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HbA1c test not back after 2 weeks -Diabetes or not?
- Thread starter George123
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Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I've never had that kind of delay, but HbA1c tests normally take about 10 days where I am. (The clinic has a finger prick machine that takes ~30 minutes, but the regular one the GP sends off takes a bit over a week.)
I'd guess it's just the normal kind of delay that can happen when staffing is a bit low (holiday or sick) or there was some temporary glitch with supplies. I wouldn't read anything in to it. In my experience they take about the same length of time whatever the result is.
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @George123 I suspect the HbA1C has been delayed as Bruce suggests. However, do chase it up if you don’t hear back soon.
The HbA1C just shows if you have diabetes. It’s not a test to distinguish diabetes type. Is there a reason why you’re concerned you have Type 1 in particular? I can reassure you that you wouldn’t have had Type 1 since you were a child if you’re now in your 30s as you would have become extremely ill very quickly. However, adults can develop Type 1 so wait and see how your test pans out, but by far the most common type of diabetes is Type 2.
The HbA1C just shows if you have diabetes. It’s not a test to distinguish diabetes type. Is there a reason why you’re concerned you have Type 1 in particular? I can reassure you that you wouldn’t have had Type 1 since you were a child if you’re now in your 30s as you would have become extremely ill very quickly. However, adults can develop Type 1 so wait and see how your test pans out, but by far the most common type of diabetes is Type 2.
Hi. The HBA1C test should only take a few days. All my blood tests including the HBA1C come back within 2-3 days and I access them online. To test for T1 you need both the GAD test which checks for antibodies and the C-Peptide test which checks for insulin levels. I would chase the surgery for the HBA1C as it may have got lost.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yes, definitely follow it up. Individual tests can end up invalid for various reasons (so need repeating). You should be informed of that, of course, but it might be your GP surgery thinks it's much less important than you do, so make sure you get it repeated if the first one didn't give a result.
Never taken longer than 48 hours for me. I would defo chase up, I’ve had experience of bloods being lost and my daughter even had another ladies blood results entered onto her file. Stuff happens. Hba1c taking 2 weeks is highly unusual. Let us know how you get on
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Likewise, HbA1c results come back very quickly here. Had my blood test on Sunday morning and Consultant had result the following Tues morning ie 2 days later. It is a very routine test so really quite unusual for it to take so long when other results have come back quickly.
The thing the HbA1c test might not show up is Reactive Hypoglycaemia. This is not diabetes as such but it is a problem with regulating BG levels and results in your BG going high after eating and then crashing back down afterwards when your pancreas kicks in late sometimes with too much insulin or sometimes the right amount of insulin but because it was slow, your levels go really high and then plummet which can feel like you are going low. The way to manage that is to follow a lower carb way of eating and eat little and often, so that levels don't spike so high and then drop and your BG undulates rather like hills and valleys instead of spiking into mountains and then gorges. Hopefully that makes sense. It might be worth mentioning Reactive Hypoglycaemia to your GP, particularly if your HbA1c comes back reasonably normal as the peaks and troughs with RH often cancel each other out and you don't see any obvious BG issue.
Just to be clear, low BG and needing sugary foods is not a symptom of Type 1 diabetes but a side effect of too much insulin. Dosing insulin is a very imprecise "art" and we can't get it right all the time, so sometimes we inject a bit too much and we go low (hypo) and need glucose/sugar and sometimes we don't inject enough and go too high (hyper) and need to inject more insulin. Without injecting insulin our levels would be permanently high to the point that we would die quite quickly, so it is the treatment for Type 1 diabetes which causes the lows not the diabetes itself which actually causes the opposite.
The thing the HbA1c test might not show up is Reactive Hypoglycaemia. This is not diabetes as such but it is a problem with regulating BG levels and results in your BG going high after eating and then crashing back down afterwards when your pancreas kicks in late sometimes with too much insulin or sometimes the right amount of insulin but because it was slow, your levels go really high and then plummet which can feel like you are going low. The way to manage that is to follow a lower carb way of eating and eat little and often, so that levels don't spike so high and then drop and your BG undulates rather like hills and valleys instead of spiking into mountains and then gorges. Hopefully that makes sense. It might be worth mentioning Reactive Hypoglycaemia to your GP, particularly if your HbA1c comes back reasonably normal as the peaks and troughs with RH often cancel each other out and you don't see any obvious BG issue.
Just to be clear, low BG and needing sugary foods is not a symptom of Type 1 diabetes but a side effect of too much insulin. Dosing insulin is a very imprecise "art" and we can't get it right all the time, so sometimes we inject a bit too much and we go low (hypo) and need glucose/sugar and sometimes we don't inject enough and go too high (hyper) and need to inject more insulin. Without injecting insulin our levels would be permanently high to the point that we would die quite quickly, so it is the treatment for Type 1 diabetes which causes the lows not the diabetes itself which actually causes the opposite.
Pumper_Sue
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Sounds as if they either didn't do the A1c test or have lost the result.
Thank you very much all for your replies and explaining various things. It is certainly very useful and appreciated. Thank you. I did call the doctors every day for two weeks and each time they said they didn't know why they weren't in, even the GP tried to follow up with the lab and just told me there was no update and to phone again in a few days.
Please bear in mind that this is one of the many things that varies per CCG.
My tests take at least 10 days to get results and I am not the only one.
Saying that they "should only take a few days" can add extra anxiety for someone in an area such as mine.
Loobyloo
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Mine actually were available same day this time which amazed me (usually couple days). Done first thing in the morning and online results in evening for all my bloods inc thyroid, kidney and Hba1c. Perhaps they have been lost or not logged. May need doing again.
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