Today I’ve had my numbers confirmed.

[Toddyken]

Looking good, what changes have you made to your diet etc. Look at trends rather than individual readings.

Looking back I realise how bad my sugar tooth was ,, I’ve now cut that out completely,allow myself 2 rich tea biscuits a day , I’ve cut down on carbs , ie bread potatoes and rice , eating more protein and fruit and veg,, I’ve lost 5lb . I’m pleased with the changes I’ve made so far and will continue to avoid Type 2 diabetes , this group has been invaluable.

 

[Docb]

I started testing my blood before and 2hrs after each meal, so 6 times a day, on 6 Feb this year and entering the info into MySugr. I'm also doing the 800cal low carb (no more than 50g a day) diet, and, as of this lunchtime, MySugr tells me my estimated current HbA1c is 38.1, which is most heartening. It'll be interesting to see just how accurate that figure is when my next proper blood test comes around.

For MySugr to give an estimated HbA1c you need at least 21 readings in the last 7 days (i.e. average of at least 3 per day), and no more than 3 days in the past 7 missed completely. If you have readings going back longer than 7 days it keeps including them until there is a 2 day gap in readings (presumably or it has reached 90 days ago but I don't think it specifies that)

Any estimates of HbA1c by any of these apps will be subject to quite a big error and I bet none of them tell you quite how big it might be! Certainly will not be able to give a decimal place, the measurement you get from a blood test will not give that.

I am not criticising the apps and what they are trying to do but in wanting you to use one app in preference to another they do tend to go in for a lot of lilly guilding, implying that they can do something they cannot. The predictions should be treated as a bit of fun rather than anything else. If you get a discrepancy between your app prediction and your actual result, then don't be surprised and don't get hung up about it. If there is no discrepancy, then equally do not be surprised. Getting the prediction spot on is bound to happen sometime, thats the nature of statistics.

 

[PGW]

As above, converting a single reading is meaningless. But if you test regularly for a period & calculate the average, you can use a converter for an idea of how they compare. There's a calculator here that you can enter a figure into any field & it will calculate the others. The first column is HbA1c (your 44) & the last is the equivalent on your meter. You can disregard the middle two as one is an old method of recording HbA1c (%) & the other is a standard used overseas. So your HbA1c of 44 equates to an AVERAGE of 7.25mmol/L on the meter.

Be aware that meters aren't that accurate though. They are only required to read +/- 15% on 95% of readings. So if you receive an unexpectedly high reading it's worth repeating that. Case in point, my bedtime reading last night was 8.2 with nothing consumed to raise it that high. Retested immediately & got 6.2. Oh & you should always wash your hands first.

In your post you state that "your HbA1c of 44 equates to an AVERAGE of 7.25mmol/L on the meter"
Could kindly define what you mean by "AVERAGE" is this multiple test per day/week? just wondered how many tests are needed to get the average figure you mention.

your HbA1c of 44 equates to an AVERAGE of 7.25mmol/L on the meter

 

[RBZ5416]

@PGW
Short answer is I don't know!

My post was in the context of someone wanting to convert a single finger prick result to HbA1c, which can't be done. HbA1c is supposed to provide an average level over the preceding three months, so will be 24/7. Even CGMs that do actually monitor 24/7 will only make a best guess at a corresponding HbA1c. But a recent thread seemed to show that can vary widely between individuals.

At a guess I would think you would need to test at least on waking, before meals, an hour after meals, two hours after meals & bedtime to get close. but even then you would be missing what's going on overnight.

I suspect that many place a bit too much emphasis on HbA1c. For a T2 who generally won't be prescribed a meter & test strips, it's the only measure they & their GP have, so is very important. But I'd suggest that anyone with a meter is much better placed to know where they are day to day rather than every 3/6/12 months. If they can generally maintain the 4-7 before meals & not be above 8.5 two hours after, the HbA1c should simply confirm good control.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I suspect that many place a bit too much emphasis on HbA1c. For a T2 who generally won't be prescribed a meter & test strips, it's the only measure they & their GP have, so is very important. But I'd suggest that anyone with a meter is much better placed to know where they are day to day rather than every 3/6/12 months. If they can generally maintain the 4-7 before meals & not be above 8.5 two hours after, the HbA1c should simply confirm good control.

I'm undecided on this point. As a T3c (as if T1) the Time in Range (TIR) statistic from any CGM certainly gives me a good measure of my BG management. And the graphical displays showing the degree of variation in any one 24 hr period help - but I can't help feeling that because I have c. 30% time above 10, for various reasons the HbA1c is still a useful and conclusive bit of data about how I have done since my last HbA1c.

The TIR stat only covers 90 days, so I can't really get a feel for any significant change and to counter the 30% time spent above 10 requires a level of diligent maintenance that is unrealistic for compatibility with my daily living.

So, without knowing a great deal about the fine detail of how the HbA1c test works and what effect (influence) that 30% time above 10 has on any HbA1c result (ie is the 'stickiness' of those residual cells being counted over the 3 month period greater when they came from a higher status than from more normal circumstances?) [OR am I over-thinking this?] - I remain undecided about whether HbA1c should be phased out for people with CGM.