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HbA1c

B

Bel_B

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi...I have managed to get down to an Hb1 of 5.9 after a year long struggle and I was wondering what people thought I should be aiming for? My GP is very happy with 5.9, and at the moment I seem to have hit a plateau....is it reasonable to hope for lower or should I be aiming at keeping this value constant? Thanks in advance :D
 
How do you know you've hit a plateau? the usual interval for HbA1c tests is 6 monthly.
5.9% is excellent,entitles you to membership of the 5% club, which is where most of us want to be.
Most doctors are delighted with anything under 7%, because so few diabetics get there.[not on this forum though. We buck the trend] Some doctors try to tell you that under 6 is too low. That's RUBBISH!!
Nationwide fewer than half of all diabetics hit below the targets.
An average non-diabetic Hba1c is 5.1% as determined by one of tthe meter manufacturers. The ideal is probably nearer 4.5%. Bernstein is now talking about 4.2% as a target.
It seems to me that aiming for anything less rigorous than ideal is daft. That doesn't mean that we can all achieve it, but why aim anywhere else?
 
Since you're on the 5% bench, why not hit on a couple of tweaks to your meals or to amount of exercise and simply do them for the next 3 months (or 6 if that's when you next get tested - me, I shall ask in 3 months) and then relax. It will either go lower or not. Stress won't help, and at least you know you've pushed away possible complications for the time being. Well, that's what I'm planning to do now I've just had my first three-monthly back. I'm thinking the next three months of this routine might well be more boring, but I guess we're in it for life. Good luck with whatever you choose. I think the rewards go to the distance runners in this sport, so I'm hoping I'll qualify!
DG
 
ham
You CAN do something about that
Hana
 
Getting there docs and dsn's want me to take it slowish having problems with my nerves going cold turkey
 
Thank you for the replies. I have had two tests done in the last four months, both 5.9...at the beginning of the year over 9! I have lost over 3st this year too and this seems to have reached a plateau too. I am on Metformin 500mg x 2, plus other drugs for BP which has been very high but coming down now too and changed to a low carb diet after over three years of following the dietician's advice! I am still getting stick from my GP but know what I am doing works for me....luckily she still prescibes enough test strips although I don't test so much now. I guess I'll have a rethink about my diet to see if anything could be changed to help move things along a bit...ideally I'd like to lose another stone and maybe get down to 5.0
 
At the risk of sounding a bit thick (only a bit??) can someone tell me; is HbA1c just another term for BG?

I test myself (probably nowhere near as often as i ought to) and the last one showed as 6.7 which i take it is the BG figure. Is it also the HbA1c figure that so many on here speak about?
 
osbornet said:
At the risk of sounding a bit thick (only a bit??) can someone tell me; is HbA1c just another term for BG?

I test myself (probably nowhere near as often as i ought to) and the last one showed as 6.7 which i take it is the BG figure. Is it also the HbA1c figure that so many on here speak about?
Click to expand...

Don't worry people, i've googled it!
 
Hi,Everyone, today is the 1st anniversary of the rest of my life as a T2,just had my latest hba1c and it was 6.7 . when i phoned up for my results they told me it was 8 ( wow,really P***d me off) turns out they tested my blood glucose and this was the disparity,found out when i finally got to see the DN,my fasting test said 8.4 at 05.00 when i got up. reasonably pleased with this ( hba1c)as have had to battle a bit with high am readings due to 'liver dumps' which is probably down to the time between last mel and getting up , 9/10 hours although i did try snacking and it did not help,i could be 5.2 at 3am and in the 8's by 05.30. over the past year have played around with various meds and am currently doing Metformin 4 x 500 mg SR as the other had problems which i only get occasionally now. Gliclazide 40mg at night, starlix 3 x 60mg during day and top up if i am eating more carbs . simavastatin 80mg at night.
My weight has stayed fairly constant and wavers between 14 - 15 stone which GP wants me to get down a bit but is taking time to do that , tried cutting down portions,got hungry and ate more ( snack)
Last year i was 9.8 and my cholesterol was 4.9
this year i am 6.7 and cholesterol is 4 - up slightly from 3 months ago as i was 3.3
trigs 1.43 hdl 1.28 and ldl 2.06 good coming up and bad going down
so i got a 'gold star'for being in control ,lol buut my biggest problemis that by the time i get home at night ,i am shatteredand ready for bed by 9 pm
I am getting better ( lower ) readings in am 7.2, 6.3,, 7.0 over last few days and over the day getting down in the 5's by the time i come home,start cooking and eat 7 - 7.30 pm. still watching the pots ,rice and pasta haven't totally cut them out.Recently signed up for a 'veg box' which has given me celeriac, artichokes and mooli with really fresh veg and fruit so tried them and quite liked them and didn't do my BG any harm either. So,quite positive at the moment apart from tiredness,
but that could be down to where i work as it is quite hot and stuffy , 20C, I get up at 05.30 and bed at 9pm and out like a light for a fewhours before i get up for the loo, 02.30 and sometimes can't get back off to sleep for a while. Any body else get this? May thanks for all the help andsupport i have had over the past year,Mano :D :D
 
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