When your A1C and your FBG do not match...

[CanadianGuy]

My doctor has been testing my blood for a few years now since I was in my mid 20's (male). I am now 33. He never discussed the results with me. I looked and one test was 101.

In 2016 he tested it at 108, re-tested in 2017, asked for an A1C test too. I was verrrrrrry nervous and felt super sick and anxious (I have blood test and health anxiety) so I couldn't stop obsessing over this test.

It came back as a 115 with a 5.0 A1C.

So I kept working out, trying to relax, kept eating better, etc. I had to really mentally prepare myself for the blood test. I bought a Contour Next meter and tested under 100 almost every single day. Somedays a rough sleep may get me to 102 but mostly it was 86 to 97.

Took my official blood test...103 with the A1C being 5.1%

Then more recently (maybe 10 months ago) test of 111 with an A1C of 5.0%.

I just tested again, and again my FBG in the morning is almost always under 100 easily.

Well this time my FBG was 105 and my A1C is 4.9%.

I feel my anxiety about getting pricked by the needle brings my FBG up past 100.

What say you with these numbers?

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi @CanadianGuy,

Stress can increase your blood sugars, maybe this is what happened during your blood tests.

 

[Antje77]

What say you with these numbers?

Sounds very much non-diabetic to me.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Sounds very much non-diabetic to me.

My doctor is trying to scare me (well he retired now) into thinking otherwise based on the FBG numbers. He doesn't buy my story of the numbers going up when I am nervous/anxious. He says that can't happen. He also seems to think the HBA1C means little. I have heard the A1C numbers mean a lot. But he didn't seem to listen

 

[JoKalsbeek]

My doctor is trying to scare me (well he retired now) into thinking otherwise based on the FBG numbers. He doesn't buy my story of the numbers going up when I am nervous/anxious. He says that can't happen. He also seems to think the HBA1C means little. I have heard the A1C numbers mean a lot. But he didn't seem to listen

Your doc's right to retire, because he's clearly becoming senile. (Sorry, I'm just really mad he's scaring you like this!!!). Your blood sugars are fine, so is your PERFECT HbA1c, and blood sugars DO rise when you're stressed. Stress hormones signal the liver that you need extra energy for a fight-or-flight response, so the liver starts dumping glucose. It's a bit of a throwback to when stress meant running or fighting a sabre-tooth tiger. If we're stressed now we don't need the extra energy more often than not, but we get it anyway. Plus, in the morning your liver dumps some glucose to help you get some energy to start the day before brekkie.

On top of that, a HbA1c is an average of about 3 months' worth of blood sugars. It doesn't get much more reliable than that. All in all... Your doc's way off and you are 100% fine.

Breathe. You're okay.
Hugs,
Jo

 

[Tophat1900]

My doctor is trying to scare me (well he retired now) into thinking otherwise based on the FBG numbers. He doesn't buy my story of the numbers going up when I am nervous/anxious. He says that can't happen. He also seems to think the HBA1C means little. I have heard the A1C numbers mean a lot. But he didn't seem to listen

Good thing he retired.

 

[Member496333]

Your fasting glucose seems good but tells only part of the story. I agree that HbA1c is an overrated measure of metabolic health, since it is completely oblivious to the potentially underlying metabolic rot of hyperinsulinaemia. But since your doc almost certainly didn't test for that...well...

Odds are you are completely fine but it probably won't be any reflection of the skills or insight of your doctor.