• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

hbac1

P

pugster75

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 2
hi all,
need some advice please. Was diagnosed with type 2 last October when I was rushed into hospital with a foot which had gone manky. Found out I was diabetic then and they think I had been for a while unknowingly. My hbac1 then was 114, on metformin and glicazide, and sitaglyptin. Bloods have slowly been going down, 73 1 month later, now down to 29. I thought this was good but nurse didn't sound pleased, when I asked what it should be, she just said lower than that. Does anyone know what it should be? I feel ok, what does everyone else think?
 
Hi @pugster75 ..
You have clearly had a tough time since your foot problem and diagnosis and you have done extemely well to bring your "bloods" (by which I assume you mean HbA1c) down to 29. What I don't understand, though, is that with a level this low why your Nurse is saying it needs to be lower .. even a level of 41 puts you below the diabetic and pre-diabetic threshold. Maybe there is something else going on that I am missing ...
Sorry, this is probably not particularly helpful but if it was me, I would be querying why your Nurse has said what she has ..
 
Not sure if you 29 is a HbA1c test result, this is a blood test from your arm and sent away to be tested
Or a finger prick test .. if its a finger prick test then your nurse is right you need it to be lower .. but at least your going in the right direction .. LINK to info

 

Is the 29 an HbA1C result or is it a fingerprick mmol result?

An HbA1C of 29 is excellent, a fingerprick test of 29mmol isn't.
 
the 29 is a hba1c test. Finger prick test. Which I do regularly throughout the day as on gliclazide, is between 4.2 and 8, even after meals.
her response has sort of disheartened me, I thought it was really good, especially from 114! What sort of figure are we aiming for? Foot has healed well and back to normal duties. Yes, I'm a bit over weight but am working to do something about that. I'm 12.5 stone and 5 ft 7 aged 41, female. Prior to this I was a lit heavier, I've lost 7.5 stones and then problems came, lol. Up until my hospital ordeal, I have always been healthy, not on any medication and had never been in hospital, let alone have an operation. So its all been a big shock, which has happened really quickly and taken some adjusting too! They also found out I was low on iron and an on iron tablets level was down to 10.
 
No
 
hi it was a blood test done at Drs and sent away, results came back a few days later. Then I had appointment made to see diabetic nurse to discuss results. I do my own finger prick yes throughout day as on gliclazide, 40mg daily and they are between 4-7. And under 8.5 2hrs after meal. I'm really confused, thought I was doing well!
 
If that is definitely a Hba1c test and definitely 29 then the nurse is simply wrong, totally and absolutely wrong to suggest that it should be lower.
I was in shock at 47 (down from 91) but 29 - the nurse should have told you how low that is and discussed reducing your medication.
 

Hi thanks for your reply, nothing else going on apart from iron levels low and on iron tablets. They found tho out when I was in hospital. Before this no illness, never been on medication, fit and healthy!
 

An HbA1C of 29 is very good. I dont understand why your nurse said it should be lower. Could she have meant some other test result should be lower? I suggest you ask. Don't be worried about getting an explanation. It's your health and well-being
 
pugster75 said:
Hi thanks for your reply, nothing else going on apart from iron levels low and on iron tablets. They found tho out when I was in hospital. Before this no illness, never been on medication, fit and healthy!
Click to expand...

Iron deficiency anaemia can render an HbA1c invalid. The correct test for any anaemic person is the Fructosamine test. These tests are not routinely carried out because very few labs can process them, so the samples have to be sent away to one that can, and this makes it expensive.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-test.html

Limitations of HbA1c tests
Whilst HbA1c tests are usually reliable, there are some limitations to the accuracy of the test. For example, people with forms of anaemia may not have sufficient haemoglobin for the test to be accurate and may need to have a fructosamine test instead.
 
Well I can honestly say In my personal opinion your numbers are great .. some times medics can get mixed up over whats good and not.
 
after being so confused, I had some more bloods taken yesterday which had previously been planned and asked for my hba1c to be done again. I've just had results and it is 37. I'm now even mire confused! If the last the last one of 29 was right, it means its gone up! If not is 37 good? Couldn't speak to Dr as hadn't scheduled a phone appointment, girl who phoned was a receptionist and said she had no knowledge, they were just numbers to her, much like they are to me! Anyone got any ideas???
 

@pugster75

You mentioned you have iron deficiency, and I responded to this a few posts above. It seems to me that you need to be sceptical about your HbA1c results because of this. The HbA1c is not the best test for anaemics. Some say an HbA1c can be lower than expected, others say it can be higher. Either way, it can be inaccurate because of non-standard haemoglobin.

Of course 37 is good. It is non-diabetic. Under 42 is good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…