Yesterday I got back my latest labwork. ALL other things looked beautiful: cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, everything...
But my A1c climbed up (again), this time to 7.4: the highest it's ever been. :(
I know it could be worse, and I know it's only a number. But per acidrock's recommendation, I am here posting about it. Because I need everyone's support to make this happen.
I want to get back to an A1c of 6.1-6.2. I don't want to go much lower than that.
Use sugar free Jell-O when you Jell-O wrestle for now on. lol good luck!
I think we can all feel a bit better knowing that Manny is just like us. We can know what we have to do, but actually doing it can be hard. Controlling your diabetes is really a mental thing. I look forward to supporting you as you work towards your goals.
If it's any comfort to you, 7.4 is the *lowest* Eric's a1c has ever been, and I've been trying like crazy to break through that number. So I'm hoping that if you can bring yours down, then some sort of karmic connection will help Eric's to go down too. I mean, a 6.1 or 6.2 is close to impossible for a little guy like him, but I would be quite pleased with a 7.1 or 7.2... baby steps!
Thanks for posting Manny, it's not easy for any of us to ask for support! Do you know why it's gone up? I suspect the intricacies of all the travel you've been doing may have contributed.
I'll say what I always do: don't blame yourself! It's not a 'test', it's information we can use to see what, if anything, we need to change. So my first step would be to look at what's not as it should be. Basal rates? Inaccurate carb counting? Gremlins? :) I know you've been paying attention to exercise, I'm sure that will help make a difference.
I think I speak for us all - we're here for you. How can we best support you in changing what you need to change?
My A1C’s are usually in the 5’s or low 6’s. The one time it was 7.X, it was when I was having to drive daily during my job (100 miles a day) and this resulted in me purposefully running higher bg’s to minimize hypos and I was missing my daily walksbecause I was stuck in traffic. Anything similar with you going on?
Really, I was thinking "forums" > "blogs" but, these work too. I'd say look at the pump data to see where anomalies or perhaps "opportunities" are. My pump data is a good opportunity to see "woah, every day after lunch I'm low [or high, or whatever...]" and fix it. We would need more data to fix it but I think most diabetes problems can be fixed. Unfortunately, it takes work to fix it. And, if you screw up and run low, you can pound your head on concrete floors, roll around naked in puddles of cranberry juice or see orange people with plaid hair, all things I've done. Not for a while though.
Someone mentioned you have been travelling lately. I find diet is harder to control when I am not in my own environment. Good luck with your quest.
oh many we all get an upsetting a1c sometimes posting about it real;ly helps! don't worry u'll be backj to where u want to be if not next time then the next
GOOD LUCK AND STAY STRONG!!
oops, by "pump data", I mean the pie charts in whichever Carelink reports have pie charts in them. I use those to look for concentrations of "off" numbers. It doesn't have to be way off but if I see an area where there's lots of lows, it's not unusual to have the next area turn out to have lots of highs. The pie charts kind of get the "trees" of individual readings out of the way and replace them with a "forest" of results that are more macro than micro. If you can find some areas with numbers that are off, look at pump settings there. If the fasting is off, I will tweak the basal, just a little bit, and if it's post-postprandial, I'll tweak the ratio. For this "theory", it doesn't matter if it's up or down, the point is to see what you can do and what happens when you make a change. If you want, it is probably recommended to check with your doctor or CDE, because insulin is wicked and all that but, if you propose changes in a careful manner like that, I would be very surprised were a doctor not to go along with the suggestion.
Another suggestion might be to get a fake identity and post a thread w/ specifics, since our responses are seem to be heavily weighted towards "support" which is a great display of love from the community but I wanted you to get some nuts and bolts with which to fix the problem.
Also, re Doris' comments, I haven't had an upsetting A1C since 2007, when I hit 7.7 when I started working out all of the time, still basically "carb guessing" since I had ignored any advances in diabetes theories that had come about since my DX in 1984. I love trying to propose solutions to diabetes puzzles and will keep at it for a while at least.
The other ***shocking*** thing about this thread is that no one has proposed the official Tu panacea that crops up in these threads of...LOW CARB!!! Hee hee. While I don't do that myself, I will admit that I do pretty light, regular eating during the week (work is near pretty yucky food choices, Wendy's, BWW, etc. Blech. There is one really brilliant upscale Mexican place that I *can't* go to because I will get back to 300 lbs in no time...). When I eat similarly/ identically, it may help make my use of the pie-charts more meaningful, since the inputs tend to be similar. These days, I'm putting more carbs in, trying to replace some booze with stuff like oatmeal. It's interesting but it seems like the results are a bit more varied than I'd like but it's also hard to say since the CGM has seemed to be a bit less accurate than usual.
Hey Manny,
I wouldn't sweat it too much, I think it's par for the course to have re evaluate diabetes care and our progress regularly, a wayward HBA1c gives one a good opportunity to do so. :)
In terms of how to fix it how are the following?..
1)Testing, are you testing and correcting less than usual? Too busy with work to give it the level of focus you gave it when you were at 6.2 etc.
2) Diet? Don't know how you eat... Has your diet changed a lot? Eating more carbs than usual?
3) Exercise? Not doing as much exercise?
What worked well for me was testing about 8-10 times a day before and 2hours after every meal, also in morning and at night. This would also give you a good opportunity to get your basals set straight, maybe you've gained abit of weight and require some more background insulin?
I think it's just going to be a process of elimination, check your I:C ratios. Maybe tweak your diet and drop your carbs..
There are so many variables to this disease as you know, so it could be one thing, or a combination of several that led to the increase in HbA1c.
diet, lifestyle, stress, weight changes, exercise.. Phases of the moon ha...
Maybe just take stock, look for some patterns in behaviors, lifestyle and work from there?
All the best.
*knock on wood* I haven't had a "wayward" A1C for a while now.
It always concerns me that the medical industry accepts abnormal results for us without really offering much in the way of concrete suggestions for change. In my own situation, the last time I had a gonzo hypo, the doc suggested cutting back basal but, by the time the "doctor changing insulin dosage" process got me that message, I'd already done so and had a couple days of "well, that seems to be working..." under my belt. I like (or liked, as she's moving...) my doc fine but if any change needs to come, it needs to come from me or, more generally, us.
There's a lot of people (e.g. Clare and Sportster in a recent thread, some other folks I've seen here and on FB, etc.) who have reported things along the line of "I'm going to try to have more normal BG" or "I'm going to set a lower target" who've been able to do it and who have reported having been pleased with the results. The big bugbear is always hypos but I had those when my A1C was 7.2 and I've had them with an A1C of 5.1. I don't like them that much as they get in the way of a lot of fun but, in terms of accumulating data to run things tightly, I would *much* rather have drift down low from 85 to 60 than an over-corrected, rage-bolused, rollercoaster of 250 to 60. I've done both and the 85 to 60s is generally a much mellower buzz. I'm not able to say what anyone's goal should be but if you aim for normal, you are much more likely to hit it than shooting for the ADA/AADE/AMA recommended levels.
Manny, congratulations on all the good numbers! i have yet to experience the whole "bad" a1c, as im only a couple of years into this but the fear of it is what keeps me being "good", especially near blood test time!
i hope you can get things back on track-wow, that makes it sound so easy, doesnt it? que asco de enfermedad. anda, que tu puedes!
Manny,my dear friend, have you been watching the carbs? Avoiding things white. When I first came here I was 9.5 but being extra careful listening to my Tu friends I got it down to 5.9. Lots of travel not eating right STRESS all could be causes. You can get it down. I know it. Reed
I don't know Manny but I think Acidrock has it right, Stick with us and we will help you through.
@Lots: That video is GENIUS!!!
@Seagator: You are right. I need to watch my carbs more.
@all: I have so much to re-learn from all of you. I so love each and everyone of you!!
the guy would be great at Zumba !
Forgive for me posting this ,( in case some one else did ) ...my Educator( s) have mentioned this to me, because I got hooked by my result number( s ) ... A1C result is a tool ..if and when the number stays up there , ie it's a trend !! your one number result is not a trend and one can hopefully fix by doing what has been suggested here by all your PWD friends .
You are absolutely right, Nel!
Hey Manny and team! I know this is an old post but I just got MY HbA1C back and Its 7.4 and i'm super upset about it. It's up from 6.9 4 months ago.
But for the last 3 days, and onwards, I am switching to the ketogenic way of eating. I believe this will give me a type of stability I have never before had.
love to all