Good morning everyone, this is my first post here. I've been t2d for coming up to 4 years. My hbac1 is usually between 49 and 61. I'm not medicated, I was given Metformin 2 years ago but stopped it due to excessive stomach pain. I have just had another hba1c and it's come back at 119.. I know this is high but unsure just how high and what this means as I can't see nurse for 2 weeks. I've lost 3 and a half stone and truly expected this to be a lot lot lower. Any advice please?
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
High hba1c
- Thread starter Donna85
- Start Date
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,703
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Good morning Donna,
Ah, yes... That is quite a bit higher than anyone would like it. (Diabetic starts at 48, prediabetic at 42...) And not a level you want to remain at, as you could well be damaging nerves, arteries, eyesight etc at prolonged elevated levels. Don't panic though!!! I couldn't tolerate metformin either, which is why I went the dietary route. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- this might be helpful. It's basically how I got my levels back down to normal, non diabetic numbers in a hopefully easy quick-start guide. Just a diet and suggestions, nothing you have to invest in. Carbs turn to glucose once ingested, so it's not just sugars, but starches too that make blood sugars go up. Good news being, you can do a lot about the numbers you're seeing, AND get them down to normal levels, just by cutting out some foods and upping others. Without the abdominal upsets that went with the metformin.
There are more options open to you than just met. Diet's a really good one, but if you need other help, there are other diabetic medications you could try before you'd ever end up on insulin or somesuch. Just talk to your doc if you want to go that way. You have choices here.
Hugs,
Jo
translates to 6.6 in the uk. which according to my DN is good anything above 7 (126) and I get earache from her. but if your worried have a word with you DN. also would advise to buy a testing KIt. so you can monitor it yourself. pre meal and 1 hour after eating you can then see what foods are raing your readings. hope this helps
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,703
- Location
- The Netherlands
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Pssst.... You're mixing up a few numbers. A HbA1c of 119 mmol/mol, is more than 17.0 mmol/l (fingerprick) on average...
sorry yes your right my bad read the wrong conversion table, just re-checked seen my mistake came back to amend my statement to see you had corrected me, thanks.
In addition to what @JoKalsbeek said, I wondered about the weight loss. Was it deliberate? How fast was it?
Unexpected weight loss is more commonly seen with type1 so I’d want to be asking the nurse to check that out.
Hi everyone, I hope your all well? sorry it's been a long wait for reply, I seem to have issues posting sometimes?! Anyhow, thank you everyone for your advice. I have read through everything including the blog links and now have a better idea what I need to do. I've now got a glucose monitor and ok m gliclazide 80mg per day. I just wondered how often I should test. My dn said once daily but to me that doesn't seem enough. Any thoughts? Thank you.
She's running some more bloods as I also have rapid hair thinning and loss. No the weight loss was a suprise and my diet was of a greedy piglet who hadn't believed diabetes was part of their life. I do believe I have a sugar addiction. It's hard but needs must now. I lost it in about 6to8 months.
Also, anyone any advice on sweeteners? Should I cut them completely? It's aspartame, acesulfame k and sucralose..... Sweeteners I use in my tea and dilute. I've read they don't raise blood sugar but wondering if that fact or fiction. Thank you.
HSSS
Expert
If you can cut them completely that’s always the best answer. However if you do use them there is a lot of difference between different types.
Artificial ones like you’ve named have a lot of controversy about safety and importantly about the effect they have on gut health. Also they are often packaged with things like maltodextrin and dextrose as bulking agents. These bulking agents most definitely do have an effect on blood glucose even if they get labelled as calorie free. Personally I try and avoid anything other than very occasional use of these. It’s most of the ones on the supermarket shelf and most sugar free drinks and products unfortunately.
I stick to erythritol, mostly bought online. It’s a sugar alcohol and passes through undigested. Some people notice a slight cooling taste but pretty much all sweeteners has their own of some kind don’t they? Xylitol another sugar alcohol is in some supermarkets tastes the closest to sugar and is apparently good for teeth but has a slight glycemic effect. Most important is that it is toxic to dogs. The other sugar alcohols (a chemical group not booze) can vary a lot and some are awful for raising blood glucose and causing digestive issues in a lot of people - maltitol especially which is in lots of fake “low carb/keto” bars etc.
Stevia is a great choice if it’s not mixed with the nasty bulking agents and you don’t mind the taste. I really dislike it.
catinahat
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,446
- Location
- Halesowen
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Reality tv
This makes me think that something other than T2 is going on here. I would be keeping a very close eye on my sugar levels, testing a lot more than once a day. If the gliclazide and diet changes don't make a big difference in glucose levels, don't hesitate to get back to your Dr.
I will. The fluctuations are between 16 and 21 at the moment. But will give it time. Out of curiosity, what else could it be?
Thank you. I'm not interested in any form of baking or making any healthy versions of treats, so I guess it's not going to be much of an issue to completely cut them out.. also, I don't want to get into keto foods and bars etc, I would use them in excess as an excuse! My willpower is poor to say the least. Thanks for your reply, I always find this forum better than just looking on Google.
catinahat
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,446
- Location
- Halesowen
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Reality tv
I'm not medically trained at all so I have no idea, but there are quite a few different types of diabetes and it's not unknown for peoples original diagnosis to be changed at a later date. And if you think about it having one type of diabetes does not give you immunity from getting any other type.
- Messages
- 4,020
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
My rule of thumb is that if a product has a label that says "Keto....whatever" it ain't any good for keto.
I tried a few for my tea.
Yeah, yeah...I know
But it just tastes yuk without something.
Anyway, all the usual ones in stores (canderel, etc ) ,have their own little after taste.
And the more exotic, definitely have a distinct 'flavour' to my mind, and amounts to use vary.
I found Hermesetas a good solution
They're easy to use,
one tablet = 1 seaspoon sugar
And I don't think they alter the taste of the tea like others do.
And not noticed any rise from using them.
But your mileage may vary.
Thanks. Ive been using canderel, and a Stevia type, which I've discovered has dextrose which I didn't know at time. I might try hermesetas if I get desperate for a tea but I think at the moment I will just try manage without and see what happens.
I had a small bit of birthday cake yesterday...I know I shouldn't have had.. but didn't expect this reading today. I think I'm doing something very very wrong here. Strangely enough I feel absolutely fine, apart from the day to day diabetes symptoms, could this be a wrong reading?Hopeful34
Well-Known Member
It could have been a wrong reading. The only way you'll know in future, is to check with a finger prick test next time. The literature on Libre says it's accurate between 4 and 10.
It can be very inaccurate when your levels are high teens and over, especially when your blood sugar is changing quickly.
It can be very inaccurate when your levels are high teens and over, especially when your blood sugar is changing quickly.
