Hb1ac - what does it mean?

Robyn@29

Robyn@29

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
What is it and what does it mean other than "a summary of the last three months..." I just had my first results back and I got a reading of 6.0 or 42,
Any help digesting what this means would be great thanks
 
GrantGam

GrantGam

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,603
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Robyn@29 said:
What is it and what does it mean other than "a summary of the last three months..." I just had my first results back and I got a reading of 6.0 or 42,
Any help digesting what this means would be great thanks
Click to expand...
In short, it's a measurement of how much glucose is stuck to proteins in your blood. Hb is haemoglobin (blood) and A1c is the protein.

42 is very good by the way, providing you're not having regular hypos - you are doing very, very well:)

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

Out of interest, when were you diagnosed and what was your initial HbA1c?
 
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Robyn@29

Robyn@29

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Well I do have quite a lot of hypos, but it's always when I'm at work, I'm in the process of working them out of my daily routine... lol I'm lowering my levemir and knocking a unit off breakfast and lunch when I'm working :) I'm getting there :) my hypos are always self reversed, I never need someone else's help or hospitalisation. :)
And thank you for the info
 
Robyn@29

Robyn@29

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
GrantGam1337 said:
In short, it's a measurement of how much glucose is stuck to proteins in your blood. Hb is haemoglobin (blood) and A1c is the protein.

42 is very good by the way, providing you're not having regular hypos - you are doing very, very well:)

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

Out of interest, when were you diagnosed and what was your initial HbA1c?
Click to expand...
I was diagnosed in the beginning of October. And I don't know my Hb1ac but I know my BG was just over 40... I could find out at my next appointment. I also know I was at 6.8 on the 16th December... :)
 
GrantGam

GrantGam

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,603
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Robyn@29 said:
I was diagnosed in the beginning of October. And I don't know my Hb1ac but I know my BG was just over 40... I could find out at my next appointment. I also know I was at 6.8 on the 16th December... :)
Click to expand...
Well you're making very good progress and I'm sure your diabetes team will be as impressed as everyone reading this thread!

Your BG was >40mmol/l?! Wow!

It's always good to keep track of your HbA1c results. It's more or less the best marker for your progress as a diabetic. The first HbA1c is kind of irrelevant as it was obviously before insulin therapy began, but it's one of those things that's good to know as you can truly mark your progress from when things were at their worst:)
 
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