I think that’s a key thing to discuss however it is not medically possible to research it or discuss it, since only a dangerous lunatic would run their A1C down into the 5s.
I think that it’s probably really hard if you get your goal/ plan from a doctor? I developed my plan, very much on my own, after years of sort of furtively obtaining Rx’s, blowing off doctors and using insulin like something you’d buy in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert. Really, I’m not that different now but the doc’s guesstimate of my ratios and basal rates was pretty close, I made some small adjustments and things have fallen into place nicely. I’ve also switched things for a while. “Jerry” made me turn my pump up shades and I noticed that my ratio was really high and I was getting steep drops after meals. I’ve turned it down and it went away. It’s not exactly easy but it’s still work. I agree it’s a good discussion thing. I noticed a couple of folks posting stuff about “what if your A1C is not in the 5s?” lately too though and I’d like to learn more about how people who are not drug fiends use insulin.
It might make for an interesting discussion, but in the end, it’s probably because we are all different in our reactions to a lot of things. The first thing that came to mind was dieting. Some people can lose weight almost effortlessly while others struggle for every pound lost. Sharing what works may allow people to learn new ideas and maybe some work for them, but there will still be people who lose quickly and those who don’t. I’m thinking A1c’s are a lot the same way.
As I mentioned before, early-stage Type 2’s who eat low-carb and exercise can get A1cs in the 5’s fairly easily. If you guys ONLY want to talk about Type 1, that’s a different story. But saying you don’t think ANYONE can easily get into the 5’s would seem to include Type 2’s as well.
Hi A…R …re your comment at the end : my Doc and Pump Nurse are very interested in CareLink download …actually my 522 pump , I was told , was : " corrupted ". I could NOT upload the reports …my Extended Heatlth Insurance was not willing to replace my 522 till she and MM told them how important the " gizmo " is to identify trends .Now using a Veo …thanks to the help from my Specialist !!
I haven’t seen any threads about a lot of people saying “yay, 5.5” who are T1 or T2. I’ve looked at the map, while admittedly self-reported, shows averages around the world trending towards the 6.5-6.8 so that suggests to me that it may not perhaps be that easy to get to the 5s?
But we DO have the 5 Club, with 72 members. Just what that means, I do not know, and in my 18 years of actually diagnosed diabetes, I’ve been in the low 6’s, but never in the 5’s. I know I couldn’t do it easily, but on DiabetesWorld, people (most likely all Type 2’s) talk about 5’s all the time. And, of course, Bernstein wants A1cs in the 4’s!
And simple me responding : I work my butt off , daily …ask hubby !! my A1c’s have not always been below the magic number 7 during these years …28 years plus : NO complications …there is more to it than those magic numbers ! To come back to MissKitka’s question ,…yes there is stress related to the number for me , when I am told …however I plan to relax more, when I hear the result .
I always fax a bunch of stuff to her and she’s asked for my password as well. Right now, it’s my ‘everything’ password that I am not going to share with her, use on message boards, etc. so I have to change it. I am hoping that if she gets the reports, she can monitor it more closely or perhaps spot trends but the last time I saw her she said “I can’t tell you anything”. Congrats on your Veo though, I would like to have one of those, if only so I could get the smaller model. I was ‘close’ in terms of insulin so they gave the 722 but, between the pump reduction and eating less in general, the 523 will be plenty.
Jen, when I was in the 7,8, and 10s. I posted a thread and asked what do those 5.x people do. The overwhelming answer was low carb. That said, I know some PWD who have amazing results with high carb and daily exercise. My approach for years was wrong and I think a lot of people get caught in that. Its far to easy to think your doing all you can and not even realize your addressing the problems incorrectly. Or that there is a simpler way to approach things. Also, the motivation changes as life runs its course. I had less desire to be in uber tight control when I was 14 than I do now in my 30s. Also, less right for complications at 14 as well.
My main thought on it is that people need to find a management style that works for them. I think a discrussion on the different management styles might be interesting as well (e.g., low carb eating, daily exercise, low fat with symlin, etc).
You and me both (on that insulin production). Mine stopped years ago. What I think is most interesting is that there has to be something that were all missing. I keep finding that folks all over the board do and dont get complications. Why? No one knows. C-peptide? Amuin? A1C? Got me. I only hope Bernstein is right, cause thats where Im placing my bets now. We place so much of ourselves in this number, even if we logically know it isnt the end all be all.
people can easily achieve 5’s or more normalized blood sugars right after dx, because the main contributing factor is that your cells reprouduce every 3 three months or soo.
so with that in mind essentially if you rode your steady wave of nornmal blood sugars than quite yes you will be in the fives, which i am an example of but;
and here is where people fail: if you don’t understand what the major factors are doing to your body then yes you increase proportionalty your attempts at failure at normalized blood sugars.
i.e. if your noticing high numbers after you eat and you eat the same thing you may correct the high number the next time you eat by maybe delaying your ijnection over a mulitiude of hours so as to never get above 150, take your shot earlier, or what have you.
those that understand how food and insulin work together in the body the sooner one can achieve and maintain 5’s… that being said some have an easier time of it than others but such is life and such is why some are more successful than others.
Sounds to me like it’s the doctors who cause the stress, not the numbers. The A1C is a tool to help you get better control, nothing else. But some of these doctors will act like you’ve been taking a 3 month long exam and the results have finally come in. Your doctor should have been sitting down with you to try and identify and solve the problem instead of just saying you need to bring your numbers down.
I agree that based on the people I know, the Type 2’s can achieve 5’s easily. I was very surprised how easily in some cases. I don’t know if that reflects what research shows on this. Suppose it matters, too, what one means by “easily”. It’s great if diabetics can meet the A1c goals they have, but it really doesn’t matter what the goals are if a person cannot meet them. I think that’s the problem with the A1c number game. It’s not if a lot of people can or cannot do this, it’s if you, personally wah can or cannot. A1c numbers have become a banner, a medal, who we are. It’s not supposed to be a competition, though it greatly resembles one.
When I was 10.7, I was nearly dead. So I think I should be in the 5’s although it hasn’t happened yet! As I work on low-carb, who know – it may happen!
Perhaps if I sent you my numbers, food intake and exercise, you could do what no one has in 39 years–find a correlation. Thanks for insulting me as a failure. I am not stupid, I am not lazy and I cannot get a 5.0 for A1c. If that’s the criteria for being accepted as a diabetic, I quit. You perfect people can have this discussion.
Don’t stop yet all of us who have been a diabetic for more than 30 years know where your coming from. I’ve had it 37 years and no where near a 5 on my A1c
whoa whoa whoa you are so misinterpeting what i said… did i anywhere point to someone or anyone in specific that i wasnt aware about.
yes it is a math problem, yes there are multiple variables at play during different times. i am sorry you have had more of a difficult time than someone else at what ever it is you are trying to achieve. but that is a part of life there is no set equation to solve every problem although there are guidelines that set us on our path but YOU as an individual need to find out how to be successful relying on your doctors for 39 years may not be the best advice if you keep coming up with the wrong answers, remembering that the drs aren’t with us and all of our wonderful decisions we make with the lives we lead.
and please don’t take things soo personal it isn’t good to get the adrenaline flowing too much part of that may cause your liver to dump in response and get you a blood sugar spike…
now if you would like to add some thoughtful discussion i am sure we could get some feed back but acting like i insulted you to draw a possible fight isn’t cool…
and to add to your concerns i haven’t nor do i talk about my exact a1cs or brag about them but if the question does come up i am in no way ashamed of soo ofar being able to ‘crack the code’ or whatever mysterious thing it is to control my blood sugars.
it may also help i own and operate a restaurant and know how different foods and how they are prepared react with my body, should i be ashamed of the skills i have acquired???
Thank you for the support. I am just so tired of people wearing the A1c number like a medal. When one comes into this forum, you are asked your A1c number and it’s posted. Can you imagine how angry people would be if they posted your weight? The obsession with weight has increased eating disorders dramatically. Now, diabetics are passing out trying for that elucive 5.0 A1c. This is very wrong. Why even post people’s numbers? There’s a clear message in doing that. It’s just wrong.
…thanks to the help from my Specialist !!