• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

HbA1c shock

berylc

Well-Known Member
Messages
785
Location
Scotland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
When people who know nothing about the LCHF diet tell me I'm killing myself being on it. I was killing myself not being on it!
I knew I hadn't been good, various reasons, so comfort eating. But latest HbA1c 88 18 months ago 54

Cholesterol 6.6 mmol, previously 6.1
HDL 1.31, previously 1.21
LDL 3.9 previously 4.6
Triglycerides 3.0 previously 1.3

I have been taking 1 x 1mgGlimepiride daily.
Now on 1x 10mg Empagliflozin daily

Nurse wants me to take 1 x 10mg Atorvastatin.
I'm back on the LCHF diet which helped me to greatly reduce my levels across the board in the past. But after a change of job to one that that I didn't enjoy things slipped. Now I'm retired I'm back in full control again.
I have to have another full blood test in a month. So will hang off the statin for now, back taking my plant sterol.
Any other advice folk?
The nurse gave me a machine to test my BS After years of asking, I got one without asking. In the end I refused to tell them my BS reading. New nurse, new brush
 
berylc said:
I have to have another full blood test in a month.
Click to expand...
Hba1c is an average over 3 months, so a retest in a month may not show much change
Also, go fasted for your test. Although they will say it isn't needed for the test, it does have an effect on cholesterol and lipids, and if you get into the habit of going fasted it will give consistency .
 
I was told no fasting by the new nurse practitioner, thought it was odd. Will certainly fast for the next test. She wants to see if the new meds work. But will not be taking the stations yet.
 
I was caught out by the "we don't ask people to fast now" and the results -total 7 - "we don't give a cholesterol breakdown now" were used to try and force me onto statins. I managed to get a stay of execution by explaining I had had 8 weeks of steroids following 2 lots of surgery and so it would be a waste of NHS resources to test me before their effects had worn off. Honestly, you have to be so quick on your feet nowadays!

Personally and in no way should be taken as advice to anyone else, I won't be taking statins.
 


Hi Beryl

I am new to Type 2 - diagnosed about 3 months ago. However, I am not new to Atorvastatin. I started taking 20mg per day back in April 2017 when my total cholesterol was 7.2 and have taken it ever since. My total cholesterol now is 3.01 with a ratio of 2.4. Three cheers for Atorvastatin from me. When I have had a few aches and pains I have sometimes wondered if the drug was responsible but in over 5 years I can't recall any symptoms that were significant or long lasting. My total cholesterol was just over 4 before I was diagnosed with Type 2 but a better diet and more exercise has brought it down further.

HbA1c levels can come down faster than the medics let on - see below.

Best wishes for getting back on track.

Dave

Age 64
HbA1c:
61 - 09 May
58 - 18 May T2 diagnosis confirmed
46 - 13 Jun
41 - 12 Jul
 
berylc said:
I was told no fasting by the new nurse practitioner, thought it was odd. Will certainly fast for the next test. She wants to see if the new meds work. But will not be taking the stations yet.
Click to expand...
12-14 hours water only will get you the "cleanest" results.
 
It's amazing how many of us are a) told not to test and b) told not to fast before our HbA1c tests. Years ago when I first got diagnosed they stressed the importance of water only for several hours before the test, usually nothing after midnight. Plus as my old doctor said, how does a person know what their BG is doing without testing??? Sometimes the old ones know best

I've also been taking Atorvastatin for several years and I haven't had any side affects either. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol a couple of years or so before becoming diabetic.

Hopefully you'll get your HbA1c numbers down now you're getting back on track with your LCHF diet
 
Absolutely agree
 
You do not need to fast for HbA1c but you do if having a full panel test including lipids. I'm booked in for a full panel test on Wednesday so will be fasting for it.
 

No need to fast pre HbA1c.
It's an "average" of the past 3 months blood sugar levels.

It's cholesterol testing that requires being fasted to get a decent result.
 
For me, I always go fasted as they often throw in tests I wasn't expecting.
At least this way I have all bases covered and know its from a consistent point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…