How am I doing?

[Spudz]

It's been a month since I was diagnosed with type 2 with an HbA1c of 123, and am still trying to get my head around everything.
I've cut down on carbs quite a bit, (trying to keep around the 130 mark or lower), and am watching what I eat. Trying also to increase my steps but reaching that 10,000 target is proving elusive.
I don't know if I need to but I'm taking fingerprick readings 4 times a day and the past 4 weeks have seen averages of 16.9, 13, 12 and 12,4 respectively. Is this good and going in the right direction? I know I probably need to do more but I am beginning to spot the signs and probable reasons why I might record a higher or lower figure. How does a meter reading compare to an HbA1c reading?

 

[Drummer]

Hello @Spudz It depends on when you were doing the tests - if first thing and then at the 2 hour point after meals then hopefully you will see your levels reducing down as the weeks pass.
As you are taking Gliclazide you can't eat as low carb as some, as it actively removes glucose, but as you have a meter you do have the means to check on how your meals are fitting in with gaining control.
The short answer to your question about readings is that they don't really relate.
Without any medication for diabetes I found that keeping my post meal readings under 7, eating no more than 50 gm of carbs a day gave me a HbA1c of 42, so I reduced my carbs to no more than 40 gm a day, and saw my after meal readings go down a little, then after a year my HbA1c was - 42.

 

[Spudz]

Hello @Spudz It depends on when you were doing the tests - if first thing and then at the 2 hour point after meals then hopefully you will see your levels reducing down as the weeks pass.
As you are taking Gliclazide you can't eat as low carb as some, as it actively removes glucose, but as you have a meter you do have the means to check on how your meals are fitting in with gaining control.
The short answer to your question about readings is that they don't really relate.
Without any medication for diabetes I found that keeping my post meal readings under 7, eating no more than 50 gm of carbs a day gave me a HbA1c of 42, so I reduced my carbs to no more than 40 gm a day, and saw my after meal readings go down a little, then after a year my HbA1c was - 42.

Pre breakfast, pre dinner (around 1pm), post dinner (around 2 hours), and post tea (again, around 2 hours)

 

[Drummer]

Pre breakfast, pre dinner (around 1pm), post dinner (around 2 hours), and post tea (again, around 2 hours)

Depending on if it is your most carby meal, comparison of the pre and post dinner readings might indicate progress most clearly in the early days.
The usual thinking about the test two hours after starting to eat is that it indicates how you are coping with the food as well as how good the choice is for you.
We all react a little differently to foods so it is best not to assume that an amount of carbs from any food will cause the same reaction, as I found that peas and beans not in pods raise my blood glucose level more than they should if the listed value is correct. For some people it is correct, but others can somehow extract more carbs from the same weight about 180% of the listed value.

 

[Leadinglights]

You need to do tests which are going to be informative and enable you to modify your carb intake which what you are currently doing doesn't really do that. Paired readings are more useful at this stage, so test the before you eat the meal and after 2 hours and if the increase is more than 2-3 mmol/l then the meal is too carb heavy, eventually you will be looking for no more than 8-8.5 mmol/l 2 hours post meal.
You can also test your waking reading to monitor progress day to day or if you feel unwell. The gliclazide will be encouraging your pancreas to produce more insulin which is why you do need to eat some carbs but you can see how much you can tolerate by your regime of testing. I think the recommendation is to take the gliclazide 30mis before eating to give it a chance to work.
You have started off with quite a high HbA1C so it will take time to come down and it is indeed better to do it gradually to minimise any issues with eyes and nerves.