HbA1c Test result advice

[Kimmy22]

hi I just got my HbA1c result today it is 89. Can anyone tell me if that is good or bad I have been type 2 for just over 5 weeks and my cholesterol is 5.6 the doctor has spoke on upping my metformin to 2 tabs twice daily along with gliclazine but I am having a lot of stomache problems with the metformin

Thank you for any advice

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi,

It isn't good, I'm afraid. It means you have been averaging 13.8mmol/l over the previous 2 to 3 months. (The units shown on our home meters) http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-units-converter.html

Your best bet is to try to control this by adjusting your diet. Can you tell us what sort of foods you typically eat every day? Maybe we can then help you.

 

[Totto]

Hi Kimmy22 a HbA1c that high isn't too good. Metformin is known to cause tummy problems but sometimes it levels out. There is also a slow release version of it that can be easier to tolerate.

Many of us with diabetes T2 manage quite well on reduced carbs and a higher fat intake. Do have a look around the forums. There is a low carb part if you are interested. Low carbing can reduce HbA1c rapidly.

 

[Kimmy22]

I have managed to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks I have been diagnosed my food intake really stays the same. Porridge for breakie small mug of soup and a. Meat and tomatoe sannie. For lunch dinner wholemeal pasta bolognes with 4 small meat balls that is all except water

 

[Mongolia]

For your HbA1c, below 43 is in the 'normal' range, 43 - 47 is pre-diabetic and above 47 is diabetic. This link may be useful:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html
For your cholesterol you need to ask for a break down to show HDL (good cholesterol) and non-HDL (everything else - bad cholesterol). Total cholesterol is fairly meaningless. Have a read of this http://heartuk.org.uk/health-and-high-cholesterol/cholesterol-tests---know-your-number
Ask your doctor or diabetic nurse for a break down. At the moment though your first priority is to get your blood sugar levels down as and HbA1c of 89 is pretty high. Have you been given a meter to test your levels? If not it would be a really good idea to get one so you can test before and 2 hours after eating to see what affects your levels. Keep a food diary. Your levels 2 hours after eating should be no more than 2mmol/l more than before eating. You are aiming for a level of 4 - 7mmol/l before eating. Sorry if you know this already!
Please ask more questions, people here are great with advice.

 

[Mongolia]

I have managed to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks I have been diagnosed my food intake really stays the same. Porridge for breakie small mug of soup and a. Meat and tomatoe sannie. For lunch dinner wholemeal pasta bolognes with 4 small meat balls that is all except water

A number of people have found adopting a low carbohydrate / full fat diet has made a huge difference to achieving blood sugar levels within 'normal' range. Looking at what you are eating, a LCHF diet for many people would exclude porridge, bread and pasta as these would cause unacceptable spikes in blood sugar levels. Tomatoes can also affect some people. Testing your levels is the best way to know whether these things affect you.

 

[Totto]

I have managed to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks I have been diagnosed my food intake really stays the same. Porridge for breakie small mug of soup and a. Meat and tomatoe sannie. For lunch dinner wholemeal pasta bolognes with 4 small meat balls that is all except water

Pasta and porridge are really high in carbs so likely to increase your BG. Do you test? Testing before and after a meal is a brilliant way to take control. The only way to actually know how different food stuff affects your BG.

 

[Lamont D]

I have managed to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks I have been diagnosed my food intake really stays the same. Porridge for breakie small mug of soup and a. Meat and tomatoe sannie. For lunch dinner wholemeal pasta bolognes with 4 small meat balls that is all except water

The reason why you are getting those results is the amount of carbs you are eating, not the amount of actual food!
My blood glucose levels would rocket eating porridge, bread, pasta, the soup is probably from a can and would contain production sugars and small amounts of potato!

Have a read of the low carb forum, for ideas and recipes.

 

[Kimmy22]

Thank you all for the great advice I will read the links as I'm still running blind at the moment as I'm trying to deal with asthma that I was diagnosed the same day I don't have a meter at the moment can anyone advice on a good one to get?

 

[Kimmy22]

I'm a lil confused as I seen the diabetes nurse and she told me porridge is good for me as well at oat cakes with Salt then sugar and told me if I have pasta which is very rare to make it whole meal. Reading the responds I'm guessing she was wrong I will look at the menus

 

[Bluetit1802]

I have managed to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks I have been diagnosed my food intake really stays the same. Porridge for breakie small mug of soup and a. Meat and tomatoe sannie. For lunch dinner wholemeal pasta bolognes with 4 small meat balls that is all except water

Well done on the weight loss. That's brilliant. However, as the others have said, you are eating too many carbs. All carbs convert to glucose once inside the system, so it makes sense that we shouldn't eat too many of them. Some are worse than others. The main culprits are potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and cereals (including porridge).

I suggest you consider getting a meter if you don't already have one, then you can see for yourself what your meals are doing to your levels.

Please have a good read round and ask questions.

 

[Mongolia]

I would ask your doctor or diabetic nurse to provide you with a meter and test strips as they can be expensive. If they don't then try the Codefree meter http://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-Glucose-Monitor-Monitoring-Testing/dp/B0068JAJFS as the test strips are the cheapest. Most people learn to ignore the advice about eating from the diabetic nurse! The NHS advice is all about eating carbs with every meal and the 'eatwell' plate. I would suggest doing lots of reading on this forum, taking the NHS advice with a pinch of salt and working out what works for you to get your BS levels down. Keep asking questions!

 

[Kimmy22]

Thank you very everyone you have been very helpful

 

[Bluetit1802]

Please come back to ask questions, and let us know how you are going on.

 

[Kimmy22]

I will thank you it's just learning the dos and dints

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Welcome, I agree with all of the above. Just want to add that increasing the amount of leafy green veges you eat will be good for you too. Some veges are low-carb and others are higher in carbs. As long as you are careful about which veges you eat, it's good to eat lots of them.

 

[uart]

I'm a lil confused as I seen the diabetes nurse and she told me porridge is good for me as well at oat cakes with Salt then sugar and told me if I have pasta which is very rare to make it whole meal. Reading the responds I'm guessing she was wrong I will look at the menus

Yes unfortunately this is very much a typical situation. I truly believe that many health professionals just don't understand how difficult it can be for some of us to control type 2 diabetes by diet alone. I think the problem originates from the old myth that T2 diabetes is totally self inflicted, and hence that you must have had a truly shocking diet to get into your current state (even if you didn't). I know that this was the case in how I was treated when diagnosed.

So they believe that if you just follow a traditionally healthy diet, even if it is moderately high in carbs, that it will straighten you right out. And then if you don't improve they simply think that you are not following the recommend diet properly, not that their diet isn't working for you. For me it went on for years like this without really getting effective treatment, in my opinion due to this disbelief of certain health professionals. It was incredibly frustrating as the DN just continually told me to eat what I was already eating, although apparently she didn't believe that this was indeed what I was already eating. They would just kind of shake their collective heads in disbelief when I mentioned it.

Anyway, luckily I found this site, and a LCHF diet which finally worked for me. To sum up my current diet very briefly, I had to eat less carbs and more fat. And that finally "fixed" it.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I reversed my type 2 diabetes following this advice: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Good luck!

 

[uart]

That's a good link NoCrbs4Me. I really like the picture of the foods at the top of the first page. That one picture summarizes really well what my current diet is like.

 

[Bewildered]

hi I just got my HbA1c result today it is 89. Can anyone tell me if that is good or bad I have been type 2 for just over 5 weeks and my cholesterol is 5.6 the doctor has spoke on upping my metformin to 2 tabs twice daily along with gliclazine but I am having a lot of stomache problems with the metformin

Thank you for any advice

Hi, i had a quick skim read of the responses above, so I just want to pick up on the new prescription of gliclazide. I had a HbA1c of 88 a few months back and I was on Metformin Sr 2g, so my doctor added gliclazide. I then changed my eating habits and lowered my carbs so having the extra medication then gave me some hypo's. So I dropped the gliclizide within a couple of weeks, I am now only on Metformin and my changes in eating and weight loss have just given me a HbA1c of 42, which is in normal limits.

Please take a good look around the forum and also the information people have posted above, be cautious that if you suddenly drop the porridge, bread and pasta while on both medications you should keep a check on your levels. I found that porridge gave me a reading of 18.8mmols 3 hours after eating, and my diabetic nurse told me that was fine, well clearly it is not fine and I miss my porridge in the morning as it is so easy, but today I had scrambled egg and bacon.

Keep reading and asking questions here, remember we are all giving our own experiences and this is something you probably won't get from a diabetic nurse. It's early days for you, it will be fine, just keep inquisitive.
Best wishes.
Karen