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HbA1c

jwilki

jwilki

Active Member
Messages
31
Location
Kolossi, Cyprus
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Can anyone please advise.
I live & work in Cyprus and to get the HbA1c test costs over here.
I understand I can get a meter that will allow me to do this test myself at home.
My questons are: Is this true? If so can anyone recommend meter and where I can purchase one from.
Latest HbA1c 7.5% 12/11/2009
 
jwilki said:
Can anyone please advise.
I live & work in Cyprus and to get the HbA1c test costs over here.
I understand I can get a meter that will allow me to do this test myself at home.
My questons are: Is this true? If so can anyone recommend meter and where I can purchase one from.
Latest HbA1c 7.5% 12/11/2009
Click to expand...


Not sure how much the HbA1c test costs where you are ? However, as far as I know the testing of HbA1c at home is usually done with a kit that you mail in and get the results by e-mail. A Home Meter is not available here in the UK unless you have several thousand pounds to spare. Last time I spoke with a drug company/medical equipment manufacturer she told me, that is just the initial costs (about £7000) then there is the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment. Your own Bg meter probably has a 30 - 90 day average which in my experience is a pretty accurate guide. So it appears to be mail order kits or deep pockets...... :wink:
 
You can buy an a1cNow kit from the States, which has I think ten tests in it (with a use-by date) and will cost around £100 on ebay - you see them from time to time. They have to be kept in the fridge and and each individual test kit put at room temp for one hour before use. Not sure if a link to the manufacturer is allowed - but you can search for a1cNow on your browser anyway. It comes up with a dot com website (big clue that!)
Hope that helps.
DG
 
I bought a single use HbA1C test in the UK which seemed to work well, but you would need to be able to post it to the lab within a certain timescale for analysis which might not work from Cyprus.
 
If you have friends in the US, you could ask them to post you some A1cNow disposable kits. Walgreen's pharmacy sells the A1cNow kit (includes 2 tests) for $29.99 which works out at about £9 a test.

We are not supposed to put commercial sites up here but if you google 'Walgreen's' and then look at their Diabetes section it lists the kit.

You do the tests and get the results at home so you don't have to send the A1c test away anywhere so it would be more convenient for you.

Goji
 
HI,
If your blood sugars are still erratic as you posted previously, be wary of relying on the Hba1c test. It's only an average,not a true picture of good control. While I was on Lantus I had daily fluctuations of 2 - 15, and many times in the 20s. However the highest Hba1c result during the 4 years was only 7.1. My consultant still had the cheek to write 'good control' in my notes, despite me telling her of the fluctuations! I resolved this with a formal complaint to the hospital.
An Hba1c result is only worth anything if you have good stable daily control. My meter has 7,14 and 30 day averages, and my current average is somewhere near 6.5 for all, and as my control is always in single figures -except for the odd ****-up. I couldn't care less now what my Hba1c result is, but of course it will be 6.something.
Blood sugars should be around 4 before meals and not rise higher than 8 after meals, that's what I was always told. I was also told that even non-diabetics' BG could rise to around 8. Any huge fluctuations, too many hypers and hypos should be dealt with appropriately by your diabetes team. Whether that involves looking at diet or medication;that's the only way to prevent long-term complications.
Bit scary that most doctors in this country won't allow type-2s,(not on insulin) to test at home, but only to rely on the Hba1c result. It's quite possible that these patients could be having similar fluctuations to the ones I previously mentioned, and still have Hba1c results within "acceptable' levels".
In my opinion and of my personal experience, Hba1c test results can just be a cop-out for docs, when they should be taking into account the actual daily BG results that patients report to them,and offering help if needed.
There was a posting in the last week on just this subject, a type-1 with erratic control and good Hba1c- I'm hunting for it now.
Jus :)
 
janabelle
Thank you very much for your comments. The more I look in to this I have to agree with you.
My doctor over here is very pro-active and gives encouragement and reassurance even to the stage at present he asks me to ring him at 9pm every evening with the results of the days glucose counts and to ensure everything is still OK and I have not returned to erratic changes which put me in hospital for 17 nights (just out Saturday). I will stick with the glucose count and concentrate on keeping the levels correct.
 
Glad you've sorted your levels out, it must be a huge relief for you. Sounds like you've got a great doc who's really taking care of you.
I found that posting that I mentioned earlier,it was under the heading "what dose of insulin are you on" in the Type-1section I've copied and pasted this section of her posting:
"Having said that, although my hba1c shows fairly good control, this reading has actually been acheived by lots of hypos followed by lots of rebound highs. The opposite to the original poster, my body is used to running very very low so I've lost all hypo warnings most of the time. I can have readings of 1.4 and still feel 'normal' although others around me can spot that I'm hypo. Two hours later I can be at 16 and feel incredibly ill. You wouldn't believe the mood swings that I experience because of this."
Hope she gets things sorted as you did.
Take care
Jus :)
 
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