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Hba1c Question

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claire1979

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I got my hba1c results back yesterday it was at 11 the doctor did say it was high, what im asking is does the 11 mean thats the average that my sugars are at within the last three months? im not quite sure.
 
An HbA1c level of 11% would work out at around 15mmol/l as an average daily level which is very high. :(

Here is a link to a simple explanation of HbA1c which might help explain things:

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/prevent ... _hba1c.htm

Any qustions just ask.

How often do you test and when ?
 
Oh I just read your other post Claire, I see you've just been diagnosed. Personally if I were you I wouldn't be too worried about the high reading then, it is measuring what you blood sugar was over the last 3 months while you've had untreated diabetes, just concentrate on getting the readings down now you've started treatment.
 
claire1979 said:
I got my hba1c results back yesterday it was at 11 the doctor did say it was high, what im asking is does the 11 mean thats the average that my sugars are at within the last three months? im not quite sure.
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Hi Claire1979
An HBa1C of 11 is higher than most health care professionals would normally expect. On average we are told we should be aiming to keep below 7. If the Doctor has not already recommended a way to reduce this, can I suggest that you make an appointment to go back and see him, and ask as many questions as you need to, to enable yourself to be sure exactly what you need to do to correct this reading for the future.
I have been diabetic for over 50 years and found that the thing that helped me the most was to go on a D.A.F.N.E. course. This is a Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating course. These are not available in all areas but I'm sure if you ask and try and explain how it has been suggested, that it could help prevent any further problems,that your Doctor may be able to get you enrolled on a course in your area.
Best of luck.
Frankie W.
 
Quite right but hopefully you will get those numbers down with a little help from the Forum.

Here is the basic information which Ken and I give to help new Diabetics learn about Diabetes and how to start controlling it.

DAFNE courses are only available for Type 1 Diabetics but there are courses specially for Type 2's. Ask your Doctor/HCP if there are any in your area.


Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.
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my doctor his arranging a appointment with a dietician, he uped my meds yesterday and said i will more than likley need upping next week and then there will become a time ill need insulin.

i have oredered some diabetic cook books and i have been reading up on how to cut carbs which i have already started trying to do...my sigars are still high but only been taking my meds for a week so hopefully they will be better in a few weeks.
 
Upping medication and going on to Insulin is NOT inevitable !

If you start to take control by regulating your diet and cutting down the amount of carbs you eat you may find that the medication you are already on will be enough.

Be careful with Diabetic cook books, they all seem to be aimed at 'Healthy eating' this is not always the best for Diabetics. Get a good Carb counter book and a set of digital scales with a Tare function and you can work on your normal recipes substituting ingredients etc.
 
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