Just received my annual blood test results

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wallycorker

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I've just received my annual blood tests today and in general they show a further improvement in my overall situation.

HbA1c - Down from 5.1% last time to 5.0% (or 31 mmol/mol in the new units)

Total cholesterol - Up from 3.1 to 3.7

LDL - Up from 1.5 to 1.8

HDL - Up from 1.1 to 1.52

TC/HDL ratio - Down from 2.8 to 2.4

Triglycerides - Down from 1.18 to 0.93

Overall, I'm very pleased with the results and they were just about where I expected to be.

Basically, the changes that I've made dietwise since last year are that I've moved away slightly from a very low-fat diet (almsot vegan) to eating even less starchy carbohydrate and eating more meat. That change seems to have been reflected in the increases in LDL and total cholesterol.

I'm particularly pleased with the improvement in HDL to 1.52 because that's the best result that I've ever had - the previous best was 1.3 if I remember correctly. That might be down to the fact that I've built a regular but small quantity of nuts into my daily diet. I might have done a little bit more exercise too - nothing other than just easy walking. However, despite the fact that I try to do just that, I really hadn't thought that I had increased my activity levels significantly.

Further improvement in TC/HDL ratio from 2.8 to 2.4 mainly due to the improvement in HDL?

Triglycerides down to 0.93 - again a best ever I think. Possibly due to the continued reduction in starchy carbohydrate that I eat?

The one area that left me just a little bit disappointed is the HbA1c of 5.0% - again my lowest ever. However, I'd been hoping that I might have gone below 5% this time and into the 4% Club. Maybe next time!

A doctor that I don't usually see gave me the results by telephone. He said that he wouldn't have realised that I was diabetic if the screen hadn't given him that information. When I registered slight disappointment that my HbA1c hadn't gone below 5, he commented that it was absolutely nothing to worry about and that my HbA1c was lower than his non-diabetic level.

Overall, I'm very pleased with what I consider to be a further improvement in my overall sitaution.

John
 
thats great results john, well done 🙂
 
Good results there and I like the way you know what has made the difference.

You are really competing with yourself, aren't you? HbA1c from 8.5 down to 5.1 and you are not happy - mmmmmmm.
 
John - that's absolutely awesome. A few tweaks and the 4% club is within your grasp I'm sure.
 
MargB said:
Good results there and I like the way you know what has made the difference.

You are really competing with yourself, aren't you? HbA1c from 8.5 down to 5.1 and you are not happy - mmmmmmm.
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Thanks Margaret!

Actually down from 9.4% at its highest to 5.0% today. Yes - I agree - a very significant change.

I am happy really but I know a couple of people who post on another diabetes forum (one a Type 1 and the other a Type 2) who manage to maintain their HbA1c results in the mid-4s. I do hope to emulate them one day.

Best wishes - John
 
Cliff said:
John - that's absolutely awesome. A few tweaks and the 4% club is within your grasp I'm sure.
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Hi Cliff,

My overall improvement is very similar to your own.

Keep on going!

Best wishes - John
 
Disappointed with an HbA1c of 5.0?! That sounds perfectly fine to me.

I would be cautious about trying to achieve lower levels though (especially for Type 1's, with the concommitant risk of hypos).

I'd like to point out for all those who cannot achieve your levels that less is not always more and there may come a point when you cause more harm than good.

But, I don't want to sound churlish and do want to congratulate you on your achievement.

Andy 🙂
 
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Andy HB said:
.........I would be cautious about trying to achieve lower levels though (especially for Type 1's, with the concommitant risk of hypos)............
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Thanks Andy!

However, I always do point out that I am not a Type 1 - I am a non-insulin dependent Type 2. My signature should show that also.

Best wishes - John
 
rhall92380 said:
Congratulations, John - more good progress! Keep the faith

Richard
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Thanks Richard,

Our paths don't seem to have crossed for a while. I hope that things are still going well with you.

As you say. keep the faith! Keep on going!

Very best wishes - John
 
wallycorker said:
Thanks Andy!

However, I always do point out that I am not a Type 1 - I am a non-insulin dependent Type 2. My signature should show that also.

Best wishes - John
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OK, but I only mentioned it because, in one of your posts on this thread, you'd said that you knew of a Type 1 who had achieved mid 4's and I wanted to make it clear to those newly diagnosed that such low HbA1c's are not necessarily good.

Andy
 
Congratulations on the good numbers John! 🙂

I'm with Andy though, on the ambition to drive it still lower - 5% is more than acceptable, and I wouldn't want people to feel that maybe their 5.5% or 6% is somehow less than excellent. We do have a T1 member whose A1c is somewhere in the mid 4s, but she suffers frequent lows. My lowest to date was 5.2%, but I'm much happier on my current 5.6%.

I do, of course, accept that you are Type 2 so not prone to hypos. However, you do have a quite restricted diet which may not suit, or indeed be healthy, for many people.

Sorry if this sounds churlish John, I just don't want people, especially the newly-diagnosed, to feel that they must aim for a 4.x%. As your doctor said, even non-diabetics may not achieve such levels, so it is perfectly natural to be in the mid 5s. It would be interesting (but obviously impossible) to know what your non-diabetic levels were i.e. before your blood sugar levels started to rise, possibly some time prior to diagnosis.
 
Fantastic results John, well done :D
 
Brilliant results well done 😉 x
 
Northerner said:
..............However, you do have a quite restricted diet which may not suit, or indeed be healthy, for many people.................
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Thanks for your kind words Northerner!

However as regards what you say That I "do have a quite restricted diet which may not suit, or indeed be healthy, for many people" then I can't really accept that. Personally, I don't feel deprived in any way about the foods that I eat and certainly, in my opinion, I've never eaten better and in particular healthier at any time in my life. Surely that is evidenced by the lipid readings that I quoted above?

For lunch today, I ate at the pub and had gammon steak, chips, egg, pineapple and peas - together with a pint of Stella. Yesterday, I also ate at a different pub and had sirloin steak, chips and peas - again with a pint of Stella. The only thing unusual there was that I drank lager instead of red wine. In my opinion, that sort of meal would suit most people that I know.

I would point out that my approach is to consider all my annual test results together rather than just one single aspect of them. Certainly, I'm not sure what it is that you might think I eat or do not eat that might not be healthy because most people - including my GPs - think that I'm doing just fine.

Best wishes - John
 
Well done John, keep up the good work 🙂
 
wallycorker said:
Thanks for your kind words Northerner!

However as regards what you say That I "do have a quite restricted diet which may not suit, or indeed be healthy, for many people" then I can't really accept that. Personally, I don't feel deprived in any way about the foods that I eat and certainly, in my opinion, I've never eaten better and in particular healthier at any time in my life. Surely that is evidenced by the lipid readings that I quoted above?

For lunch today, I ate at the pub and had gammon steak, chips, egg, pineapple and peas - together with a pint of Stella. Yesterday, I also ate at a different pub and had sirloin steak, chips and peas - again with a pint of Stella. The only thing unusual there was that I drank lager instead of red wine. In my opinion, that sort of meal would suit most people that I know.

I would point out that my approach is to consider all my annual test results together rather than just one single aspect of them. Certainly, I'm not sure what it is that you might think I eat or do not eat that might not be healthy because most people - including my GPs - think that I'm doing just fine.

Best wishes - John
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The example meals you quote are fine (but personally, I much prefer a good ale!). 🙂

But, as I understand it from your own earlier threads, you were restricting your calorific intake to between 1300 and 1500? That's also fine for a weight loss diet, but may not be suitable for others.

You also restrict your intake of starchy carbohydrates. Which, again, is fine for you. It may not be suitable for others. But they can inform themselves based on your experiences and, more importantly, their own.

Please don't take these points as personal criticisms. They are not. I just want other, less experienced people, to be aware that there is no one approach that fits all. I am sure that you agree with that?

Andy
 
Hi Rachela, Cazscot, Emmal31 & Sweetsatin,

Thanks to all of you for your words of support - I'm grateful for them.

Very best wishes to all of you - John
 
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