Well, maybe not an answer, but I did get my lab results in the mail! That in and of itself was good news. My endo told me that unless there was something wrong that she needed to discuss with me, I would be getting a letter from her in the mail. Today, I got it and I couldn’t be happier.
My HbA1c is…5.5! It translates to an average bg of approximately 112 and is higher than the average bg from my meter, which was 92 (translates to an A1c of 4.8) as of 11/10. I know I didn’t test enough to catch all the highs, which would have brought up the average and brought it closer to the A1c. However, I am not going to fret this result. It’s below both the ADA’s recommendation of 7.0 or less and below the AACE’s recommendation of 6.5 or less and it’s in the “5 club” range – though with about 15% of my readings either below range or hypo – that is what is important.
Of course, A1c isn’t the be-all and end-all of tests that matter for PWDs. I also had a lipid panel done and I am more than pleased with those results, too. My total cholesterol was 197, LDL 120, HDL 60, and triglycerides were 87 – and these were NOT fasting numbers. My blood was drawn for this test only about an hour or so after I had finished eating, so even though the doctor put “elevated for diabetes” next to my LDL result, I would say these results have to be interpreted in light of the lunch I had eaten. I had also expressed some concern about my thyroid, since I had had a very low (but within the test’s limits --barely) TSH result in the past. This time, it came back much higher, at 1.47 – so no thyroid problems here. Finally, my creatine and microalbumin levels came back normal, so after more than 16 years with diabetes, I still don’t show signs of kidney disease (phew!).
It’s always welcome to receive good news from your doctor, and sometimes I feel as if those of us with diabetes don’t get much good news from our doctors. Today, I got some good news that makes me feel good about my efforts and reinforces some of the decisons I have made over the past couple of years. As we head into the holiday season, I hope everyone here will also get some good news to help keep each of you motivated!