Hba1c Result

Newyorker said:

Hi everyone,

Just got my Hba1c result and it is 56, it that awful??

Thanks!

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56mmol/mol is not awful at all. You should find it easy enough to reduce to non-diabetic figures. Many on here had twice that level.

Newyorker said:

Hi everyone,

Just got my Hba1c result and it is 56, it that awful??

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I visited my doctor yesterday who said that my Hba1c at 61 was ok for the "long haul" so I reckon 56 is pretty darn good

If you want to put your results in context, there is some useful information here:https://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

In fact, there is lots of useful information on the diabetes.co.uk website in addition to the amazing forum members.
It's like having a diabetes reference library at your finger tips

Newyorker said:

Thanks everyone! Feeling slightly better about it! My diabetes nurse made it sound like I will have to go on insulin next if not much lower!!

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Goodness me. Insulin is a long way off, and it may never happen.

Newyorker said:

Hi everyone,

Just got my Hba1c result and it is 56, it that awful??

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Mine was 97 on diagnosis and many on here were in the 100s club! I did take Metformin initially but no longer need to having achieved a hbaca1 of 30 with my way of eating no pills for past 7 months and definitely no progression to insulin. You can do it if you look at what you eat and test your bloods to see what food works for you ie dosent raise your glucose too much. I’ll tag @daisy1 for more information as notice you are a recent member.
Edit apologies just checked and you’ve been a member for longer than me apologies! I was diagnosed in 2015 which note is when you joined.

most can get the number down in the normal level if they count their amounts of carbs in total in their food daily, try to go under 150 grams of carbs in a day or even lower like under 100grams ,
in the scheme below you can read of the normal levels of blood glucose, note that only the green area is the truely non-diabetic level.
Initially I also was higher like you but when I learned to count the grams of carbs I found the culprit of controlling diabetes type 2 which is to go much lower in carb consumsion

Hi @Newyorker 56 is not that bad, mine was 82 six weeks ago and have had it as high as 114! You can soon get that down with low carbs. Are you on any meds?

Newyorker said:

Yes, I am on metformin, glicazide and linagliptin. She wanted to put me another medication (forget the name) but when I saw the side effects, I declined! I am sure she is going to try to get me on something else!

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Have you thought of changing your diet.? With all that medication your HbA1c could be lower, and then who knows, maybe you can drop some of the meds.

Newyorker said:

Yes, I am on metformin, glicazide and linagliptin. She wanted to put me another medication (forget the name) but when I saw the side effects, I declined! I am sure she is going to try to get me on something else!

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All that for an HbA1c of 56 - seems over kill - did they give a reason why a triple solution

andcol said:

All that for an HbA1c of 56 - seems over kill - did they give a reason why a triple solution

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But we don't know what the A1c would be without these meds if the diet remained the same...... Also a low dose of 2 or 3 meds sometimes give less site effects then a high dose of one med.

andcol said:

All that for an HbA1c of 56 - seems over kill - did they give a reason why a triple solution

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The OP was first diagnosed in 2015, so maybe his levels used to be much higher.

Newyorker said:

Yes, I am on metformin, glicazide and linagliptin. She wanted to put me another medication (forget the name) but when I saw the side effects, I declined! I am sure she is going to try to get me on something else!

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I'm on Metformin and Glicazide but looking to reduce them soon. I started the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) eating regime on 30th April after my last visit for bloods. I was told that if I don't do something I will be on injections! My weight was 157Kg Blood Glucose 16.6. I started doing 18/6 fasting no food after 20.00 till 14.00 next day. Only black tea, coffee, water and vitamin water during fast. I also reduced carbs to less than 15 -20% a day. After first month my weight was down to 148.6Kg, 8.4kg loss and bloods 7.0. I've now reduced carbs to less than 10% (running at 4-6gms at the moment), Bg is way down (running between 3.7 and 5.0). Got another weigh in at end of month and then full bloods in 2 months. I would suggest you get a blood glucose meter so that you can keep an eye on things. Also what foods "spike" you. I will tag @Bluetit1802 as she has links to Bg meters. There is also a thread in the forum "Low Carb Diets" and one "What have you eaten today" they will give you some ideas as to what you can have to eat. I would also advise having a look on you tube at Dr Jason Fung and his video's on fasting, very interesting.
You are in the right place for help, advice and support so any questions just ask away. Good luck on whatever path you take

Terrytiddy said:

I would suggest you get a blood glucose meter so that you can keep an eye on things. Also what foods "spike" you. I will tag @Bluetit1802 as she has links to Bg meters.

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Hi @Newyorker

Have you got your own blood glucose meter? I am assuming you have with being on Gliclazide. If not, let us know and we can help you with one. They are an essential tool for guiding us with suitable food choices.

@Newyorker

Hello Newyorker and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you want and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

Bluetit1802 said:

56mmol/mol is not awful at all. You should find it easy enough to reduce to non-diabetic figures. Many on here had twice that level.

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Mines only 9.2

You can eat bacon ,it has protein in it ,i have been eating it and still lost weight

But forget the bread with it ,but you can have a egg with it or fried mushrooms