Diagnosed today - slightly confused already!

[Pixie28]

Hi all, I'm hoping to learn a lot on here. I received confirmation of my Type 2 diagnosis today and there's so much to learn! My friend who has Type 1 talks about her 'number' in a single figure percentage but I got my recent results in the 70s (mmol I think). Can anyone tell me what the most common measurement is? And if a % is the most common is there an equation for me to convert my number into one?? Many thanks!

 

[Leadinglights]

The units used now for an HbA1C test are mmol/mol which is what you will have been given so 70mmol/mol. The % your friend is mentioning are the old units which some doctors still use. There is a conversion but I would stick with what your surgery uses so as not to get confused. The reason for the change was to distinguish the measurement given by a spot testing blood glucose monitor which is in mmol/l. You should not really be comparing results as a Type 2 with someone with Type 1 as they will have different criteria for managing their condition.
Treatment regimes diet and medication for Type 2 will be different to Type 1 so again don't try to compare.
I suggest you look at the learning zone to give you a starting point for making some changes to your lifestyle so you can hopefully reduce your HbA1C as your level at 70mmol/mol is fairly high thought not as high as some people start at.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Can anyone tell me what the most common measurement is?

The % is the old one, and everyone ought to be using the new (usually two-digit) one. The measure's HbA1c and you can find conversion charts all over the place just by searching (for "HbA1c conversion").

(There's apparently a formula, NGSP = [0.09148 * IFCC] + 2.152 where IFCC is the new form and NGSP is the older percentage. The charts are probably more useful to be honest. Not that anyone needs to convert very often. I just google a chart on the rare occasions I want to.)

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi there. The ‘number’ is called a HbA1C and is an average measurement of glucose in the blood over the past 3 months. Not to be confused with a reading you get by finger-stabbing which is a reading of what’s going on at the moment. HbA1C can be described two ways either as a % or in mmol/l 70=8.6%

Sorry to correct you but HbA1C is mmol/mol

 

[Pixie28]

The units used now for an HbA1C test are mmol/mol which is what you will have been given so 70mmol/mol. The % your friend is mentioning are the old units which some doctors still use. There is a conversion but I would stick with what your surgery uses so as not to get confused. The reason for the change was to distinguish the measurement given by a spot testing blood glucose monitor which is in mmol/l. You should not really be comparing results as a Type 2 with someone with Type 1 as they will have different criteria for managing their condition.
Treatment regimes diet and medication for Type 2 will be different to Type 1 so again don't try to compare.
I suggest you look at the learning zone to give you a starting point for making some changes to your lifestyle so you can hopefully reduce your HbA1C as your level at 70mmol/mol is fairly high thought not as high as some people start at

That's good to know, I'll not confuse myself by trying to learn the old method and will stick to understanding the new. Many thanks!

 

[pm133]

Sorry to correct you but HbA1C is mmol/mol

I genuinely thought it was mmol/L and had to check.
Oh well, you learn something new every day. 🙂

 

[Robin]

I genuinely thought it was mmol/L and had to check.
Oh well, you learn something new every day. 🙂

Finger prick results are in mmol/L, just to confuse the issue!

 

[Leadinglights]

I genuinely thought it was mmol/L and had to check.
Oh well, you learn something new every day. 🙂

I think that is why they changed from % so the numbers would not be similar for HbA1C and spot testing. So Yes, mmol/mol for HbA1C and mmol/l for glucose monitors (in the UK anyway). there are a number of people in other countries where they do use a different metric.

 

[pm133]

Finger prick results are in mmol/L, just to confuse the issue!

Yep and that's where I made my mistake.

 

[Paulbreen]

Hi Pixie28, reading this thread so far I’d be even more confused than you already are
Here’s a chart that will explain the numbers from the old and new system, you will hear both measurements quoted in your diabetic journey so it does no harm to have a simple understanding

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi Pixie28, reading this thread so far I’d be even more confused than you already are
Here’s a chart that will explain the numbers from the old and new system, you will hear both measurements quoted in your diabetic journey so it does no harm to have a simple understanding
View attachment 17511

I think this is also confusing because it is not a conversion from HbA1C as a percentage (old units) to HbA1C as mmol/mol (new units) but a guide as to what you might expect your HbA1C to be in percent from a finger prick spot test from a blood glucose monitor in mmol/l. As I understand it. Otherwise the Blood Glucose shown at the bottom of the scale would be in mmol/mol surely.

 

[Felinia]

Welcome to the Forum from a fellow Type 2. Diabetes is where your reading is 48+, so at 70 you are diabetic. Pre-diabetes is where the reading is 42-47, and non-diabetic is 41 or less.
Someone has suggested you work your way through the Learning Zone for Type 2 as that will explain everything to you. I suggest you do one module per day, to give the information time to sink in.
I expect you will be prescribed medication at your level, but the way you can help yourself is through healthy eating and exercise, plus losing weight if you need to. It seems that a low carb diet is very effective, and it certainly helped me when first diagnosed. It's not just cutting out the obvious suspects like cake, biscuits sweets etc, but greatly reducing or eliminating bread, potato, rice, pasta, root veggies and fruits. Many people find alternatives, like cauliflower rice, or switch to SMALL portions of whole grains. But everyone is different and we each have to find out what works for us.
People here will advise you to monitor your blood glucose daily, with a monitor, and your Type 1 friend might help you with that. I did at first, monitoring first thing, immediately before and 2 hours after eating and last thing. That way you will know what foods affect you. Once I knew what I could and couldn't eat, I restricted my monitoring to new foods. For example, I can have a couple of small new potatoes, but apples are lethal for me. The other thing I did was get an app (NutraCheck but there are others) which enables me to monitor the carb value of every food (as well as cals and other measures). I plan in advance so I don't end up with nothing left for dinner.
It might seem overwhelming at first but it does get easier and becomes 2nd nature. Best wishes

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome to the Forum from a fellow Type 2. Diabetes is where your reading is 48+, so at 70 you are diabetic. Pre-diabetes is where the reading is 42-47, and non-diabetic is 41 or less.
Someone has suggested you work your way through the Learning Zone for Type 2 as that will explain everything to you. I suggest you do one module per day, to give the information time to sink in.
I expect you will be prescribed medication at your level, but the way you can help yourself is through healthy eating and exercise, plus losing weight if you need to. It seems that a low carb diet is very effective, and it certainly helped me when first diagnosed. It's not just cutting out the obvious suspects like cake, biscuits sweets etc, but greatly reducing or eliminating bread, potato, rice, pasta, root veggies and fruits. Many people find alternatives, like cauliflower rice, or switch to SMALL portions of whole grains. But everyone is different and we each have to find out what works for us.
People here will advise you to monitor your blood glucose daily, with a monitor, and your Type 1 friend might help you with that. I did at first, monitoring first thing, immediately before and 2 hours after eating and last thing. That way you will know what foods affect you. Once I knew what I could and couldn't eat, I restricted my monitoring to new foods. For example, I can have a couple of small new potatoes, but apples are lethal for me. The other thing I did was get an app (NutraCheck but there are others) which enables me to monitor the carb value of every food (as well as cals and other measures). I plan in advance so I don't end up with nothing left for dinner.
It might seem overwhelming at first but it does get easier and becomes 2nd nature. Best wishes

Those are some really good suggestions from @Felinia. But your Type 1 friend will be able to eat more carbohydrates than you can perhaps tolerate as they can adjust their insulin to compensate. The monitoring system they use is probably more complicated and there for more expensive than you need as it will be funded by the NHS but you may not be offered that luxury and will need to self fund and the cheaper more basic monitors will be perfectly adequate.
I seem to have put this in the wrong place sorry.

 

[JJay]

Hi Pixie28, reading this thread so far I’d be even more confused than you already are
Here’s a chart that will explain the numbers from the old and new system, you will hear both measurements quoted in your diabetic journey so it does no harm to have a simple understanding
View attachment 17511

With respect, isn't there something missing?

This is the one I use

 

[JJay]

 

[Leadinglights]

View attachment 17513

That makes more sense!!

 

[taylormade]

View attachment 17513

Thanks this is really helpful

 

[Paulbreen]

With respect, isn't there something missing?

This is the one I use

Nothing missing, same drawing just different version, but yours is more useful for a very confusing string I do concede

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Pixie28

Sorry that you’ve instantly leapt down the rabbit hole of confusion that is HbA1c, percentages (old units), mmol/mol (new units) and mmol/L (fingerstick spot-check capillary glucose). 😱

It’s a bit like feet and inches vs metres, or recipes with ounces vs grams... Those of us who have been doing diabetes for a few decades are still trying to catch up with the newfangled IFCC way of saying things, and like to know what it is in ‘old money’.

There’s a write-up (and a handy conversion tool) here:

What is HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).

www.diabetes.org.uk