A1c finger prick test

MikeZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
122
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I haven't been following the group much lately so forgive me if this is old news. Anyway, today I went in for a quick check-up for an unrelated concern and the nurse said I was due for an A1c test. I was not too excited to take one because I had been injured and unable to exercise for all of August, and now, living in Oregon, the smoke has kept me pretty inactive for this month, as well. My last A1c was 6.0, (I'm not sure if they use different numbers in the UK), but that's about normal for me ever since I reversed my original diagnosis several years ago. I told the nurse that I would go down for a blood draw on my way out. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they can do the test with a finger prick and get the results in 6 minutes! So here are my questions: Are we on the verge of doing A1c testing at home? Are these new tests available in the UK? If so, are they found to be reliable? I hope they ARE reliable because my result was 6.1.
 
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sleepster

Well-Known Member
Messages
749
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I'm interested to know what the benefits might be of doing the test at home, not trying to start an argument or anything, but I wouldn't have thought, for the cost, you would get enough use out of a machine to test at home, how often would you use it?
When I go for my hospital appointments they do the hba1c test there and then, I'm not sure how long it takes as the result gets passed to the consultant and then they tell you what it is, but it's a novelty to me as when I go to the doctors to get it done it takes several days to get the results and at the hospital I went to when I was younger you had to fill a small vial yourself and send it to the hospital 2 weeks before your appointment :hilarious:
 
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Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
There is a test you can do at home called I think A1c Now. I haven’t used it myself but @Debandez has, I’ve tagged her so she should respond to you.
 
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NicoleC1971

BANNED
Messages
3,451
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I know that the venous draw test produces different results to the capilliary draw (finger prick). I guess the point would be that you should compare apples with apples and not flit between 2 different methods.
FYI, the estimated HBA1c function on the freestyle libre seems to get good reviews for matching with the hba1c. Not sure what your insurance cover for that would be though...
 

First.Officer

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have used the "A1C Now" home tests, and whilst pricey, was bang on the money with results when compared with NHS test results.
 

Debandez

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,019
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
There is a test you can do at home called I think A1c Now. I haven’t used it myself but @Debandez has, I’ve tagged her so she should respond to you.

Thanks for the tag @Rachox sorry for the delay in replying. I use @a1cnow regularly. It usually reads lower than my actual a1c at the drs but I still like using them as it gives me a rough idea of how I'm doing.

Just had my bloods done at my surgery as it happens. I took an a1cnow test on the morning I had them done at my surgery with DN So I could compare. I also used Thriva for hba1c and full lipid panels a few days before. Thriva results were almost identical to my actuals for every test.

a1c for info:

21/9 - GP - 36 (5.4)
21/9 - A1CNOW - 27 (4.6)
10/9 - thriva - 33 (5.2)

Hope this helps. I think @Brunneria also uses a1cnow.
 
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Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi,

@Debandez no, I don’t usethe A1c tests now. I tried them several years ago and got a series of dud results, and gave up on them. I suspect that the tests have improved in the interim, so are probably much more reliable, by now.

However, I have always had discrepancies between my finger prick tests and my HbA1c results. I suspect it is to do with my personal glycation rate. So I prefer to go by my prick tests.

As for home HbA1cs, yes, they have been around for years. We used to have to buy them in packs of 3 or 10, keep them in the fridge and pay postage from the States, but that may also have changed by now.