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Estimate Hba1c From Own Readings

M

macdeut

Active Member
Messages
37
Location
caithness
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, been testing my bloods first thing and before and 2 he after food for a few weeks now. Is there a way to estimate what my next hba1c reading could be? I don't expect it to be spot on as I realise the limitations of testing at times at home but wanted to check I was going in the right direction.
Thanks
 
macdeut said:
Hi, been testing my bloods first thing and before and 2 he after food for a few weeks now. Is there a way to estimate what my next hba1c reading could be? I don't expect it to be spot on as I realise the limitations of testing at times at home but wanted to check I was going in the right direction.
Thanks
Click to expand...
I did it by using the converter thing on here and just simply putting in Hb1AC numbers until the mmol/l number corresponded to what my average for that day had been....I am, like you, aware it will not be accurate but it can spur you a little bit :)
 
Thanks for your replies. Sorry miss Mac I don't understand what you did and where to find the converter.
 
Mine was higher than predicted. Even if you test a lot you are only getting glimpses and if you are testing 2 hours after meals you are almost certainly missing the high points. You can find converters online to get an estimate but it will almost certainly be off.
 
Try the mySugr app. Once you have input enough readings it will calculate an HbA1c. However, accuracy depends on whether you have captured your highs and lows. It estimated mine as 5.4 against a measured 5.1 which I didn't think was too bad as I think my meter reads slightly high.

Regards

Bluebell
 
My meter will calculate various averages over 7, 14, 30 and 90 days, which I actually find moire useful than my HbA1c for seeing how I'm doing, as I can set targets for myself. However I do sometimes use our diabetes.co.uk converter - see @Avocado Sevenfold's link - with (usually) my 90 day averages to obtain a guestimate, which is always a little higher than predicted - one of the reasons being, as someone's already mentioned, that I don't generally catch any spikes, which I tend to get an hour after eating. So I'd probably do better to test regularly then rather than at 2 hours as I do currently.

Robbity
 
hba1c-chart.jpg
 
It's impossible to predict accurately without a continuous blood monitoring device, unless you test every 15 minutes 24/7. Or at the very least know more or less when your peaks will be after eating. My peaks on my diet are normally about 90 minutes after first bite. You also need to know how long you are higher after a meal - in other words, how long it takes you to return to base. The area under the curve is what matters.

Personally, I know I am a high glycator, which means my HbA1c will always be higher than any predicted level no matter how often I test. It also depends on your haemoglobin levels and sizes of red blood cells. There are also low glycators whose HbA1c will always be lower than predicted. It is never an exact science.
 
Yeah I know it won't be accurate but it's "nice" to see for yourself even if it is for that day in my honest opinion or maybe that is my control thing, either or, I am expecting my Hb1AC to be a bit higher but at least I have some nice figures to shove in their faces and ask them how they expect me to know when they don't even recommend testing..if that makes any sense! For me it was just nice to know..I don't advocate it will be anywhere near accurate but there would be something seriously wrong if all my testing is between 5-7 and I suddenly get a huge Hb1AC..again not sure that makes sense! lol. I'll blame it on the heat..yup gonna be british and moan it's too hot!! lol
 
Sometimes blood glucose takes a short or medium term upward or downward trend with no obvious changes in diet, micro managing type 2 with diet isn't always easy and you have to keep your focus very firmly on the long game.
HBa1C is in theory a 3 month overview of blood glucose level but it is biased towards the most recent month.
 
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