Hello all!
So recently I was diagnosed with T1. My A1C at the beginning of July was 12.6! Ouch. But when they did another test it was down to a 7.6! Woo! But I know I need to get it below 7 so is there any way I can lower it a little faster? Or just at all?
Thank you for your help!
Congrats on the progress so far! You don't want to lower it too quickly or you'll feel bad. You don't say much about your management so it's hard to advise you, but lowering carb intake and fine tuning your I:C ratios, ISF and basal dose can all help stabilize your numbers. If you haven't already, I recommend you read Using Insulin or Think Like a Pancreas to help with these things. Let us know if you have specific questions.
A1C reflects your BG from the last 2-3 months, so keep in mind that the recent 7.6 reflects 1 month of improved BGs since diagnosis, and 2 months from before.
If your current BGs are within target, and you continue that for the next 2 months, then your A1C in Sept/Oct will be a better reflection, and very likely to be under 7. For now you should rely on your daily BG control as measurement of how well you are doing.
To estimate A1C, based on assuming your average BGs for July will be the same through to Sept/Oct, you can use the A1C calculator or charts, found on many websites. (you enter average BG, and it shows estimated A1C). But this will only help if you do a good mix of BG tests from before and after meals, and bedtime, etc. Some only test before meals, which is typically the lowest BGs of the day, so their averages don't reflect the higher numbers that often occur after meals.
Since your A1C dropped to 7.6, I might guess that for July only, it would have been in the low 6 range.
I would try lowering carb intake a lot, overall intake and intake per meal as well as eliminate foods that spike you and as Zoe said work on i/c ratio etc. At my diagnosis my a1c was 13%- I lowered it to 8 in one month with lo carb and then to 5.1 about 6 months after diagnosis. I'm not sure how much time there was in between your tests, but maybe they made a mistake on the first one?
Just wanted to add that I noticed you're recently diagnosed and you were maybe in dka... that was what happened to me and mine did lower a lot the second time they did it which was about a month later I think.
Great work so far!!!
That's AMAZING! and I agree with what was said below that your average bg from this past month is prob around 6.0 :) What is your diet and exercise like?
It sounds like you are on a good path to controlling your diabetes, be it with medication & dietary change. I would not stress out too much about the A1C right now. Rather I recommend educating yourself. Via testing, learn how your body responds to different foods. And to exercise.
Familiarize yourself with healthy, lower carb versions of things you enjoy eating. Try new vegetables. Aim to get in regular activity/exercise most days of the week.
It's a learning curve!
Once you get the hang of it your A1c can drop very rapidly. I was diagnosed with an A1c around 12, was about 9.5 at 6 weeks and below 6 at around 6 months. But diabetes is a marathon not a sprint; the point isn't simply to get your A1c down, it's to keep it in a good range for the long haul.
You're doing great. Just keep learning about your body and how it reacts to food, exercise and insulin and do your best. That's all any of us can do.
Just thought I would let everyone know.. I went to my endo in November and my A1C was a 5.8! :D
Congratulations, Kaycee; great work!
Thats great Kaycee, congrats!!! Good job :)
Wow Kaycee, you are nailing it. You should be telling us what you do instead of asking! The force is strong with you!!
Well done!
Keep Hba1c above 6.0 and below 7.2 and you will be fine. If below 6.0 then you could run into trouble with low BG's specially at night. Test BG regularly to enable good control. All the best.
I'm not sure I totally agree with that. The way to avoid lows is to work to avoid lows. It's not *automatic* that a lower A1C leads to trouble with hypos. It might, but it might not. I had plenty of trouble with lows when my A1C was higher but, these days, not so much. It's more about balance. I also don't really "aim for" an A1C as much as I aim to do as well as I can on every blood test!
Where can I read about "Using Insulin" or "Think Like a Pancreas"?
Thank you!
Those are the titles of two books. Using Insulin is written by Walsh and Roberts. Think Like A Pancreas is written by Scheiner. Search on Amazon.
Thank you Terry.
Yep BG control is pertinent to individual metabolism, lifestyle etc. After 62 years of insulin fixes and all the ramifications thereof, I find that the worst BG drops are during a 20 mile run or 30 mile mountain bike ride. Normally after 30 minutes on the move the BG is down to 2.8 so one has to plan and prepare beforehand. Normally after a run/cycling episode Insulin shots have to be drastically reduced for the next week or so. No two people are similar so it is a matter of getting to know your body and testing BG's 5 or 6 times a day. Good luck.......
Thank you for the heads up! But my BG levels have actually been pretty darn amazing! I have only bottomed out twice in the past 4 months and I only went high two or three times! But I'll make sure I keep a close eye on it
Have to agree with acidrock here. My A1cs have been in the 5s for a year now and I get very few lows. It's all about balance as he says, or to say the same thing in a different way, careful and conscientious management. Every case is individual.