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Hba1c
- Thread starter Hannah325
- Start Date
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Hannah325
Hello Hannah and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 220,000 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:
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 free 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello Hannah and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
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 220,000 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
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 free 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hiya. That isn't too bad a score for being recently diagnosed- better than mine! I'm 16, and have been diagnosed for 3 months almost. About a week after diagnosis my hba1c was 148. It's slowly coming down, currently at 72, but still some way to go! I wish you luck in getting in down correctly
x
x
- Messages
- 4,818
- Location
- sunny north wales
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
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- Pump
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- mean people , gardening , dishonest people , and war.
why can't everyone get on........
Hi Hannah
as you are only 6 weeks since diagnosis the most important things are to :
be kind to yourself
test a lot ( and keep records ) - this will help your Diabetes nurse to help you in making adjustments to your treatment
get the book -- think Like a Pancreas-- this will help you loads in understanding.
keep talking to us on here -- there are loads of great people who have been through what you are experiencing and can help with any queries you have.
61 as an HbA1c is not bad for your first 6 weeks -- try not to worry about it.
all the best !
as you are only 6 weeks since diagnosis the most important things are to :
be kind to yourself
test a lot ( and keep records ) - this will help your Diabetes nurse to help you in making adjustments to your treatment
get the book -- think Like a Pancreas-- this will help you loads in understanding.
keep talking to us on here -- there are loads of great people who have been through what you are experiencing and can help with any queries you have.
61 as an HbA1c is not bad for your first 6 weeks -- try not to worry about it.
all the best !
rockape37
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 351
- Location
- Kettering, Northamptonshire
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
- Dislikes
- Over the top political correctness
Hi Hannah, Your only 6 weeks in and your doing fine
A hbA1c of 61 is pretty good really so no need to worry. This test is done to see how well your control is over a 3 month period.
I suspect that in another couple of months time when another test is done you will see an even better result.
Your current result well, some type 1 diabetics would kill for that.
Regards
Martin
Snapsy
Well-Known Member
Ditto everything!
@Hannah325 take one day at a time. Gather support - from here, from family and friends - and test, test, test. Ask questions. Although this is a big deal, it is dealable with. And although you haven't mentioned it, I just want to say that if it feels overwhelming now, just 6 weeks in, that is reasonable and normal. It will get easier.
Take care, and like @himtoo says, be kind to yourself.
Love Snapsy
PS I like Guinness, too......
- Messages
- 9,291
- Location
- Worcestershire
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
- Dislikes
- Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
Hey @Hannah325 It's good that you are interested to know about your HbA1c but please bear in mind that your first one will always be slightly elevated due to the time you were undiagnosed beforehand, it's an average of the last 3 months, it's better to start working on your HbA1c after time spent taking insulin as this is a good guide to tell you if your taking the right doses and whether tweaks needs to be made.
Take each day as it comes, please let us know how you are getting on and shout if you need support, that's what we are here to help with
Take each day as it comes, please let us know how you are getting on and shout if you need support, that's what we are here to help with
