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Hba1c vs finger stick
- Thread starter porkypig
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- Type 1
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Anaemia can certainly impact the results of your HbA1c.
It might be worth asking for a fructosamine test which is not affected by red blood cell count.
It might be worth asking for a fructosamine test which is not affected by red blood cell count.
Leadinglights
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- Type 2
That is a big discrepancy but any haemoglobinopathies can affect the accuracy of the HbA1C. For making decisions about food choices, I would be inclined to take account of your finger prick tests. Those are pretty high readings.
Keeping a food diary with an estimate of the carbohydrate content or everything you eat and drink would help pinpoint the foods which are keeping your finger prick test levels so high.
Are you on any medication, I wonder because it would not be usual to prescribe meds with an Hba1C of only 51mmol/mol but recommend dietary changes, but likely if it was a lot higher as would be suggested by your finger prick tests or 13-20mmol/l. If that makes sense.
Do you have a means of testing for ketones as that can be a good idea if your level is in the high teens, urine test sticks can be purchased at the pharmacy.
Keeping a food diary with an estimate of the carbohydrate content or everything you eat and drink would help pinpoint the foods which are keeping your finger prick test levels so high.
Are you on any medication, I wonder because it would not be usual to prescribe meds with an Hba1C of only 51mmol/mol but recommend dietary changes, but likely if it was a lot higher as would be suggested by your finger prick tests or 13-20mmol/l. If that makes sense.
Do you have a means of testing for ketones as that can be a good idea if your level is in the high teens, urine test sticks can be purchased at the pharmacy.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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- He/Him
Was reminded recently that though we talk about blood glucose meters, the results we get are actually plasma calibrated, so really we are getting plasma glucose levels.
I would hope that might mean they are unaffected by red blood cell content of the whole blood sample, but I don’t know for sure.
42istheanswer
Well-Known Member
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- Type 2
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- She/Her
Are you doing pre-meal and post-meal testing?
Or just first thing in the morning and after meals?
If the latter, I'm wondering if part of the high levels might be Dawn Phenomenon and whether you might see a couple of lower numbers if you tested pre-tea?
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