In the midst of all the discussion of A1C, I'd be thrilled if it dropped to 8 from my diagnosis level of 12.4 when it is checked again in May. Even though I don't believe the A1C is very reliable, it would feel like a huge accomplishment.
The DsharpDiabetes online app that I am using says my average BG is around 136 (!) and that it correlates to an A1C of about 6.5 to 7. However, that's only going back through February 23rd, so I'm sure if checked today that it would be MUCH higher than that.
My pancreas seems to intermittently kick in, but it doesn't look like a full fledged honeymoon period yet..
I am really happy with my progress but need to lay off the chocolate. I can't help it- Easter is my FAVORITE holiday.
But on another note, I appreciate all of the people at TuD for listening and offering assistance. It means a lot. Thank you.
What they do not tell you about a1c is that it is greatly affected by the glucose level at the time your blood is taken. I did some research on different methods for my job and they all varied up to ,7% > the best way to get an accurate consistant a1c is to wait till your sugar is about 100mg/dl. if you want it to be lower, have it drawn at 60. If you are over 200, I say don't bother testing, its not going to be reliable. Part of the trouble is that that sample sits for a long time before testing. The samples glycate while in the tube driving up the numbers. If you just follow the 100mg/dl rule it is a useful test, but even most doctors don't know that. Even on my self I tested when I was at 72 and got an a1c of 5.9%. Then I purposely allowed my sugar to go up to 250, tested again and I got 6.8% a1c. I left the tubes sit only 2 hrs before testing. It is an important thing to remember if you are tracking your a1c and making corrections based on them.
Thanks, Tim. I haven't heard that at all and appreciate the input. I've had 2 A1C's run within a week of each other (the endo office insisted on repeating it). My first one was 12.4; the second was 12.8. I assumed that it might just be the difference between the two labs, but after you posted this... that's a heck of a difference, especially if the same thing happened at the lower end. Ugh, another thing to add to my list of why I hate A1C!
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that if the wind decides to change directions the day I have my A1C done, that it won't be accurate at all.
I would really like to see a fructosamine in addition to an A1C. Anemia, hormonal changes, and variation in red blood cell life all screw up A1C in addition to what you just said + the wind changing directions.
Can you provide any insight as to why they do not do the fructosamine as well? Is it just insurance issues??
