I was meant to have a knee replacement operation on November 25 but it was cancelled due to my sugar blood test being 71 amd the hospital limit is 65 Now with my diabetic nurses help and a strick diet who has given me a home monitor .I check my sugar levels everyday and they have come down from 12.5 to 5.6.Have to go back in 3 months for the blood sugar level check again before I can have the knee replacement .But am totally confused with the 2 different readings .What is 65 and if my monitor us showing a 7 day average if 5.7 am I getting close to the 65 reading the hospital needs for thus operation ?
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3 month blood sugar test
- Thread starter tigerman
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dannybgoode
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The higher number is what's called your Hba1c and here they measure the amount of glucose that has attached to your haemoglobin.
Haemoglobin cells live for about 3 months so by measuring this and doing some averaging they can work out this 3 month range.
A 'healthy' number should be below 42. 42-48 is pre-diabetic. 48+ is into the diabetic range.
The smaller number you are getting is your real-time blood glucose readings and this should be somewhere between 5 & 8. This is how much glucose is in your blood right now
If you keep this smaller number in that range then your Hba1c will also be falling but as it's a 3 month average it takes time to drop.
But yes, if you stay in the 5-8 range daily you'll hit the 65 hospital limit. Note though that 65 is still a very high reading and well into the diabetic range so I'd imagine you'll continue to work with the diabetic nurses to get than number below 48.
Haemoglobin cells live for about 3 months so by measuring this and doing some averaging they can work out this 3 month range.
A 'healthy' number should be below 42. 42-48 is pre-diabetic. 48+ is into the diabetic range.
The smaller number you are getting is your real-time blood glucose readings and this should be somewhere between 5 & 8. This is how much glucose is in your blood right now
If you keep this smaller number in that range then your Hba1c will also be falling but as it's a 3 month average it takes time to drop.
But yes, if you stay in the 5-8 range daily you'll hit the 65 hospital limit. Note though that 65 is still a very high reading and well into the diabetic range so I'd imagine you'll continue to work with the diabetic nurses to get than number below 48.
@dannybgoode I think your range is too strict.
This article from Diabetes UK ( https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/symptoms/testing) explains that between 4 and 7 is "healthy" for fasting and before eating. However, our BG fluctuates and will rise after eating.
This article from Diabetes UK ( https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/symptoms/testing) explains that between 4 and 7 is "healthy" for fasting and before eating. However, our BG fluctuates and will rise after eating.
dannybgoode
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Yes, sorry - I should have clarified that bit...
saffron15
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@tigerman my hb1ac showed 64 on my second test at end of July when I was diagnosed. You must be so disappointed the operation has been postponed as it must be affecting your mobility and the pain your life. I had a cataract op at the end of October and was put on oral steroids the week before and told to monitor my blood sugar. I was told they would cancel if it hit 20. The highest it got was 13. However my op was using local anaesthetic. It is good a diabetic nurse is helping and these diet changes will improve your health. I used mainly low carb but some medications make that a poor choice.
Your diabetes nurse is being strict. She is obviously determined you will have the op. I hope you are able to live with some of the dietary changes afterwards.
When are you testing? First thing with some people the liver can dump glucose to give you energy for the day. You can test 2hours after you start a meal and it will show a rise on the pre meal reading of 2 to 3 mol. Occasionally a meal will show a negligible rise but this depends how quickly your blood sugar falls after that meal. I had a larger than normal rise when I ate lentil soup.
Good luck with your changes. 5.7 as a weekly average is very good whenever you took it. I'm sure a higher average would be ok too. However this effort will be doing good things for your health. The hba1c is based on an average and is more towards the last month . A bad day won't ruin your chances.
Your diabetes nurse is being strict. She is obviously determined you will have the op. I hope you are able to live with some of the dietary changes afterwards.
When are you testing? First thing with some people the liver can dump glucose to give you energy for the day. You can test 2hours after you start a meal and it will show a rise on the pre meal reading of 2 to 3 mol. Occasionally a meal will show a negligible rise but this depends how quickly your blood sugar falls after that meal. I had a larger than normal rise when I ate lentil soup.
Good luck with your changes. 5.7 as a weekly average is very good whenever you took it. I'm sure a higher average would be ok too. However this effort will be doing good things for your health. The hba1c is based on an average and is more towards the last month . A bad day won't ruin your chances.
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Alan44
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Hi @tigerman and welcome to the forum
I think @dannybgoode has explained it quite well for you.
As an example, when I was first diagnosed my Hba1c was 51 and my finger prick tests in the mornings (fasting) were in the mid 7's
Now my finger prick tests are in the mid 5's and my last Hba1c was 46.
There is a direct correlation between Hba1c and a finger prick test, so if you are getting and average of 5.7 (finger prick) you should be below 65 Hba1c in 3 months time.
It's not an exact science but will act a good guide as to how you are doing .
Alan 😉
I think @dannybgoode has explained it quite well for you.
As an example, when I was first diagnosed my Hba1c was 51 and my finger prick tests in the mornings (fasting) were in the mid 7's
Now my finger prick tests are in the mid 5's and my last Hba1c was 46.
There is a direct correlation between Hba1c and a finger prick test, so if you are getting and average of 5.7 (finger prick) you should be below 65 Hba1c in 3 months time.
It's not an exact science but will act a good guide as to how you are doing .
Alan 😉
Leadinglights
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A link that may help you with your 'new way of eating' which will hopefully see you with low enough numbers and one which you will be able to maintain after your op to get down to normal.
lowcarbfreshwell.com
Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home
lowcarbfreshwell.com
Thanks everyone .My next blood test is due mid Febuary .I am being very strict with my diet, even to the point we have not got any chocolate or c**p food in for Christmas .Just walnuts and oranges in for Christmas .This knee replacement is very important to me and I will not let Christmas celebrations ruin it for me .My sugar levels this morning were 4.1 .So hopefully I am on track .Blimey if my 3 month blood sugar levels were 71 I must of been up in the 12 area .That is scary .So already some good has come by my opp being cancelled if my sugar levels have gone fro 12 to 4.1
Proud to be erratic
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Hi Alan, there is a general correlation between finger prick results and HbA1c, but certainly not a direct correlation between an HbA1c and a (ie just one) finger prick result. It's important to maintain clarity on this topic, since we have entirely different tests, with certain results having similar looking numbers but with different units. And this does cause a lot of confusion.
@tigerman,
an Hba1c shows on my official blood test results from my Oxford Hospital Trust as:
"Haemoglobin A1c DCCT aligned, blood" 7.0 %
and immediately below, is listed separately
"Glycated Haemoglobin reference" 53 mmol/mol.
Both attract a comment as HI, which is correct for others but wholly acceptable for myself as someone with no pancreas, as well as acceptable for my Consultant. My former GP in Bucks had slightly different vocabulary on my blood test results; so that caused extra confusion momentarily after I moved Counties. [The NHS doesn't help, I only moved 30 miles!]
The 7% is a direct conversion into 53mmol/mol, or vice versa.
But my spot check fp readings are of course "one offs" and could by chance be 7, or 4 or 10 (or worse!) but with rhe units in mmol/L. So the relationship between Hba1c and fps (or CGM readings) is close to comparing chalk and cheese [iinedible/edible, very different texture] and certainly not as close as comparing apples to oranges [both edible, nutritious but different clours].
Within this Forum was an excellent thread about Hba1c and other numbers, which I thought had been pinned to the top of one of the main Forum categories; that gave a much better explanation than my comments above. I feel that @Docb initiated that thread (but I could be wrong) and I'm pretty sure @everydayupsanddowns did the "pinning". Now, after a brief search, I can't find the post and it's thread, but hopefully someone will point us all in the right direction. Understanding the numbers and being careful with how they are used and interpreted is so fundamental - we all lazily write a number but all too often fail to write the relevant units, thus compounding the consequent misunderstandings.
Docb
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@tigerman , @Proud to be erratic is correct, I did put together a beginners guide to the numbers which seemed to be useful and got pinned to the top of a forum. Since that time, there has been a tidy up of the forum and it (amongst a lot of other pinned posts) been unpinned. I have tried to find it, it will be there somewhere, but have been unsuccessful.
In answer to your original question @tigerman I would expect an Hba1c comfortably under 65 if you can keep your 7 day average under 8. Not a guarantee, not a promise but a pretty good bet in my view.
Keep doing what you are doing and keep measuring on waking and before and after eating. If a couple of hours after eating you get readings above 10, then look hard at your meal and see if you can see what caused it, it is likely to have been something carby. Don't panic, the odd big reading is not going to make a big difference to your average, just use the observation to avoid whatever it was from then on.
Good luck, keep up the good work and you should be able to look forward to your new knee in a few months time.
In answer to your original question @tigerman I would expect an Hba1c comfortably under 65 if you can keep your 7 day average under 8. Not a guarantee, not a promise but a pretty good bet in my view.
Keep doing what you are doing and keep measuring on waking and before and after eating. If a couple of hours after eating you get readings above 10, then look hard at your meal and see if you can see what caused it, it is likely to have been something carby. Don't panic, the odd big reading is not going to make a big difference to your average, just use the observation to avoid whatever it was from then on.
Good luck, keep up the good work and you should be able to look forward to your new knee in a few months time.
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silentsquirrel
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goodybags
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hi @tigerman sorry to hear your operation was cancelled and the reason they gave
when I had ankle surgery last year and they required something similar and I had a Hba1c at my pre-opp
although I’m thinking they said my HbA1c had to be under 75
and if I recall correctly mine was 62 (@that time)
hopefully with a few minor changes to either meds or diet and you will be under 65
when I had ankle surgery last year and they required something similar and I had a Hba1c at my pre-opp
although I’m thinking they said my HbA1c had to be under 75
and if I recall correctly mine was 62 (@that time)
hopefully with a few minor changes to either meds or diet and you will be under 65