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hba1c too high

intentionally said:
Hi
I am trying to get my hba1c levels down as I would like to try for a baby soon. does anyone have any good advice??? I am type 1 on a pump
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Hi @intentionally Do you carb count? I stuck to a fixed carb regime for over 40 years (admittedly high amounts by today's standards, but it did the job. The crucial thing is not to eat carbs irregularly, space meals out (avoid snacking or grazing if possible) and to try to stick to the same amounts. I ended up with an HbA1c of 5.7 having had the book thrown at me in 1979! Good luck!
 
Hi there,

I would investigate my local pre pregnancy clinic for women with diabetes. Sometimes run at GP surgery, sometimes within hospital clinics. You can self refer to them. They are great for support whilst lowering HbA1c, and do other stuff to prepare you for pregnancy like checking kidney function and eyes. Don't forget that you need to get high dose folic acid from GP - 5mgs - not available over the counter. You need to take it for 3 months before you get pregnant.

A lot of stuff is being done by virtual clinics at the minute, but still very worthwhile.

Hope this helps x
 
Hello,
I am type 1 (not on a pump) and also trying to get my hba1c down for this reason.
Here are a few tips I've found useful

  • I make sure my bloodsugar is right first thing in the morning. Overnight is a long time to be high!

  • I do my insulin 10 minutes before eating my breakfast. I do this as soon as I can after waking up, because my bloodsugars start rising quite quickly in the morning.

  • I check my bloodsugars 2 or 3 hours after eating but if they are slightly high, I do not do insulin. It takes 4 hours for them to stop going down after eating.
    I have been diabetic all my life and constantly made the mistake of doing more insulin two hours afterwards because I was high, and then going low later, and then bouncing up and down all day. The diabetic specialist told me that you will go slightly high for a while after eating and not to worry about it.

  • The best thing I have done to help myself is write down my bloodsugars before eating, write down what I eat and how much insulin I did, and then writing them down again 4 hours later. Even though I've been diabetic for 28 years (all my life) this has made a big difference. I am starting to understand precisely how much insulin to do for different foods.
My average insulin
- 18 units of lantus
- 5 units for breakfast (2 toast or 2 bananas)
- 7 units for lunch (something like pasta)
- 4 units for dinner (potatoes or pasta)
 
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