Not posted for AGES...now I need help!

MissMac

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
Hey guys,
I've not been posting for what seems like an eternity but to be honest there have been so many things going on...this has taken a back burner. I guess I have been a bit "slack" in the sense, I hardly test anymore...I just find it sparks me into a tailspin if it is above a certain number. Well, due to some health issues, I had to have some bloods taken the other week. I just called for the results and asked for my HbA1C value....last time having it done was October and I was stoked with my reading of 39 but wanted it to come down some more....it's gone up! :( not by much, it is still 40 but I don't know why....I am still following strict low carb, try and do some fasting regularly but not religiously and am just feeling a bit pants that it is gonna start creeping up and stuff. I'm trying not to beat myself up and am thinking along the lines of...lots of stress, christmas (though I didn't cheat) and that is as far as I have got. My relationship with food is complicated and rubbish to say the least and I am not sure I can handle tracking as stringently as others....anyone have any ideas of what is going on if it's not the reasons I have mentioned? x
 

13lizanne

Expert
Messages
8,262
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
The Gym, + unkindness and rudeness
Hi, you do realise that 40 is a non diabetic HbA1c result? A difference of one point since your previous test doesn't indicate that anything is wrong. Try not to worry about not always being perfect in your approach to your low carb diet. Everyone has an off day or even decides to eat something just because it's delicious sometimes. Your HbA1c shows that you have very tight control of your diabetes. Good luck
 

walnut_face

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@MissMac cheer up! I was expecting to read an increase of 10+ and FBG's in the teens. Your HbA1c is broadly flat. It might be that's as low as you will get with your current regimes. Do you know how Insulin resistant you are, or what beta cell function you have? I had a wake up last year when I had 2 similar readings. I shook things up a bit, by introducing IF, varying that around. It made a bit of difference, not as much as I would like. Have you suffered carb creep?
You know what to do, better than I. Just do it :)
 

Angelofthemarches

Well-Known Member
Messages
848
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Horrible shoes
Hey guys,
I've not been posting for what seems like an eternity but to be honest there have been so many things going on...this has taken a back burner. I guess I have been a bit "slack" in the sense, I hardly test anymore...I just find it sparks me into a tailspin if it is above a certain number. Well, due to some health issues, I had to have some bloods taken the other week. I just called for the results and asked for my HbA1C value....last time having it done was October and I was stoked with my reading of 39 but wanted it to come down some more....it's gone up! :( not by much, it is still 40 but I don't know why....I am still following strict low carb, try and do some fasting regularly but not religiously and am just feeling a bit pants that it is gonna start creeping up and stuff. I'm trying not to beat myself up and am thinking along the lines of...lots of stress, christmas (though I didn't cheat) and that is as far as I have got. My relationship with food is complicated and rubbish to say the least and I am not sure I can handle tracking as stringently as others....anyone have any ideas of what is going on if it's not the reasons I have mentioned? x
Still great numbers! I would congratulate yourself!!
 

nomoredonuts

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,848
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Current American Presidents.
I echo my learned colleagues sentiments!
What is good, is that you came back here when you needed a bit of an arm round the shoulder, and that you began to focus on your condition a little more than you have been doing. Thee's no harm in that. You're doing great. Here's a virtual pat on the back from me.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
Welcome back @MissMac! As the others have said, don't stress about that reading. I got a 39 too at my last HbA1c and I hope to get a lower reading next time, but will be happy even if it goes up a bit as long as I am at 42 or below, in the non-diabetic range.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hey, good to see you - especially doing so well.

You do realise that a rise of 1 point is probably well within the acceptable error of the test, just like our prick testing can be within +/- 15% and still be considered within range. :)

I would take your relaxed attitude to testing as a good thing too - so long as you are still testing sometimes, and have an idea of what your foods and meals are doing to you. Providing you are confident you would catch any trends upwards, or deterioration, and you think what you are doing is sustainable, then relax. Enjoy life.
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,320
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hey guys,
I've not been posting for what seems like an eternity but to be honest there have been so many things going on...this has taken a back burner. I guess I have been a bit "slack" in the sense, I hardly test anymore...I just find it sparks me into a tailspin if it is above a certain number. Well, due to some health issues, I had to have some bloods taken the other week. I just called for the results and asked for my HbA1C value....last time having it done was October and I was stoked with my reading of 39 but wanted it to come down some more....it's gone up! :( not by much, it is still 40 but I don't know why....I am still following strict low carb, try and do some fasting regularly but not religiously and am just feeling a bit pants that it is gonna start creeping up and stuff. I'm trying not to beat myself up and am thinking along the lines of...lots of stress, christmas (though I didn't cheat) and that is as far as I have got. My relationship with food is complicated and rubbish to say the least and I am not sure I can handle tracking as stringently as others....anyone have any ideas of what is going on if it's not the reasons I have mentioned? x

Hi MissMac - Nice to see you back.

Personally, a variance of 1 is really immaterial. You could have been 39.4 (and rounded down to 39) last time and 39.6 (rounded up to 40) this time.

Have a look at list of results in my signature. That's not to big up my part, but to ask you to take note of these results in particular:
May 15: 31 or 5.0%
October 15: 33 or 5.1%
December 15: 33 or 5.1%
September 16: 31 or 5.0%

May 2015, I discovered something that needed a bit of investigation, and rafts of tests, leading to surgery in October (the Oct test was from my pre-op assessment), then afterwards had a bit of a complication, which had just about healed by December.

I consider my 2 point rises were due to some stress hand general rubbishness of life at the time. Without changing anything, my numbers came back into line once those factors were resolved.

Diabetes is a long term thing and just like our weight, or how great our hair looks, or our skin, we'll go through good times and less great times.

Put it out of your mind and move on. If you think or know you have been straying from what you believe to be best for you, then have a quiet chat with yourself, but not an almighty telling off. You're human, and 40 is still an excellent, sustained score.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I agree with the others that a difference of 1mmol/mol is insignificant, and could be due to rounding down or up, or within the allowed error rate (which I believe is around 4%)

If it has motivated you to return to the forum and do some more testing, then it is not a bad thing at all! Welcome back. :)
 

MissMac

Well-Known Member
Messages
234
THANK YOU GUYS AND GIRLS! I guess...as I am sure I said in a post many moons ago that I once read the ole Dr Bernstein and his numbers are SOOOOO tight and says anything above them still puts you at risk of complications and that's the scary thing for me...turns out I have a bit of a phobia of sickness which is twisted for an ex emergency room nurse and ICU nurse! There has been some serious, very sad and stressful family stuff going on and my health took a serious back seat as it seemed somewhat insignificant...plus that whole denial and upset over being diagnosed which I know we all go through.
MY problem is...I am a perfectionist and when I have a goal EVEN if I get there...I move the goalposts but not before beating myself with them.....I'm working on letting that side of me go but it's a process.
Also had very basic internet problems with living in the sticks and not been able to access the forums to be honest..but yes I am going to start testing a bit more again but try not to become obsessed or depressed when the readings are not where I think they should be...that's my waffle for the night anyway!!!
I had a good chat with the guy I got in touch with who is a nutritionist and follows the whole primal/paleo/LCHF/IF way of living...2.5 hours to be exact!! We both agree that my stress levels are raised and causing hell internally.
As for the question about how insulin resistant I am or my BETA cell function...truth is I have NO idea..not even sure how I find out (it's not my area of nursing lol) and not sure I wanna know either....I know sticking a head in the sand is not the right thing but sometimes the right thing is not the right thing for ya sanity eh?
Thank you again guys..I do so love you all xxx
 
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