just wanted to throw this out and see what everyone thinks… my a1c was 6.1 this last time time before was 5.7
doc said ada says 6.5 your a diabetic and may need meds but an internist says 6.3 so if it gets any higher she said def a diabetic but right now im borderline or prediabetic just wondering what anyone else has been told or knows on this fasting around 116 or 119 this time so i asked if i got insurance would i be diabetic she said at this point we could say no… but i have alot of issues and have to be careful what i eat etc…
Wonderful advice from Judith. That’s a significant increase. I feel that current standards of what number is considered diabetic are too lax. Normal fasting is under 100, so you’re not terribly off, but it’s not normal. Some people have good fasting, but large BG rises after eating. That was my scenario, so I crashed with DKA & almost died from burning my beta cells out completely.
You could request an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). It will tell more about where you stand.
If you don’t have one, get a glucose meter & start testing one & two hours after eating. Write down your readings to bring to your doctor. You can usually find a free meter on-line because there are freebies frequently & doctors often have freebies also. It’s the blasted strips that cost so much. Testing will show you what foods have the most effect.
I agree with Gerri – go get a meter and start testing after meals. Last year, one of our board members was told by her PCP that she was not diabetic. Her A1c was actually in the 5s and she had a good fasting number. She was going very high after meals. Her PCP still shrugged it off. She was already seeing an endo for other problems so sent the same readings that her PCP shrugged off and the endo started her on treatment.
They say a lot of women have normal fasting numbers but then go very high once they eat. Just looking at fasting numbers won’t help you if you fall in that range. An A1c of 6.1 is an average BS of 140 – you are running high a lot and 140 is supposedly where the damage starts to begin.
Hello, Thanks for the info. I do already have several meters and check my bs often. I have had some highs after meals and also feel bad tired thristy irratable and get cold usually when little high.I find if i stay on schedule with eating and watch my carbs lately been like 90 or 89 beteen breakfeast and lunch and sometimes early afternoon if i dont eat a good lunch i feel bad usually overeat and end up with a highother times not sure why i get one. I can usually tell when im a liitle high so taking a walk helps etc usually after meals pretty good but like 130 or so thats prob not good and prob 140 like you said. I have been following a diet restriction for 2 yeras by doc cause of a fasting of 124 he didnt like. He told me not to eat anything with more than 3 grams of sugar per serving and trow out white sugar bowl! Recently took a dining with diabetes class and learned even more about carbs etc so that helped but still have more to learn i guess i better moe strict with myself it sounds. Thanks so much and ill keep in touch
Hello, I agree with you the docs are warning me to get control and they have cautioned me for years due to family history. Im wondering why you think lupus is present ? i have been reading and learning alot check my reply to gerri i think it was . Thanks so much for reply and info. Let me know why you think lupus is present you got me wondering.
I know I’m a little late on this conversation but I’d like to follow up on something Kelly said. As your A1c implies an average of 140 and you rarely have a finger stick that high, you might consider testing at different times - 1 hour after meals if you now test at 2 hours for example - to figure out when you’re going high. It sounds like you’re making a good effort and getting results but a little more information about what is really going on will make that effort more productive.
Okay thanks i will try that and let you know what i find. Also i guess im confused some on this as i understood you were to test 2 hrs after a meal but i see where it does make sense to test one hour after.
If you test at 1 hour, you might find that you are going very high, which would explain why you are thirsty. When I was first diagnosed I was seeing completely normal numbers, even at about an hour. I have since realized that I go up to 250 or so at about 45 minutes and then go down very quickly, which makes me very tired and cranky.
A1C is not a diagnostic tool for diabetes… better criteria are having a fasting >126 on two occasions or anytime BG >200 on two occasions with symptoms. Impaired fasting glucose (what your labs show) are BG between 100 and 126. You seem to have prediabetes… sometimes they will put you on metformin, but diet and exercise are often the first approach.
I am not sure if you are overweight or not, but (if you are) losing just 7% of your body weight can decrease insulin sensitivity dramatically for most people.
I would recommend visiting with a nutritionist and/or completing a food/exercise diary so you can look at areas in your lifestyle you can make changes to. Also, when you combine this with testing, you can find foods that tend to spike your BG and try to limit/avoid them.
Best of luck to you! It’s not easy, but we are here to help you along the way.
okay thanks for the info i did attend a dining with diabetes class and it helped me alot i lost an inch after being rechecked there and starting eating more veggies and fiber which i thought i was getting enough of but wasnt and also learned more about carbs i have a good idea on some foods already which i avoid cause dont feel well after eating them like potatoes i dont eat eany white bread or flour and limit high fiber noodles or eat small portions of them but some fruits bother me too thanks for the info and your reply im still learning thanks!!!
Tress, It sounds like you are making the right moves, It’s much easier to deal with early rather than late. BTW the the dry mouth, thirsty symptoms are a dead giveaway that something you ate caused an unacceptable spike. For many of us fruits are off limits, but strawberries and blueberries in small quantities or OK.
