My hba1c six months ago was 59 and i was told if i couldnt gat it down (type 2 diet controlled) i would have to go on medication. This months hba1c was 53 but i don't understand this as i admit i've been very bad diet wise especially at Christmas time. Is it possible i am not diabetic? Would value some opinions please.
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understanding hba1c
- Thread starter Jenks
- Start Date
sanguine
Well-Known Member
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- 3,340
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- Devon
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
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- Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
HbA1c values of 59 and 53 are both in the diabetic range (anything 48 and over). It's a measure of how many blood haemoglobin cells are bonded with glucose. The rate of bonding varies with the blood glucose content at any given time but the blood cells die after 2-3 months so it is a kind of average over that period.
You say you've been bad with your diet - can you clarify? What do you typically eat?
You say you've been bad with your diet - can you clarify? What do you typically eat?
I was diagnsed 4 years ago and to be honest i haven't changed my eating habits at all in that time. I still can't believe i am diabetic, just because i don't want to be. I know this sounds really daft!
Patricia21
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- Rochester Kent
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- Tablets (oral)
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- Animal crualty
Hello Jenks and welcome to the forum.
None of us want to be diabetic,but we have it and the good thing is we can do somthing about it and bring our blood sugar levels to none diabetic range,but we will always be diabetic.
We can avoid diabetic complications through diet and realy its so easy,I would never have believed that cutting out cakes,sweets,pastry,and cutting down on bread rice and pasta would bring my blood sugar down so much.
Read round the forum and ask questions,someone is always here to help.
Whatever you do dont ignore it.
None of us want to be diabetic,but we have it and the good thing is we can do somthing about it and bring our blood sugar levels to none diabetic range,but we will always be diabetic.
We can avoid diabetic complications through diet and realy its so easy,I would never have believed that cutting out cakes,sweets,pastry,and cutting down on bread rice and pasta would bring my blood sugar down so much.
Read round the forum and ask questions,someone is always here to help.
Whatever you do dont ignore it.
Thank you Patricia, I think what I need is a really good talking to. I know it's wrong but I feel like I don't want to be different to friends etc when I'm out for meals and its probably partly laziness inhaving to plan meals more carefully. I do realise that some diabetics do have very bad health problems due to diabetes.
I do have a meter but rarely test. More denial I suppose.
daisy1
Legend
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- Switzerland
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- Tablets (oral)
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Hello @Jenks and welcome to the forum 
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help you to understand things clearly for the sake of your health. I couldn't believe at first either that I had diabetes but in time you just have to accept it and do the best you can to look after yourself and your body. Ask all the questions you like and someone will come along and help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help you to understand things clearly for the sake of your health. I couldn't believe at first either that I had diabetes but in time you just have to accept it and do the best you can to look after yourself and your body. Ask all the questions you like and someone will come along and help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
