Mother A1C

[chicklet]

Hello everyone,my mother has had some symptoms past few months and was worried to go into doc with Covid so I finally ordered her a home HBA1C kit from Everywell and results came back yesterday and said she is 12.1%.

From what I’ve been reading up on this is very high and we almost suspected it bc we know past few months have been terrible eating and lifestyle wise. My father had a genetic heart defect that brought him for yearly surgeries and with that we spent around 1-2 months a year in a hospital hotel setting.This happened again in August last year and we ended up loosing my father in October.So with the bad eating of mostly carbs and sugar to keep going and than the stress and emotion of the passing there has been lots of sugar and carbs and not much movement.I really do believe this is main reason for the more recent changes in past few months.

Ita a wake up call to get back to proper eating and lifestyle like prior to August when everything went downhill.She’s 73,overweight but not morbid.We want to try diet focus and daily exercising to lower it back down.I understand it will take few months before we can retest the A1C but do you think this is fair enough.

She doesn’t want to start on meds without first trying the other and I agree but wanted to know others experience.
Thank you for your time!

 

[Alister]

If you get a blood glucose meter you could do regular checks & get a feel for if things are moving in the right direction but personally I would recommend that you consult a DR now rather than leave it any longer.

 

[trophywench]

Yes indeed a doctor - how long has her blood glucose been higher than it should be? If it's a long time, has that already caused some damage to her eyes and internal organs? You aren't a doctor and neither are we, so cannot arrange all the other tests the medical profession need & want to do and also arrange to repeat them all at the very least annually.

 

[chicklet]

Yes I understand the concern and please don’t mistake my concern. She did notice some blurry vision and went to her eye doctor and had her yearly full check,dilated and all and asked about diabetes and she confirmed no,at least on her end. This was in early December. I do believe it’s a current problem I think I was asking if anyone had a high A1C such as hers and was able to lower it back with diet and except use and no meds.

 

[Leadinglights]

You definitely need to get a proper diagnosis and check of the other functions by getting the blood tests via you G P. The result you have been given is in % which is the old way but still used by some people. A level of 6.5% would give you a diabetes diagnosis so 12.1% is quite high. Current units are expressed as mmol/mol with 48mmol/mol being the level which is a diabetes diagnosis. People have managed to get their blood glucose back to a acceptable level but sometimes with a starting point as high as that they may initially need some help from medication as it is not wise to be having levels as high as that for more time than you have to otherwise you are risking some damage.
Dietary changes and exercise as you rightly say is something you need to address. Read around the forum and the learning zone as this will clarify things for you but do ask questions.
A good start would be to keep a food diary so you can just see what you are eating and where some savings in the carbohydrates you are having can be made.
But I would urge you to arrange some blood tests, you should not be having to pay to have these done privately. The results would not necessarily be available to the NHS.

 

[Docb]

@chicklet. I see you are based in the USA. I did look into home kits for HbA1c testing and came to the conclusion that they were not reliable and suggested to the person (based in the UK) who enquired about them that they went to their GP for a proper lab test. I appreciate that access to medical services in the US differs to that in the UK where this forum is based. By getting a proper lab test, as suggested by other members, you can be certain of what you are dealing with. It is the best way forward.

 

[Leadinglights]

@chicklet. I see you are based in the USA. I did look into home kits for HbA1c testing and came to the conclusion that they were not reliable and suggested to the person (based in the UK) who enquired about them that they went to their GP for a proper lab test. I appreciate that access to medical services in the US differs to that in the UK where this forum is based. By getting a proper lab test, as suggested by other members, you can be certain of what you are dealing with. It is the best way forward.

Sorry was not aware the poster was in the US ( where do you see that for future reference) but I think the same principal applies, a official test would be a good idea.

 

[grovesy]

Sorry was not aware the poster was in the US ( where do you see that for future reference) but I think the same principal applies, a official test would be a good idea.

I suspect as @Docb is a mod that he has access to that information, sometimes it is a persons profile.

 

[Docb]

Quite right grovesy, we have a general location. As a general principal the mods will not make any comment on the location of a member but in this case I thought it sensible in view of the suggestions being made.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi chicklet,


As mentioned, it's important to get a proper diagnosis so please do try and get this done. Our number system is different in the UK so you'd need to find a trusted source that will help shed light on what the numbers mean. Not only that but you'll need to know what type of diabetic she is as that can have a huge impact on how to manage things.

Some forms of diabetes can be managed with diet and exercise. Many do so but cutting their carbs and testing their blood sugar so that their diet consists of things that doesn't spike blood sugar levels.

One of the things that is a challenge is that even things that we think are healthy can impact BS levels so it's worth taking a look at the following page for insight into what type of food to eat https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/i-have-type-2-diabetes

You're more than welcome to have a look at around the forum, particularly the food section though do remember that everyone is difference hence why a diagnosis and test is important.