration and planning to increase as I go on) to pick up the pills.

THANK YOU so much. Don't hesitate to disabuse me of any misconceptions I have. This is important and the most help I've had to date is from you guys.

Get a BG meter and test before & after eating to see which kinds of carbs have what effect on you. Everybody's different! You're doctor almost certainly won't prescribe one for you but just about everybody here would agree that this is really the only way to tell what's what.

You could just cut carbs way down but that maybe overkill for you & if it means unnecessarily cutting out something you enjoy, why do it? Unless it's c**p like cakes, bisucuits, donuts, processed rubbish etc etc etc in which case you may as well just take the opportunity to drop it anyway.

Exercise is always good, and probably losing weight is the biggest thing. Anyway, it was for me.

 

[SB2015]

OK, so I've had my second results, long term has dropped very slightly, but the fasting test is "over the magic 7".
So I'd like to tell you a little about me, and then check whether I have the general principles right about this ... it was a phone appointment so Doc still wants to see me face to face to explain more, but I'm impatient to get started.
I have - for too many years, but certainly the last 5 - eaten too much (large portions - huge possibly) and mostly meals based around carbs.
As I understand it - reducing portion sizes to "normal" and especially watching ALL carbs, I should start to make progress.
I gather that I do not need to eliminate carbs, but rather to limit them strictly.
I understand this will be a long process.
It seems to me to be a matter of changing habits and understanding what I eat.

I forgot to mention the doc has prescribed a low dose of metformin to start with.,
So, off to walk to the doctors (now doing at least one brisk walk a day of around 15 mins duration and planning to increase as I go on) to pick up the pills.

THANK YOU so much. Don't hesitate to disabuse me of any misconceptions I have. This is important and the most help I've had to date is from you guys.

Sounds like you have got your head round things very quickly, and that you have a very positive approach to this.

One thought from your most recent post which may help. Your BG level will rise after any meal which contains carbs. We limit our carbs, but also find it very useful to ‘do something for 15 min’ after any meal. If you put your regular walk after each meal that might help. I have found that it reduces the spikes that I had after meals.

Keep the questions coming.