What’s been your experience of your daily Fasting Numbers in respect of your HBA1C reductions?

Estragon

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I'm just cautious about interpreting the fasting results which are meatt be after say 8 hours of not eating, with waking result as you get a little boost from your liver to get you going which is perfectly natural.

Yes, exactly so. I guess I was wanting to hear about the convergence of the actions of the Liver as part of this whole Diab Fangdanflement. Y'know, the more I know or appreciate just what is and isn't going on with my Endo Sys, the more questions I'm asking.

This forum is such a source of support to those of that arrive here looking for answers - and frankly, feeling a little scared and desperate.

Totally agree. My lack of understanding and thence employing countermeasures was, back in September, an unknown and unknowable Landscape, devoid of Signposts, a Compass, a Map or even guiding Stars! What I WAS handed was a Pricker device, no hands-on usage support, Strips 'n Pricks and a quickly handwritten GP A4, which, thinking back I had to ask of her after just alarmed me by saying I'd have to consider going on INSULIN or at the very least another Rx that would mean contacting DVLA!! - This was NOT a good place to be. However, THIS is a good place to be with people that are relaxed about giving out selfless support. And, support from those that are in a more challenging place that I am at.

I'm meeting my GP today. Do you have anything I could raise with her?
 

Injebreck

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I've almost given up trying to work out the correlation between A1c and finger prick readings. My last half dozen A1cs have been 29 & 30, which puts me in the non-diabetic camp (I wish!). My bloods since July when I came off insulin and on to one tablet of Metformin a day have been around 6.0 fasting and averaging mid 6s throughout the day, higher, but still within the band I target.

To try and clear it up, I invested in a Libre, which I have on now, and that's showing an average of 5.5 from around 4.5 early morning to a high of 7.something in the evening. To quote the song, Living By Numbers.
 

Auto E

Well-Known Member
Messages
132
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Totally agree. My lack of understanding and thence employing countermeasures was, back in September, an unknown and unknowable Landscape, devoid of Signposts, a Compass, a Map or even guiding Stars! What I WAS handed was a Pricker device, no hands-on usage support, Strips 'n Pricks and a quickly handwritten GP A4, which, thinking back I had to ask of her after just alarmed me by saying I'd have to consider going on INSULIN or at the very least another Rx that would mean contacting DVLA!! - This was NOT a good place to be. However, THIS is a good place to be with people that are relaxed about giving out selfless support. And, support from those that are in a more challenging place that I am at.

I'm meeting my GP today. Do you have anything I could raise with her?[/QUOTE]

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure most GPs have the time to be creative in their thinking with us. We kind of have to do that here. However, I do have a few ideas for your appointment:
1) See if you can get a Rx for a CGM - it's revolutionary. I pay out of pocket and had to ask 4 docs before I finally got the Rx. That will ultimately tell you what's really going on. A1C is far from perfect as estimating average glucose.
2) Ask if you can see your reticulocyte count on the CBC. Very low reticulocytes indicate long-lived RBCs and you get higher A1Cs (relative to true average BG), and high reticulocytes may indicate short-lived RBCs and lower A1Cs.
3) ask if you can have any other glycated protein tests - such as glycated albumin. I've heard it's possibly a better measure of glycation in the blood.
 

VashtiB

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,283
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I just received my HBA1C results from Monday, two days ago. I’ve gone from 89 Sept 20 down to 64. I’m really chuffed!

Well done- congratulations. It is always great when you work hard and see your efforts repaid with good results.

I hope your doctor was also pleasantly surprised. I'm sure they will be even more pleasantly surprised at your next test to see you've sustained the lower levels and got them even lower.

Wonderful news!
 

Estragon

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,580
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Too many to list here . . .
I hope your doctor was also pleasantly surprised.
Honestly? She was visibly surprised and moved by what I had achieved- “You should be very proud of what you’ve achieved”; and that was it, it all went Pete Tong, I quietly lost it and I started to tear-up, as she handed me a tissue.

OK, regrouping and gathering my science-brain back, wanting to put this into the realms of pragmatism, I asked: Out of 100 people how many do you see that have achieved such a rapid success? She said..... two. And that, right there, nailed it for me! I was praised for my record keeping to deliver evidenced-based results and was stunned and smiled when I showed her my graphs.

We spoke at length of the value of this Forum; getting and searching for additional support. Already I’m to be given an appointment with an Endocrine-based (?) Dietician. I can’t wait .

Oh yes, after telling her about my mild diarrhoea, she’s now immediately adjusted my Metformin for a slower release tablet, and made it a single 1gm tab and instead of the fiddly two-tabs swallow.

I came away quietly confident that our Patient-Doctor interaction has become genuinely more supportive, open and creative. As I said, it’s been this Forum that’s become my One-Stop-Shop for facts, support and not a little humour ! After all, “My Name is Estragon, and I’m a Diabetic