3 weeks to next hba1c test

[Beancounter298]

I've just been sent an appointment for my next hba1c test which is earlier than expected.
I haven't been as strict with my diet recently and am also under stress due to house move.
Can I make a difference in 3 weeks if I really.make an effort, carb and exercise wise?

 

[JITR]

Some but not much as it's a so-called 3 month average. Your best bet, as it's the last 3 weeks at the time of the test that count the most, is to cut your carbs as much as you can - especially those that spike your BG levels.

 

[Leadinglights]

I've just been sent an appointment for my next hba1c test which is earlier than expected.
I haven't been as strict with my diet recently and am also under stress due to house move.
Can I make a difference in 3 weeks if I really.make an effort, carb and exercise wise?

It depends on your point of view, do you want the test to reflect what you are doing now and that would be revealing about whether that lifestyle would be not good for you or what could be achieved if you 'make an effort' that needs to be forever not just three weeks.

 

[trophywench]

Over 50% of the result of an HbA1c test reflects what happened to your red blood cells over the immediately prior 4-ish weeks, so yes you can make some difference. With the caveats mentioned by @Leadinglights.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Or, @Beancounter298, just be honest with yourself, accept the result whatever it is and find out if:

1. Your reduced strictness has not been so bad after all.​

2. Your reduced strictness has not been so good and now you know you ought not to relax so much in the future.​

​

But by trying to manipulate a better outcome you are, most of all, misleading yourself. What the GP or Nurse sees and thinks is just a superficial moment for them. What you could find out is real and wholly pertinent to you.

@Leadinglights got her reply in before I posted this!

 

[Lauren]

Are you a bit worried about what your consultant will say? Be kind to yourself, try not to stress too much and hopefully they can support you in making the changes needed (if they are in fact needed). An accurate reflection of your levels is important (I understand where you are coming from though!)

 

[helli]

I think it is human nature to want to do best during "tests" even when it may not be a true rerflection of what is happening.
I was great at exams as a kid but I only had a short term member so I knew very little the next day.
Even now, when I have a dentist appointment looming I become extra vigilant at flossing.
However, I know damage can be done to my teeth between appointments regardless how sparkling they are when I walk into the surgery.
I am trying to maintain the flossing regardless of upcoming appointments although, I accept sometimes, life can make it harder.

The same is true for my HBA1c, I am trying to train myself that the tests is a measurement of whether I may have done any potential damage over the last 3 months which I would rather know now than try to hard it with a level of diabetes management I could not maintain full time (like "perfect" carb counting or low carb "cramming") in the last weeks.
I need to know the risks so that I can make a permanent change rather than a couple of weeks of HBA1c "flossing".

 

[harbottle]

Well said @helli. I had gum problems years ago and had to spend a fortune getting it fixed, so I force myself to keep up with a regime of strict cleaning between visits to the hygienist to make sure no more damage is being done.

For the same reason I stick to being careful with diet and keep up exercise (Even when I don't feel like it, like today when it was freezing cold outside!) even though hba1c tests are now yearly.

 

[silver minion]

Making changes to your diet and exercise to reduce your hbA1c is certainly doable in the short term. Keeping it going while not feeling you are depriving yourself is a better goal. Having said that, if you have fallen off the wagon, be kind to yourself and move on. None of us are perfect and living with diabetes is sometimes very challenging.
Good luck with your blood test.