HBA1c level still high

[sunshinesetter]

Hi I was diagnosed Type 2 about 4 weeks ago and was blood sugar 19 and HBA1C 109.I have been taking my own blood sugar readings and have brought that down from 19 to 10.7 through diet and also taking slow release Metformin 1000mg per day.Should I be worried that my HBA1C is still high although my blood sugar level has come down?I expect Dr will contact me as just seen results on my NHS app.Vision has changed again and can't wear my glasses as too blurred now .

 

[sunshinesetter]

Hi I was diagnosed Type 2 about 4 weeks ago and was blood sugar 19 and HBA1C 109.I have been taking my own blood sugar readings and have brought that down from 19 to 10.7 through diet and also taking slow release Metformin 1000mg per day.Should I be worried that my HBA1C is still high although my blood sugar level has come down?I expect Dr will contact me as just seen results on my NHS app.Vision has changed again and can't wear my glasses as too blurred now .

Sorry meant to say HBA1C is now 105

 

[42istheanswer]

HbA1c is over the last 3 months, so you won't see a full reduction yet from the reduction you have seen in finger prick tests.

Is that 10.7 before meals or after?

 

[Leadinglights]

You will still be seeing the effect of high blood glucose in the 8 weeks before your diagnosis as the HbA1C is a test covering the previous three months. It should be lower but it may take a while to reflect your changes in diet and the medication also takes a few weeks to build up in its effect.
Your eye changes are due to the reduced blood glucose as the eye environment starts to become more salty (normal) from being sugary so the shape changes. It should settle but can take a while.

 

[sunshinesetter]

HbA1c is over the last 3 months, so you won't see a full reduction yet from the reduction you have seen in finger prick tests.

Is that 10.7 before meals or after?

First thing in the morning before food

 

[Leadinglights]

First thing in the morning before food

Morning reading are often the last to come down but as your meal increases reduce then it will start to make a difference to the morning readings.
This link may help with dietary ideas, https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Many who folllow a low carb approach find that less than 130g total carbs per day is where they need to be.
Meformin will help but dietary changes will be equally as powerful.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi.

Sorry to hear that your HbA1c hasn't come down a bit more. That must be a bit disappointing especially if you have made dietary changes. 4 weeks isn't a long time to see improvement bearing in mind that HbA1c is a measure of the amount of glucose stuck to your red blood cells and because red blood cells live for about 3 months, you are still seeing the result of inflated glucose levels from pre diagnosis but I would have hoped to see a little more improvement than that. I do understand though as I was in a similar situation to yourself at diagnosis. I put a lot of work into my diet and quite drastically reduced my carbs and I was starting to see my finger prick tests come down and even got a few in single figures by week 5, but unfortunately my HbA1c had gone up slightly when the second test was done and it was 116. I really felt kicked in the teeth as I was extremely committed to putting it into remission. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and I was started on insulin the following week and a couple of months later when my blood test results came back, it turned out that I was Type 1 and not Type 2, so no opportunity of remission for me.

Just to clarify, can you give us an indication of the sort of food and drink you are typically having for breakfast, lunch and evening meal, so that we can see if there is something which you might have overlooked that could be contributing to your levels remaining high?

 

[sunshinesetter]

Hi thanks for your reply exactly how I felt was quite disheartened but I understand now why it is still high .I'm not eating foods with a carbohydrate measure of more than 10g in 100g.My husband likes cooking and is following lots of the Hairy Bikers Diabetic Cookbook menus .Today I had 2 slices of granary toast with olive oil spread and a smear of low sugar marmalade for breakfast..Lunch was homemade veggie soup and strawberries and dinner a Hairy Bikers turkey mince recipe that I had with Cauliflower .I have bought some 'Fatt bars' for the odd treat maybe every other day and a few mixed nuts when I'm peckish .I drink green tea various flavours and sugar free coke and fizzy water .I stopped drinking alcohol a while ago other than a very occasional whisky with diet coke or water.I think I may need to cut down on the toast and change to low carb yoghurt but I really love toast in the morning.Did have a slice of Hairy bikers diabetic banana bread which husband baked.That felt naughty but tasted great.Haven't had potatoes for a while and do miss jacket potatoes.Thought I could substitute them with Sweet potatoes but still carbs.Any food advice welcomed as do feel deprived sometimes

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to hear you are feeling deprived. Must confess by the time I started on insulin, it felt like I was just about left with eating cardboard, so I can sympathize. Learning to eat low carb takes practice and experimentation and one of the things which turned the corner for me was eating more fat. I was initially trying to follow the NHS advice of low fat and low sugar and low salt and no alcohol as well as whittling my overall carbs down to what seemed almost like zero. Once I ignored the advice on fat and salt (OK....and alcohol 😉), it all became so much more doable and enjoyable and gradually I have extended my repertoire of low carb foods and treats and meals that I enjoy and I no longer miss the potatoes and bread although the latter was the most difficult to manage without because it is a carrier for so many foods and is just simply convenient. There are low carb breads you can buy though but I find my BG more stable if I mostly just avoid bread altogether in my day to day life and just have it occasionally at social events where it would be rude or difficult not to, but 3.5 years down the line I just don't miss it or hanker after it and in fact I have a Warburton's No Added Sugar wholemeal loaf (9g carbs per slice if I remember rightly) which has been in my freezer for well over a year and I haven't even opened it and that was the last time I bought bread. My gut is happier without it or wheat products in general in my diet now, although I do find I need a fibre supplement to provide the fibre that I was getting from wholemeal bread and pasta and potatoes etc. My gut is probably about the happiest it has been my whole life, joints are happier, skin is better, no more migraines, no more asthma, cholesterol is lower despite eating loads of cheese and having double cream in my coffee every morning and real butter in my veg etc..... lots of health benefits since changing my diet to low carb, higher fat, as well as helping to stabilize my BG levels and manage my diabetes well. I don't deny it was hard and frustrating at first, but I am so pleased I stuck at it because I am absolutely convinced that it has been instrumental in improving my general health, not just my diabetes.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi thanks for your reply exactly how I felt was quite disheartened but I understand now why it is still high .I'm not eating foods with a carbohydrate measure of more than 10g in 100g.My husband likes cooking and is following lots of the Hairy Bikers Diabetic Cookbook menus .Today I had 2 slices of granary toast with olive oil spread and a smear of low sugar marmalade for breakfast..Lunch was homemade veggie soup and strawberries and dinner a Hairy Bikers turkey mince recipe that I had with Cauliflower .I have bought some 'Fatt bars' for the odd treat maybe every other day and a few mixed nuts when I'm peckish .I drink green tea various flavours and sugar free coke and fizzy water .I stopped drinking alcohol a while ago other than a very occasional whisky with diet coke or water.I think I may need to cut down on the toast and change to low carb yoghurt but I really love toast in the morning.Did have a slice of Hairy bikers diabetic banana bread which husband baked.That felt naughty but tasted great.Haven't had potatoes for a while and do miss jacket potatoes.Thought I could substitute them with Sweet potatoes but still carbs.Any food advice welcomed as do feel deprived sometimes

You may be better looking at a lower carb breakfast as people are often more sensitive to carbs in the morning and 2 slices of toast is high carb, one slice with some protein like eggs or bacon, mushrooms or tomatoes. People have full fat Greek yoghurt with berries as an alternative.
Butternut squash is a good alternative to potatoes or celeriac. Never heard of the Fatt bars but Nature Valley Protein bars or shop own ones are also good. You seem to have made some good choices so far.
sugarfreelondoner website has some good recipes both sweet low carb and savoury dishes.