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High hba1c

alphabeta

alphabeta

Well-Known Member
Messages
615
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
My hba1c is 10.1 which is pretty high... however does high hba1c lead to stress and panic attacks? If not then what does it lead to? Plus my whole body feels tight.. all my muscles feel stiff
Thanks in advance
 
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- leads to lectures on poor control, and maybe should be more mindful of that if you are to avoid the consequences of high blood glucose.
The units used in the UK appear to equate your result to 87, if I have used the right conversion factor, so it indicates the sort of levels you have had over the last couple of months were rather high.
Those knowledgeable in the ways of Type 1 will most likely be able to suggest ways to resolve the problem. I can only wish you well in getting lower levels.
 
Resurgam said:
- leads to lectures on poor control, and maybe should be more mindful of that if you are to avoid the consequences of high blood glucose.
The units used in the UK appear to equate your result to 87, if I have used the right conversion factor, so it indicates the sort of levels you have had over the last couple of months were rather high.
Those knowledgeable in the ways of Type 1 will most likely be able to suggest ways to resolve the problem. I can only wish you well in getting lower levels.
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Well for some parts it was not my fault as I'd sleep with good BG but wake up around 15 and higher the next morning... this was caused by dawn effect but now I'm doing my best to get it lower
 
Resurgam said:
Maybe you don't get those sorts of lectures from your health care providers - mine KNOW it is all the patient's fault - there should be some of the forums type ones along to assist you.
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I hope that someone can help me here..
 
A hba1c of 10.1% equates to an average blood sugar of 13.5. That is a very high level and high blood sugar can, in the short term, have some impact on mental state, if you suffer from anxiety and panic attacks high blood sugar levels could certainly be increasing those kind of symptoms.

High blood sugar levels will also be causing thirst, a lot of urination, possibly some weight loss, exhaustion and the tight/stiff feeling you mention could probably be attributed to your high blood sugar.

High blood sugar levels increase your risk of diabetic complications, those complications include blindness, amputation and kidney failure. Those are the extreme examples, but that is the reality of why controlling your diabetess is important.

The aim for type 1s is to keep their hba1c under 6.5% to reduce their risk of diabetic complications.

How are you controlling your diabetes currently? What insulins are you taking? Where are you based? How much support are you getting from your healthcare team?
 
Hi. The implications of a prolonged high HBa1C will be long-term serious damage to many of your organs and limbs; not good. In the short term many would not be aware of any symptoms which is why diabetes is so insidious. It seems you are not using your insulin in the best way to have a high HBa1C as yours is. If you let us know more about your insulin regime, diet etc etc we may be able help?
 
catapillar said:
A hba1c of 10.1% equates to an average blood sugar of 13.5. That is a very high level and high blood sugar can, in the short term, have some impact on mental state, if you suffer from anxiety and panic attacks high blood sugar levels could certainly be increasing those kind of symptoms.

High blood sugar levels will also be causing thirst, a lot of urination, possibly some weight loss, exhaustion and the tight/stiff feeling you mention could probably be attributed to your high blood sugar.

High blood sugar levels increase your risk of diabetic complications, those complications include blindness, amputation and kidney failure. Those are the extreme examples, but that is the reality of why controlling your diabetess is important.

The aim for type 1s is to keep their hba1c under 6.5% to reduce their risk of diabetic complications.

How are you controlling your diabetes currently? What insulins are you taking? Where are you based? How much support are you getting from your healthcare team?
Click to expand...
Hello, I am now being more strict regarding everything I eat. However, the last 2 months were in short hyperglycemias only because of dawn effect which pumped my hba1c level from 8 to 10 plus the last few days I got soooo confused regarding my insulin as it acted heavy on dinner which caused me stress and panic when night arrives. Today, I changed my dinner insulin and it is all good I am completely another human as i were.. No stress and my muscles are perfectly relaxed.. to be honest I reduced lunch insulin during those 2 months because I went to the gym plus I live in a Muslim society and also during those 2 months dinner was always rich in energy and my sleep cycle was disturbed... I don't fast myself but lesson learned. Don't f*cking change your meals.. I feel much much more confident now :) I'm very thankful I'm not experiencing that after meal hypo without an apparent reason! I will see my doctor on 26th and he's a professor among the best in my country :) I hope everything goes as planned ;)
 
Daibell said:
Hi. The implications of a prolonged high HBa1C will be long-term serious damage to many of your organs and limbs; not good. In the short term many would not be aware of any symptoms which is why diabetes is so insidious. It seems you are not using your insulin in the best way to have a high HBa1C as yours is. If you let us know more about your insulin regime, diet etc etc we may be able help?
Click to expand...
Well my diet... i don't know the carbs as my meals are usually the same energy but for insulin.. morning i take 22 mixtard 30 on lunch i take 12-14 actrapid depending on how heavy the meal is and dinner I'm taking 18 humalog mix 75/25 for the moment.. I feel I have more control today as no cheating is allowed anymore :)
 
alphabeta said:
Hello, I am now being more strict regarding everything I eat. However, the last 2 months were in short hyperglycemias only because of dawn effect which pumped my hba1c level from 8 to 10 plus the last few days I got soooo confused regarding my insulin as it acted heavy on dinner which caused me stress and panic when night arrives. Today, I changed my dinner insulin and it is all good I am completely another human as i were.. No stress and my muscles are perfectly relaxed.. to be honest I reduced lunch insulin during those 2 months because I went to the gym plus I live in a Muslim society and also during those 2 months dinner was always rich in energy and my sleep cycle was disturbed... I don't fast myself but lesson learned. Don't f*cking change your meals.. I feel much much more confident now :) I'm very thankful I'm not experiencing that after meal hypo without an apparent reason! I will see my doctor on 26th and he's a professor among the best in my country :) I hope everything goes as planned ;)
Click to expand...

In this thread - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/help.123552/#post-1508890 - it wasn't a post meal hypo, it was a drop from 20 to 11, both levels that are well over target.

With mixed insulin you do need to know how many grams of carbs you are taking in, and keep that level consistent. Your mixed insulin dose will be able to keep your blood sugar levels in range for a certain number of grams of carbohydrate but eat more than that and you'll go high, or less and you'll go low. You should seek advice from your healthcare team on what carbohydrate intake your mixed insulin dose is designed to deal with.

A basal/bolus regime is an alternative insulin regiem that would allow more flexibility in carb intake along with blood sugar control. You haven't answered where you are based, but in England and Wales NICE guidelines recommend basal bolus insulin in preference to mixed insulin for type 1s.
 
My A1c was also 10.1. I felt the same way. My doctor started me on Trulicity. Best move ever. My A1c is 5.7 and I feel calm and feel back to normal. It's not insulin, but it worked for me.
 
alphabeta said:
however does high hba1c lead to stress and panic attacks? If not then what does it lead to?
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I think that depends on the individual. It could lead to more stress, on the other hand it should warn you that your BG control is still work in progress and encourage you to do a bit more to control your day to day BG. That could involve dietary and lifestyle changes, it could involve further medication. Entirely up to you. All the best.
 
catapillar said:
In this thread - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/help.123552/#post-1508890 - it wasn't a post meal hypo, it was a drop from 20 to 11, both levels that are well over target.

With mixed insulin you do need to know how many grams of carbs you are taking in, and keep that level consistent. Your mixed insulin dose will be able to keep your blood sugar levels in range for a certain number of grams of carbohydrate but eat more than that and you'll go high, or less and you'll go low. You should seek advice from your healthcare team on what carbohydrate intake your mixed insulin dose is designed to deal with.

A basal/bolus regime is an alternative insulin regiem that would allow more flexibility in carb intake along with blood sugar control. You haven't answered where you are based, but in England and Wales NICE guidelines recommend basal bolus insulin in preference to mixed insulin for type 1s.
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True, both levels were high but the drop was very sharp and intense! Why?!
 
alphabeta said:
My hba1c is 10.1 which is pretty high... however does high hba1c lead to stress and panic attacks? If not then what does it lead to? Plus my whole body feels tight.. all my muscles feel stiff
Thanks in advance
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I also have a high HBA1C of 12.2
To me, high blood sugars have lead to feeling very stressed and quite a few mental health problems
 
Ebony2102 said:
I also have a high HBA1C of 12.2
To me, high blood sugars have lead to feeling very stressed and quite a few mental health problems
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Please don't let it affect you! I know how hard it is but better days are coming! Please drop me a message if you just want to talk o anything
 
alphabeta said:
Please don't let it affect you! I know how hard it is but better days are coming! Please drop me a message if you just want to talk o anything
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Thankyou, means alot... tbh I was diagnosed 17 years ago,you would of thought all would be under control by now lol... life is life, we deal with what's given to us
 
Ebony2102 said:
Thankyou, means alot... tbh I was diagnosed 17 years ago,you would of thought all would be under control by now lol... life is life, we deal with what's given to us
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Sure thing! Never stop moving forward!
 
alphabeta said:
My hba1c is 10.1 which is pretty high... however does high hba1c lead to stress and panic attacks? If not then what does it lead to? Plus my whole body feels tight.. all my muscles feel stiff
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
I ran in to that a few years ago - high BGs in the mornings and this resulted in high HBA1Cs of 8.3. My doctor was freaking out - telling me of all the implications of living with such high HBA1Cs. Only problem - I had already been living with type 1 for 45 years and had no complications and had hit higher HBA1Cs in the past so his "lets scare the **** out of my patient" bed side manner did nothing more than **** me off! I wanted help, not to be scared in to submission. Anyway, he was no help and I had to figure it out for myself.

Anyway, my A1Cs are down in the low 7s now and I was able to get them down by having a snack instead of a big dinner for my last evening meal. At first it was difficult because I was always going to bed hungry - I hate that feeling, but got used to it. My morning BGs went from 15 - 18 to 4 - 7 by making that simple adjustment.

So you might want to give that a try and see what happens. Don't go to extremes just eat a little less for your last meal and maybe look at eating a little bit earlier than normal if at all possible. You don;t want to over do it and go from High morning levels to hypos. So go easy and don;t stress out which in itself can raise your BGs.

As well be a little skeptical of the Dawn Effect explanation. It's used way too much. It seems to be the fall back explanation for many practitioners. And it could be that you're experiencing the Dawn effect but there are also many other causes - For example - one's metabolic rate, potential thyroid issues, food groups, insulin types and reaction times etc.

Nothing is that simple. After 51 years of living with diabetes and experiencing the same thing - that's about all I can tell you. Good luck!
 
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