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Hb1ac advice please for Newbie

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
kithra

kithra

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
A couple of weeks ago my doctor said they thought I was Type 2 diabetic, which I am now dealing with.

Yesterday I spoke to them and the doctor said my level was 54 and they'd like it to go down to 48. I have no idea what either of those numbers mean, but assume they were from an Hb1ac when my bloods were taken. Please could somebody explain the number to me, thank you.

Also I've ordered a diabetes home testing kit but don't know how often, or at what times, I should use it. So again any information would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
 
kithra said:
A couple of weeks ago my doctor said they thought I was Type 2 diabetic, which I am now dealing with.

Yesterday I spoke to them and the doctor said my level was 54 and they'd like it to go down to 48. I have no idea what either of those numbers mean, but assume they were from an Hb1ac when my bloods were taken. Please could somebody explain the number to me, thank you.

Also I've ordered a diabetes home testing kit but don't know how often, or at what times, I should use it. So again any information would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Yes, the numbers are from an HbA1c blood test and shows your average blood sugar levels over the previous 10-12 weeks. 48 is the point at which diabetes is diagnosed. 54 is only just over the threshold (some of us were diagnosed with an HbA1c in 3 figures) so you should be able to reduce that with some simple lifestyle changes, eg your diet.

Not sure why your GP picked 48 as a target. I would have thought they would have wanted you to get below that.

I've answered your question about testing in your other thread.
 
The HbA1C is a test used to diagnose diabetes, Normal Non diabetic is below 42mmol/mol, at risk is 42-47mmol/mol and diabetic anything over that. It is basically in simple terms an average of your blood glucose over the preceding three months. At 54 you are just over the threshold so there is no reason why some dietary changes should not be sufficient to get it down.
Many like to see their blood glucose down to normal but below 48 mmol/mol is a good first goal.
 
Martin.A said:
Yes, the numbers are from an HbA1c blood test and shows your average blood sugar levels over the previous 10-12 weeks. 48 is the point at which diabetes is diagnosed. 54 is only just over the threshold (some of us were diagnosed with an HbA1c in 3 figures) so you should be able to reduce that with some simple lifestyle changes, eg your diet.

Not sure why your GP picked 48 as a target. I would have thought they would have wanted you to get below that.

I've answered your question about testing in your other thread.
Click to expand...
That's very clear and helped me to understand the figures. The diabetic nurse didn't mention the figure and was more concerned about me losing weight, which I seem to be doing - I'm 4ft 10 and weigh 10 stone.. So, obviously, being slimmer will help with the diabetes diagnosis. And the doctor didn't metion why she wanted me down to 48, just said it was a good target to reach.

Thanks for reply about testing in the other thread.
 
Leadinglights said:
The HbA1C is a test used to diagnose diabetes, Normal Non diabetic is below 42mmol/mol, at risk is 42-47mmol/mol and diabetic anything over that. It is basically in simple terms an average of your blood glucose over the preceding three months. At 54 you are just over the threshold so there is no reason why some dietary changes should not be sufficient to get it down.
Many like to see their blood glucose down to normal but below 48 mmol/mol is a good first goal.
Click to expand...
What you've told me, along with Martin's reply, clears up my understanding of the meaning of my 54 and what mmol/mol is as it was confusing me to see different numbers. As I've now cut out sugary things there's hope I can bring the numbers down.

I don't type that quickly either, LOL.
 
As a newbie my question is how often should my bloods be tested either by my self or more importantly i think my Dr especially as i had a operation cancelled for an femoral artery aneurysm last week
 
squidds said:
As a newbie my question is how often should my bloods be tested either by my self or more importantly i think my Dr especially as i had a operation cancelled for an femoral artery aneurysm last week
Click to expand...
The usual regime is to test immediately on waking (fasting test), just before a meal (pre-prandial) and two hours after a meal (post-prandial). The target ranges are to be between 4 and 7 fasting and pre-prandial, and less than 8.5 post-prandial with a rise of no more than 2 or 3 above your pre-prandial reading. If the rise is more than that it suggests there were more carbs in the meal than your body could handle.

Random testing won't tell you anything meaningful so is best avoided.
 
My testing kit arrived and I'm a little confused, even having read the instructions twice. It comes with 3 bottles of control solution which are as follows:
2.0-6.0 mmol/L (36-108 mg/dL)
8.0-12.0 mmol/L (144-216 mg/dL)
14.0-22.0 mmol?l (252-396 mg/dL)
Which one should I use, and how often should I use it?
 
When you bough your test kit, did you buy additional pots of test strips or just the kit itself? If you only bought the kit, I would not waste any of the 10 test strips on a control solution test. If you have extra pot(s) of test strips then I would use the test solution which is most likely to correlate to your BG to check. So if you are prediabetic, I would use the lower one. If you have a full diabetes diagnosis but HbA1c wasn't too high, I would use the middle one and if your HbA1c was very high (in 3 figures or thereabouts), then I would use the high control solution. That way you are sort of testing the accuracy of the test strips at the range you are likely to be in.
 
I should also have added that the manufacturers generally recommend you test a strip from each new pot you open. Most people don't bother and whilst I probably did for the first year, I can't remember the last time I did a control solution test and I am insulin dependent so readings are very important for calculating doses, so I think you probably don't need to worry about it, at least not unless you get some blood readings which seem to be totally at odds with where they should be.
 
rebrascora said:
I should also have added that the manufacturers generally recommend you test a strip from each new pot you open. Most people don't bother and whilst I probably did for the first year, I can't remember the last time I did a control solution test and I am insulin dependent so readings are very important for calculating doses, so I think you probably don't need to worry about it, at least not unless you get some blood readings which seem to be totally at odds with where they should be.
Click to expand...
It came with test strips and lancets, but I’ve bought more of those just to have enough. The doctor said it was type 2 and that it was 54 (just two numbers) and she wants me down to 48. And yes, the instructions did say to test with the solution before I start to use it. Thank you for the advice.
 
54 is only just over the threshold so I would use either the lower control solution ie the 2-6 or the middle one 8-12. Probably the first one.
The advice used to be to put a drop of the control solution on the cap of the bottle, apply the test strip to the meter and then touch the end of the test strip to the drop of solution when it shows that it is ready for the sample. Generally you apply it with the test strip at roughly a 45 degree angle upwards so that the test strip sucks the solution or blood up into itself by capillary action, rather than using gravity downwards which can flood or airlock the test strip. There are usually plenty of You Tube video tutorials which you can watch to learn how to do it if you are unsure from reading the instructions. It may take you a few goes particularly with blood to get the technique, so probably a good idea to practice with the control solution first.
 
Thank you so much for the information. I’ve printed it out for reference and I’ll take a look on YouTube as well.
 
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