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Is 7 weeks too short a time

Bluetit1802

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25,215
Location
Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just had my latest blood test results and am not sure what to think.

I am T2. Diagnosed January with HbA1c of 53 (7%)

These latest tests were primarily for liver function but my GP threw in an HbA1c test for good measure. The test was exactly 7 weeks after my first, and HbA1c is now 52 (6.9%)

In this 7 weeks I have lost 12lbs in weight following a moderate carb diet (about 130- 140g) and watching the GI/GL.

Is 7 weeks too short a time to see any real difference? I must admit to feeling a tad disappointed.

I have my 3 month HbA1c test due mid April.
 
Is your liver function better?

Your HbA1c isn't awful, I believe 41 or thereabouts can be considered in the normal non-diabetic range.

However if you want to improve it, I would cut carbs even more (less than 100g) or try a few days having only vegetables.

It would be good if you had your own meter, so that you could test the effect certain foods have on your personal Bg's.

The weight loss is great, so keep going. Well done
 
I think you have done very well.
The HBA1c test is relevant for the last 12 weeks and considering you were diagnosed in January then the trend is that you are lowering it.
Small steps get the best results and I bet if you have another one in 3 month's time you will be where you want to be. It is a learning curve at diagnosis so don't worry. It is not a competition or a marathon.
Do you have a meter and test strips? This is important so that you can gauge the right amount of carbs for you. Others can tell you how many carbs they eat but they cannot tell you what is right for you, only a meter can do that.
Well done.
 
Thanks folks.

My main reason for posting was really to find out if 7 weeks between HbA1c tests (and just 5 weeks of diet) is too short a time to see any real progress when the period covered by the average is generally longer than this - up to 3 months all things being equal. I do know it is weighted towards the weeks immediately prior to the test. Apparently 50% of it reflects the previous month, and the other 50% reflects the 2 months previous to this.

I guess I am just trying to work out why there is so little improvement when I changed my diet drastically and increased exercise at the end of January - about 5 weeks ago. Prior to this I was eating carbs till they came out of my ears, not to mention chocolate and large portions. My diet has made me lose 12lbs in that time, so maybe it just isn't long enough for the HbA1c to have improved.

Zand - my liver hasn't been poorly! It was just a routine test as I have been on statins for a month. Everything was normal, no action required.
 
No, seven weeks can make a huge difference in HbA1c but at least you haven't gone up. Have you got a monitor of your own so you can test after meals? If so, you may have been told to test after two hours and that a reading below 8 is fine. This is ****, I find. I test after one hour and accept a raise of 2 mml from baseline on LCHF, If I go above 8 I feel unwell so have decided to stay below 6, always, and it works very well. I haven't had this amount of energy for years.

The HbA1c shows mostly what has been going on in the last weeks, but is influenced by things three months back.
 
Although it was 7 weeks between tests, it was only 5 weeks of diet/exercise.
No, I haven't got a monitor yet. My DN said I can have one if my 3 month HbA1c due mid April hasn't improved, so I am waiting for that.
I feel fit as a fiddle, and hand on heart I don't feel **** at all, no matter what I've eaten.
 
0.1 decrease may not sound a lot but it is very good on the whole... for just 5 weeks of improvements in diet etc.
 
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I´d say it would worry me If I didn't know if my bg was high of not, but that is me and probably my bg goes a lot higher than yours.

A bg monitor is a very handy little item and a safe way to get know how your bg and diet works.
 
Totto said:
That

I´d say it would worry me If I didn't know if my bg was high of not, but that is me and probably my bg goes a lot higher than yours.

A bg monitor is a very handy little item and a safe way to get know how your bg and diet works.
Click to expand...

Yes, I can see how most folk on this forum recommend a monitor, and if I don't improve by mid April I will get one. I understand their importance. In the meantime, I can't help but notice how many posts there are from relative newbies panicking about spikes and wondering what caused them etc. This would cause me stress because I am so newly diagnosed and still getting my head round it all, which in turn would raise my levels or at least my BP, so I'm not keen on going down this route just at the moment. I know how bad I was with my BP monitor before I got my BP down on my own by my recent diet and exercise regime.
 
I wish you success so that you don't have to get a monitor.

When it comes to panic over high readings I think that is a natural part of the process of accepting and of learning but high BP is indeed a risk for many. Not for me though, opposite problem unfortunately.
 
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