New member needing advice please

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Hecate

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I need some help ..my husband is 79 and been diabetic long time Yesterday had bloods taken at local GPs ... she just phoned me to say his HBA1c is 104 ... ... we are in U.K. ...and when checking his bloods we use mmol readings and anything around 10 or 11 mmol is ok for him as he is a steroid depend and steroids do put sugars up. Plus he has a chest infection at the moment too. HBA1c used to be in different figures on the chart we have .... so just wondering how that relates to the figure of 104 ?? Is that mmol or something different because some times he was given a percentage figure ?? he is on metformin and glimiperide and just sooo soooo skinny and metformin does that to him. He was always slim, and diabetic through family not diet related ... he has been given an appointment with our diabetic specialist doctor but that is for the 24 August .... but I am very worried now ...any help, and sorry for long post ....
 
Hello @Hecate

104 is on the HbA1c scale. There are charts that give you comparison. 104 is very high. 48 is the baseline target.

You will get plenty of advice, so I'll leave it there. And try not to worry. But from personal experience that's easier said than done.
 
Hecate said:
HBA1c used to be in different figures on the chart we have .... so just wondering how that relates to the figure of 104 ?? Is that mmol or something different because some times he was given a percentage figure ??
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You might find this chart useful for comparing the different measurement systems:-
 

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An HbA1c of 104 mmol/mol on the new scale that’s now being used equates to 11.7% in the old scale, which your husband is probably used to.
 
Robin said:
An HbA1c of 104 mmol/mol on the new scale that’s now being used equates to 11.7% in the old scale, which your husband is probably used to.
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But it says it equates to 15.4 on the chart Martin just posted .... and I know one of his finger prick reading was 16 couple of months back when he had another chest infection, as he has now ... sooo worrying, he is sooooo thin and the doc says he has lost another 5lb since last year ....
 
The HbA1c measurements are the top and middle of the chart, the 15.4 is an equivalent average of fingerprick readings.
 
Hecate said:
But it says it equates to 15.4 on the chart Martin just posted .... and I know one of his finger prick reading was 16 couple of months back when he had another chest infection, as he has now ... sooo worrying, he is sooooo thin and the doc says he has lost another 5lb since last year ....
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The finger prick mol is a different measurement again. 16 is high. 11 you mentioned is sometimes a target. Recommended target is between 4 and 7.

I found this useful:


Look at page 2 furthest column to the right.
 
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silentsquirrel said:
The HbA1c measurements are the top and middle of the chart, the 15.4 is an equivalent average of fingerprick readings.
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He was diagnosed over 20 years ago, so obviously had it longer and was just found by a routine blood test .... it was very high and went straight to the diabetes department at the hospital ...he was fit and well, strong and healthy then ....... everything has gone downhill since ... always the same weight and build from his army days, never more than 12 and half stone at 6 feet tall .... soon as he got onto metformin he started to lose muscle mass and weight .... one other treatment, glictizide, actually made his eyes bleed, so they changed it to glimiperide ... some diabetes meds actually contain sugar, and he is also on heart meds.... I am going to go to the docs with him because I will tell the doctor these meds are taking every it of the little weight he had in the first place .... I know metformin is used in America for obesity as we have relations there .... he is just wasting away ‍♀️
 
@Hecate HbA1C is no longer reported in percentages. The 104 is in the new units of measurement. In the old units, 104 would be 11.7%. That’s way too high, as I’m sure you know.

Having high blood sugar can cause weight loss as well as making you feel very rough. Added to that, steroids usually put blood sugar up and - on top of that - his chest infection may well be increasing his blood sugar too. I’d phone his clinic/doctor and ask for some support. Do mention his weight loss. It’s possible he might need insulin or additional medication that can control his blood sugar properly.
 
Hecate said:
But it says it equates to 15.4 on the chart Martin just posted .... and I know one of his finger prick reading was 16 couple of months back when he had another chest infection, as he has now ... sooo worrying, he is sooooo thin and the doc says he has lost another 5lb since last year ....
Click to expand...
As @silentsquirrel says, the HbA1c figures are at the top and on the middle of the chart. (the old %, and the new Mmol/mol, not to be confused with mmol/l for spot Meter readings, which is slightly different). The bottom figure is an estimation of what you might find was an average of your blood glucose meter readings, if your HbA1c was at that point on the chart.
If you are finding that his blood glucose meter readings are around 11 mmol/l, depending on when you do them, you may be missing some higher spikes, say, just after he’s eaten, and these missed ones may be bringing his average spot check fingerprick readings up to 15mmol/l.
Edited to correct typo in BG measurement units.
 
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Inka said:
@Hecate HbA1C is no longer reported in percentages. The 104 is in the new units of measurement. In the old units, 104 would be 11.7%. That’s way too high, as I’m sure you know.

Having high blood sugar can cause weight loss as well as making you feel very rough. Added to that, steroids usually put blood sugar up and - on top of that - his chest infection may well be increasing his blood sugar too. I’d phone his clinic/doctor and ask for some support. Do mention his weight loss. It’s possible he might need insulin or additional medication that can control his blood sugar properly.
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Well doc did say it was high but , but does know about the reasons why his sugars will never be where most would like them to be .... anything between 10 to 11 is ok for him and not the emergency it would be to others. There is no way he can come off steroids now, he is steroid dependent, plus he also has steroid inhaler for his chest ... they did weigh him and said 5lbs down from last year .... at 79 years old I think he is just getting a bit fed up with it all ..... but thank you everyone who has responded it is much appreciated ......
 
Hecate said:
Well doc did say it was high but , but does know about the reasons why his sugars will never be where most would like them to be .... anything between 10 to 11 is ok for him and not the emergency it would be to others. There is no way he can come off steroids now, he is steroid dependent, plus he also has steroid inhaler for his chest ... they did weigh him and said 5lbs down from last year .... at 79 years old I think he is just getting a bit fed up with it all ..... but thank you everyone who has responded it is much appreciated ......
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Given what you've said. I was advised to aim for 11. I have managed to get them much lower, 3.9 being the lowest. Never thought I'd see the day.
 
RichardsUsername said:
Given what you've said. I was advised to aim for 11. I have managed to get them much lower, 3.9 being the lowest. Never thought I'd see the day.
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Wow well done .... he would not survive soo low. He has collapsed when it went down to just 5 ... too many other health probs unfortunately, and as we get older they increase .... just wish he could stop losing weight even though our diet hasn't changed ... these metformin are killing him .....
 
Hecate said:
Wow well done .... he would not survive soo low. He has collapsed when it went down to just 5 ... too many other health probs unfortunately, and as we get older they increase .... just wish he could stop losing weight even though our diet hasn't changed ... these metformin are killing him .....
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Thanks. Your husband has several different factors to consider so I wouldn't compare, just saying. I think they should have advised me to aim much lower. And yes, that 3.9 was a bit too low for me.
 
Hecate said:
Wow well done .... he would not survive soo low. He has collapsed when it went down to just 5 ... too many other health probs unfortunately, and as we get older they increase .... just wish he could stop losing weight even though our diet hasn't changed ... these metformin are killing him .....
Click to expand...

Are the Metformin upsetting his stomach?
 
Hecate said:
But it says it equates to 15.4 on the chart Martin just posted
Click to expand...
Finger prick readings are at the bottom, HbA1c is in the middle, and the old % measures at the top.
 
Hecate said:
Well doc did say it was high but , but does know about the reasons why his sugars will never be where most would like them to be .... anything between 10 to 11 is ok for him and not the emergency it would be to others. There is no way he can come off steroids now, he is steroid dependent, plus he also has steroid inhaler for his chest ... they did weigh him and said 5lbs down from last year .... at 79 years old I think he is just getting a bit fed up with it all ..... but thank you everyone who has responded it is much appreciated ......
Click to expand...
Robin said:
As @silentsquirrel says, the HbA1c figures are at the top and on the middle of the chart. (the old %, and the new Mmol/mol, not to be confused with mmol/ml for spot Meter readings, which is slightly different). The bottom figure is an estimation of what you might find was an average of your blood glucose meter readings, if your HbA1c was at that point on the chart.
If you are finding that his blood glucose meter readings are around 11 mmol/ml, depending on when you do them, you may be missing some higher spikes, say, just after he’s eaten, and these missed ones may be bringing his average spot check fingerprick readings up to 15mmol/ml.
Click to expand...
I think you probably mean mmol/l not ml.
 
Hecate said:
Wow well done .... he would not survive soo low. He has collapsed when it went down to just 5 ... too many other health probs unfortunately, and as we get older they increase .... just wish he could stop losing weight even though our diet hasn't changed ... these metformin are killing him .....
Click to expand...
I have a friend who is in a similar situation, is on those medication and was still losing weight so has now been put on basal insulin which hopefully will help. But the problem is that they are eating a some high carb foods to help stop the weight loss but without mealtime (bolus) insulin blood glucose is very high.
You really need more help from your doctor and ask for referral to the specialist diabetic clinic
 
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