12.4 hb1ac

ahsan

Member
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9
Got my first hb1ac results, it was 12.4, reading around this forum, it doesn't look good at all, I have been diagnosed month ago, taking 3x500mg metformin daily.

I do test my BS level twice a day, early morning after waking up, its always high between 10 to 12, and best at just before my night meal, about 7.

are these very high readings? Visited my GP yesterday, she haven't said anything, but I didn't told her about my personal BS checks as she said I don't have to check

Thanks
 

cugila

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ahsan said:
Got my first hb1ac results, it was 12.4, reading around this forum, it doesn't look good at all, I have been diagnosed month ago, taking 3x500mg metformin daily.

I do test my BS level twice a day, early morning after waking up, its always high between 10 to 12, and best at just before my night meal, about 7.

are these very high readings? Visited my GP yesterday, she haven't said anything, but I didn't told her about my personal BS checks as she said I don't have to check

Thanks
Hi.
Anybody who tells a newly diagnosed Diabetic they don't have to test wants to try living with the condition themselves ! It is utter rubbish !

Here is the information we hand out to newly diagnosed Diabetic's on this Forum. Have a read and see what you can learn from it. This Forum does not always go along with the advice given out by GP's/Nurses.

Make your mind up time....??

What is your typical day's diet ?

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.
 
Messages
18
Alternatively......

Like you I only ever tested twice a day. My start level was an HbA1c of 14+ which rapidly reduced to 7 then to the low 6s. The last, a few weeks ago was 5.6. For me testing first thing after rising seemed to show a possible dawn phenomenon which was addressed by a late night small snack. The other test, before my evening meal, simply helped me to concentrate more on portion control with no sweets or puddings etc. If it was higher than I expected or wanted I had a bit less to eat.

My overall approach was to reduced the portion size. There are a few things I avoid. Sadly even dark chocolate is a rare event.

Don't make the mistake of living with diabetes - make diabetes live with you - on your terms.

Most of all relax! Being diagnosed was the best news I had; it let me know that something was awry and that it was something I could get to grips with.
 

Ardbeg

Well-Known Member
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654
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Ken,

Very useful quote within your last post, thank you.

In particular the NICE 2010 guidelines for T2, I never knew that.

ahsan, feel free to visit my profile and read some of my recent posts. I'm a recent T2 newbie too and I suspect that you will have similar questions and concerns as I have. This forum is great; you will find all the help, guidance and re assurance you need right here.

Note to moderators - please pay the usual amount into my offshore bank account for this plug. 8)
 

kateincornwall

Well-Known Member
Messages
645
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
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People who lie , animal cruelty , boredom and pineapple !
I agree with what you`re saying Cugila and have presented all the NICE papers to my nurse . I`m supposed to be managing this on my own with diet and exercise trial only until the end of Feb and , whilst she agrees with me that I need to test, she says its against practise terms so her hands are tied . I had to buy some strips and as a pensioner, this was a huge ammount of money to find but has proved to be the only way to discover what I can eat and how much ! So , its " go off and try to keep this under controll but we cant give you the necessary tool to do this " Madness to me .I would prefer by far to keep off meds for as long as possible, but they dont half make it difficult at times !