A1cnow which I'm hoping is accurate as the readings are going in the right direction....down to 37 from 62 in 8th December. I will find out just how accurate it's readings are in a couple of weeks when my DN does my bloods. I will report back!I've used A1CNow: http://www.ptsdiagnostics.com/a1cnow-plus.html
It was accurate the one time I compared a result to the lab result taken at the same time.
I don't think there are any other HbA1C home kits.
I have the patience to wait for three months to pass before I go to the pathology shop for a shed load of blood tests.
Hmmm interesting, please somebody with expert knowledge correct me if I'm wrong, but is not the frequency of test based on the life of the red blood cells ? I have been told just recently by a practice GP that the life is approx' 180 days and yesterday at the hospital diabetic clinic where I saw the consultant that the life span is approximately 3 months and any tests done more frequently than that are a waste and will only show the previous reading.
A little awkward for me as I have 2 hospitals wanting blood tests including the A1c, then the hospital diabetic clinic plus the GP's.
My conclusion for my own reference would be interesting, but ultimately a waste of my time and money.
Alf if you have a bit of a chat with Dr Google, I'm sure he will display plenty of graphs illustrating the lifespans of the blood cells. Like all other things, it varies from person to person for probably as many resaons as there are people.
However, when studies have been done into HbA1cs and their frequency, versus lifespan of blood cells, the studies show that whils we are told the H1A1c shows us our three month average, the number returned is not a straight line, but is significantly impacted by the most recent weeks, prior to test. This is one reason some folks, when they have a follow up HbA1c, say a month after diagnosis, notice quite a shift in the numbers, but that percentage shift doesn't reflect in their subsequent 3 month test.
Some enlightened Docs are now retesting newly diagnoses folks more frequently than 3 months, with a GP I know routinely testing at 6 weeks post-diagnosis.
Of course some would say that makes the HbA1c easy to fudge, to a degree, but that's just how it is.
I'm rather tied up in other things at the moment to look up the various studies, but they are out there, and indeed there has been a fair amount of discussion on tis very topic on the forum, over time.
@phdiabetic - Obviously we all must deceide which tests and which methods of management we will apply to our diabetes, butone comment I will say is that for me, they A1cNow tests have always been very accurate, versus venous blood tests.
On the other hand both my test meter and the Libre suggest my HbA1cs should be returning at between 19 and 21, whereas my venous tests for the last three years have been 30-33, time in, time out.
At the end of the day, we need to gather the data around us and learn from it.
@NewTD2 I have some results for you. They don't show my a1cnow up in a good light!
Home a1c test 5/5 = 37 (delighted)
Surgery a1c 14/5 = 41 (delighted as down from February's 47 but disappointed as I was expecting it to be lower obviously)
Home a1c test done to compare on 15/5 (the day I got my results) and it showed a reading if 44!!!!
I've resorted to mysugr with help to get going from @Rachox
@NewTD2 I have some results for you. They don't show my a1cnow up in a good light!
Home a1c test 5/5 = 37 (delighted)
Surgery a1c 14/5 = 41 (delighted as down from February's 47 but disappointed as I was expecting it to be lower obviously)
Home a1c test done to compare on 15/5 (the day I got my results) and it showed a reading if 44!!!!
I've resorted to mysugr with help to get going from @Rachox
@NewTD2 I have some results for you. They don't show my a1cnow up in a good light!
Home a1c test 5/5 = 37 (delighted)
Surgery a1c 14/5 = 41 (delighted as down from February's 47 but disappointed as I was expecting it to be lower obviously)
Home a1c test done to compare on 15/5 (the day I got my results) and it showed a reading if 44!!!!
I've resorted to mysugr with help to get going from @Rachox