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Might be a silly question

Blackheath_Teahut

Blackheath_Teahut

Active Member
Messages
29
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Does the blood test ordered by my doctor give the same results as the pinprick blood test I do every day?

Since being diagnosed (type 2), I have been on a solid Keto diet and since November, I have lost two and a quarter stone.

I began taking Metformin end of Dec and monitor my blood daily, as well as sometimes after various new meals.

I was at 8.9 and loitering around 8 at the beginning, now I am constantly around 6.1,/5.6, so I decided last week to come off Metformin and it seems to have made no difference. I am still about 6.1.

I am accrediting this to weightloss but there might be something I am not considering, some other signal in the blood that might tell a Doctor that I should remain on the tablets because my daily blood test doesn't tell the whole story, if that makes sense.

Could someone tell me if this is so please?
Huge thanks.
 
Blackheath_Teahut said:
Does the blood test ordered by my doctor give the same results as the pinprick blood test I do every day?

Since being diagnosed (type 2), I have been on a solid Keto diet and since November, I have lost two and a quarter stone.

I began taking Metformin end of Dec and monitor my blood daily, as well as sometimes after various new meals.

I was at 8.9 and loitering around 8 at the beginning, now I am constantly around 6.1,/5.6, so I decided last week to come off Metformin and it seems to have made no difference. I am still about 6.1.

I am accrediting this to weightloss but there might be something I am not considering, some other signal in the blood that might tell a Doctor that I should remain on the tablets because my daily blood test doesn't tell the whole story, if that makes sense.

Could someone tell me if this is so please?
Huge thanks.
Click to expand...
Not a silly question at all

No, your hba1c that your doctor does will be different from the finger tests. Your finger test is at that moment in time and the hba1c looks at more of an average over the last 3 months (favouring more near term) there is also a margin of error from finger tests

my hba1c average of you can work that out was around 6.4 (38) but my finger tests come out around 5 at the time,

Congrats on the weight loss. I found my bloods dropped and I could come off the drugs following similar

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html
 
Blackheath_Teahut said:
Thank you Andy. Ok, maybe I should have a word with my doctor about the way forward if tests vary. I want to come off the tablets but I want to do it safely.
Click to expand...
Very sensible and hopefully your hba1c will be low enough for that. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint but it’s in the good direction. You should be very proud of yourself
 
Hi BH Teahut . Congratulations on your progress to date. Having a chat with your doctor and keeping them in the loop will be useful going forward as you never know when you might need their support with something. My DN agreed with my decision to give up Metformin and with my reasons for doing so. However, I still want to take advantage of surgery blood tests, foot checks etc and who knows, they may one day come around to a low carb way of eating!
 
Congrats on the weight loss and lowering your sugar levels. Metformin has a minimal effect on blood sugar levels- around 1 mmol/l drop typically, so stopping it may not show up. Doctors prescribe it because results from long-term studies showed that it helps to reduce some cardio problems and reduces the risk of early mortality overall. So it is to protect your heart and blood vessels, which diabetes tends to attack as a side effect. As an aside, the machine that the lab uses to measure HbA1c is accurate to 1% of reading, whereas the fingerprick testers are generally only 15% accurate.
 
Oldvatr said:
Congrats on the weight loss and lowering your sugar levels. Metformin has a minimal effect on blood sugar levels- around 1 mmol/l drop typically, so stopping it may not show up. Doctors prescribe it because results from long-term studies showed that it helps to reduce some cardio problems and reduces the risk of early mortality overall. So it is to protect your heart and blood vessels, which diabetes tends to attack as a side effect. As an aside, the machine that the lab uses to measure HbA1c is accurate to 1% of reading, whereas the fingerprick testers are generally only 15% accurate.
Click to expand...
I didn't know that. That alters things a little, though I am on blood thinners, perindopril and Xarelto that are geared toward cardiovascular but if these also add to that safeguard, then perhaps it's worth me taking them again.
 
Ask your doctor to add in a B12 check into your annual review. That is one downside to /metformin they fail to tell you of when you first sign up to it. Long-term users need to be aware of this and most people get enough B12 from eating animal products in their diet, but the recent popularity of veganism has meant more people need to supplement for this.
 
Oldvatr said:
Ask your doctor to add in a B12 check into your annual review. That is one downside to /metformin they fail to tell you of when you first sign up to it. Long-term users need to be aware of this and most people get enough B12 from eating animal products in their diet, but the recent popularity of veganism has meant more people need to supplement for this.
Click to expand...
Not a vegan or vegetarian and metformin at higher dose impacted my b12 anyway so I second this. It should be part of the yearly tests but not every doctor seems to do it
 
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