Is there anyway to work out what your daily blood sugar reading would have to be to maintain a hbA1c of 47. I dont know what daily reading I should be aiming for and it doesnt look like I will be having more blood tests for another 6 months at least.
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Daily blood sugar readings
- Thread starter SueCuz
- Start date
- Status
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
A bit over 7.5 (I think an average of 7.5 would give an HbA1c of 46, and 7.8 would give 48). If you google you can find suitable charts.
However, beware that readings from our meters have a fair bit of variation, and HbA1c is (sort of) an average over all hours of the day and night, and we all tend to measure at particular times (when it's most convenient and useful to measure).
So I think just try and follow the guidelines you'll presumably have been given is best: below 7 before meals and first thing in the morning, and that kind of thing.
Assuming multiple tests a day (ie about 8) over the course of weeks and weeks - it requires hundreds of readings - you want an average mmol/l reading of 7.5 or thereabouts.
Your BG fluctuates so much in the day that extrapolating a figure using less data will render your guestimates pretty meaningless.
I'm currently maintaining a 6% average but I'm moderately certain how my BGs move around during the day. I've tested so much, I can see the patterns emerging. So I get liver dumps around 5am and 5pm, interspersed with post-prandial rises before a steady drop to the next liver dump/meal. It's taken months and thousands of readings to learn my body enough to be confident in guessing at my HbA1c - whenever I get the result!
Your BG fluctuates so much in the day that extrapolating a figure using less data will render your guestimates pretty meaningless.
I'm currently maintaining a 6% average but I'm moderately certain how my BGs move around during the day. I've tested so much, I can see the patterns emerging. So I get liver dumps around 5am and 5pm, interspersed with post-prandial rises before a steady drop to the next liver dump/meal. It's taken months and thousands of readings to learn my body enough to be confident in guessing at my HbA1c - whenever I get the result!
I would have very little confidence of a HbA1C estimate based on finger prick readings because so much can happen between tests.
I don’t have that much confidence in HbA1c estimates from CGMs which are testing every 5 minutes.
Whilst my diabetes team are interested in HbA1c, I focus on the testing I can do and minimising fluctuations in them.
If I am happy with my testing, I am happy I have done as much as I can to optimise my HbA1C without letting diabetes take over my life.
I don’t have that much confidence in HbA1c estimates from CGMs which are testing every 5 minutes.
Whilst my diabetes team are interested in HbA1c, I focus on the testing I can do and minimising fluctuations in them.
If I am happy with my testing, I am happy I have done as much as I can to optimise my HbA1C without letting diabetes take over my life.
Last edited:
I created a spreadsheet calculation that gives me a month by month mmol/l average. If I don't trust an individual reading and double test, I record the higher of the two. The last 3 months gave been 5.7/5.8.
Based on that, last week's HbA1c should be around 36 and certainly sub-42. I'll let you know how far out I was, when I get the numbers!
My last guestimate back in February was 67 and came in at 63.
Based on that, last week's HbA1c should be around 36 and certainly sub-42. I'll let you know how far out I was, when I get the numbers!
My last guestimate back in February was 67 and came in at 63.
thanks for that, really helpful
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There isn’t really a reliable way of comparing average fingerstick results to HbA1c, because you are missing what is happening between the ‘dots’, and it makes a big difference if your 2 readings of 14.ugh are 20 minutes apart, or 8 hours apart.
There are various attempts at conversions, but they are a bit variable, and only really give a vague guide.
I find it more helpful to concentrate on the suggested targets of trying to keep between 4-10 (or 4-8.5 depending on what advice you look at) for as much of the time as possible.
The international consensus on ‘time in range’ for CGM shows that if you can stay within 4-10 for 70% of the time, you can have roughly 25% of time above that and still get an A1c at around 48mmol/L.
If you are checking BG with test strips before and after meals, the same would most likely be true for those results. At least it has been for me.
There are various attempts at conversions, but they are a bit variable, and only really give a vague guide.
I find it more helpful to concentrate on the suggested targets of trying to keep between 4-10 (or 4-8.5 depending on what advice you look at) for as much of the time as possible.
The international consensus on ‘time in range’ for CGM shows that if you can stay within 4-10 for 70% of the time, you can have roughly 25% of time above that and still get an A1c at around 48mmol/L.
If you are checking BG with test strips before and after meals, the same would most likely be true for those results. At least it has been for me.
D
Deleted member 25429
Guest
Wow the reduction in your hba1c was amazing
Thought I'd update this now I have my May HbA1c reading back. My prediction, based on a pretty large bed of testing (3-month spot glucose average of 5.8-5.9), was 36 (tops 40); it came in at 30 which I never dared hope for without access to a CGM.
Cholesterol: overall 4.3 - triglycerides - 0.99, HDL: 1.3 LD: 2.5
GP very happy. Insanely happy.
So with enough data and energy you can have a reasonable guess as to what's going on - but as others have pontificated elsewhere - for any real reliance it takes 100s and 100s of readings to get there, including a good understanding of how your BGs work over 24 hours.
Of course, I've since fallen off the wagon properly and currently have an 8.5m/mol average - but I'm starting to work on that again! I've also regained 2 stone so that needs sorting out too!
Cholesterol: overall 4.3 - triglycerides - 0.99, HDL: 1.3 LD: 2.5
GP very happy. Insanely happy.
So with enough data and energy you can have a reasonable guess as to what's going on - but as others have pontificated elsewhere - for any real reliance it takes 100s and 100s of readings to get there, including a good understanding of how your BGs work over 24 hours.
Of course, I've since fallen off the wagon properly and currently have an 8.5m/mol average - but I'm starting to work on that again! I've also regained 2 stone so that needs sorting out too!
- Status