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Can I drop my hba1c by 1% in a month?

wannabemammy

wannabemammy

Well-Known Member
Messages
177
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Is it possible? I have targeted myself to get it down from 7.9% to 7% by this time next month. Can it be done if I stay under 8.4 mmol generally in the month?
 
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

If you were to have a constant BG of 8.4mmol/L for 2-3 months, you'd come in with an A1c of around 6.9% (52mmol/mol).

No-one can be certain as to how much you can lower your A1c in a month, because the test will factor in the prior 4 to 8 weeks also. So it really depends what you BG was doing then. I'm sure you'd manage though:)

Good luck!
 
GrantGam1337, I have 2 libre sensors on the way to me to help me watch out for the lows, being from Ireland they are much harder to get hold of but I have a friend from Wales coming tomorrow and she got them for me! Don't know why I find it so hard to reduce it though, it's extremely frustrating! I carb count but am making an extra effort to lower my carb intake
 
wannabemammy said:
GrantGam1337, I have 2 libre sensors on the way to me to help me watch out for the lows, being from Ireland they are much harder to get hold of but I have a friend from Wales coming tomorrow and she got them for me! Don't know why I find it so hard to reduce it though, it's extremely frustrating! I carb count but am making an extra effort to lower my carb intake
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My tips are to bolus in advance to reduce after meal spikes, and to always test after meals so you can correct any highs so the time spent out of range is very short.

I can't stress enough the wonders of advance bolusing.

Don't stress about your HbA1C too much. Concentrate day to day on keeping in range, and then that should be reflected in your HbA1C. Remember stress can cause highs too, so stay relaxed and keep going. You're doing well :)
 
Thanks azure! When you say bolus in advance, say my bs was 4.5 before a meal and the meal I'm having needs 4 units of novarapid, how far in advance would you bolus for it? I'm always afraid I'll hypo when it's that low and I bolus too far in advance!
 
@wannabemammy I find I need different advance times for different meals - ie breakfast, lunch, evening meal. Breakfast needs the most in advance. So for breakfast if I was 4.5, I'd still bolus my normal time in advance, but for the evening meal I might bolus 5 mins closer to the meal if I was worried. If I was below 4 I'd probably bolus just before eating.

The trick is to get approx bolus advance times for each meal by gradually moving your bolus forward and keeping testing frequently both before and after the meal.

Always be aware of the possibility of hypos, but I've found they're rare and only happen if I go over my advance bolus time and delay my meal. It's a matter of trial and error, and experience - and lots of testing!

If I'm above early 7s (roughly) I usually correct, then delay my meal until I'm lower, then bolus as normal and eat.
 
jharding said:
I thought the advice was around 10-15 minutes before a meal.
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That's an approximation. It varies for each person and also depends what insulin you're using :)

As with everything, whatever works for,you :)
 
wannabemammy said:
When you say bolus in advance, say my bs was 4.5 before a meal and the meal I'm having needs 4 units of novarapid, how far in advance would you bolus for it? I'm always afraid I'll hypo when it's that low and I bolus too far in advance!
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Also be mindful of the meal you are eating when bolusing in advance, if it's one that is high in fat then your insulin may work faster than the digestion of your food, for many of us we would either bolus just before eating such a meal or split-dose.

It's really trial & error and you do learn from experience how far ahead you should bolus for individual meals.
 
noblehead said:
Also be mindful of the meal you are eating when bolusing in advance, if it's one that is high in fat then your insulin may work faster than the digestion of your food, for many of us we would either bolus just before eating such a meal or split-dose.

It's really trial & error and you do learn form experience how far ahead you should bolus for individual meals.
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A personal example of this for me would be batter vs chocolate.

I pre-bolused 30 mins prior to having battered fish for lunch. I spiked from 4.5 to 12.5 before returning to 5.8 just over an hour later.

I went bananas last night and ate a family sized bag of M&M's. I bolused right before eating and didn't go above 9mmol.

My fish was 50g carbs and the M&M's around 100g. It just goes to show the impact that fat can have on our BGL.

As @noblehead said, it's entirely individual and something you'll work out through trial and error:)
 
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