your last HbA1c ?

I'm always getting told by the Drs that my Hba1c could and should be lower and i was just wondering what readings real people get?

my last one was a few weeks ago and it was 8.7 which is the best i can remembering it being! i put it all down to the DAFNE course!!

what was your last one?

Dr's always say you should be doing better. Doesn't matter how well you do. I think if that is your best result to date then congratulations are in order! Some improvement is better than no improvement.

My last HBa1c was 8.4 that was last week. I've just switched specialist and he said that's great (now there's a first!), but then I have only been diagnosed for a year. (Was 11.9 at diagnosis)

Ofcourse always aiming for the 6.5%, but hopefully I'll get there by this time next year.

I wouldn't over stress about it. I know it's important and we don't want to go blind, lose limbs etc. but worrying about these things tends to make them worse. As my new Dr said to me this week. Stop worrying, relax, chill, start living life (with care of course) and don't let the diabetes control you. HBa1c is important but it's not everything. Good advice I thought.

My last score on the doors was 6.1 but god only knows how!! I am not at all strict on what I eat and have been known to suffer from an extreme Haribo attack occasionally!! My wife is always nagging me about my diet and threatens to grass me up to the Diabetes Sister!!

beaniequeenie wrote:.

I wouldn't over stress about it. I know it's important and we don't want to go blind, lose limbs etc. but worrying about these things tends to make them worse. As my new Dr said to me this week. Stop worrying, relax, chill, start living life (with care of course) and don't let the diabetes control you. HBa1c is important but it's not everything. Good advice I thought.

Hear Hear !!! Well said indeed and so very true!


Nick

Hello Demonfaries, I have been diabetic for 21 years on insulin I am well with no complications, and happy. My Hb1's have always reflected my emotional state at the time about my D. Your doctor is right about it being more important that you live your life and come to terms with the changes you have to make on a daily basic and not the suposed doom and gloom that might befall a diabetic. I have learned that if you focus on the fear of the future, for me , it is very difficult to be positive and healthy today. Today is the most important day in my diabetic life!!

I have had Hb1's of between 6 and 13 (AHH, when I was a teenages and didnt want to admitt I had D) but mostly around 8 or 9. These realy do reflect the commitment and positiveness (or not) I show to myself and D on a daily basis.
The Hb1 is an average over the 3mths and are a general guide to the medics but it is you sitting down with your diabetic nurse and really matching your insulin to your life that can really make the changes.
Thinking to far into the future and the 'what ifs' make me feel powerless and a victim and this has stopped me being positive and looking after myself properly on a daily basis.
You are doing really well, enjoy!

Thank you all for your words of encoragement (sp?) about my hba1c, ive been diabetic since i was two (20 years) i also have no physical problems connected to the D. i was just posting a general question about what other peoples results were. as i have no contact with other diabetics, except when i went on the dafne course. i see no point in stressing about any of it and never have, at first i was too young and then i couldnt remember anything different. although obviously i dont have brilliant control and never have but im still doing ok!

anybody else have high cholesterol? im too young to go on the tablets does anyone know of some natural cholesterol lowering food?

I had high cholesterol. (Well it wasn't madly high, but the dr's were going on at me) it was 5.5 and it should be below 5 (I think?) I've got it to 4 now, took about 4 months.

I know mine wasn't really high, but to be honest all I did was follow my normal eating plan, but just have porridge in the morning rather than toast. I did increase my exercise by one extra day a week, so that might have helped too.

Porridge is really good for lowering cholesterol (& it's low GI which is good for the sugar levels!) also the cereal Optivita. Soya milk also helps get it down. Also the obvious fruit & veg help, anything with fibre is good. Fats (as always) are bad. One food to be careful of is Prawns, they are very bad if you eat a lot and have high cholesterol.

6.8% on tuesday which makes for a quick visit to the hospital clinic but i'm doing my best to keep it there so that i can hopefully stop the minor bleed in my right eye and stop having to go to the pesky eye clinic

I'm finding out next week!

Well - and I am type 2 and today they said my test result was 6% which I am dead chuffed about! Also my cholesterol has come down - I am doing the high fat, low carb route and it has definitely worked for me.

Well done hunnybun

Just thought I'd throw my result in, 8.5 at todays date, my GP wasn't as pleased as I am. After the last few months throwing off very high blood sugars, I thought I'd be over 10 so I'm well chuffed. My GP and I both are of the idea that I am becoming insulin resistant, so after Xmas its a case of revising how I have controlled myself over the last 30 years. I have had my own regime of DAFNE, as I was diagnosed being told to "mess" with my diet and see what worked! I am now gaining weight, think my hips fancy being a mile wide!!!! (laughing)

My last result was 9.2 !!!

I was a bit upset by that. I've been trying so hard! (I thought it would be about 8 ish) anyway, 2 things
1) The specialist said that that can happend during the first couple of years because of irractic pancreas actions (? anyone else heard of that?)
2) It wasn't my fault (well that's what the specialist said anyway) cos my levemir is running out during the night, meaning I have no background insulin all day, so my levels are always creeping up.

today I'm most upset. My latest HbA1c is 10.something. Given that I'm on the pump now it is meant to be getting better not worse!
It was very very unexpected as I really to feel 100 times better since starting the pump and I don't have bg around 18 anymore (or not for as long anyway) which were a regular thing when I was doing MDI.
The only thing I can think is that I hardly have any hypos now so maybe my results aren't being lowered by that? (Before I would have maybe 3 a day, now I might have 2 a month!).
Still even with my excuses I'm sad.

I'm sorry to hear you're still having problems. I admit that the technical stuff baffles me, but surely the fact that you're feeling better is good?

I'll have to get Imz or Nick to sit me down and explain it all

Hi Beanie,
That sounds somewhat odd although I am really pleased to gear that your hypos are almost a thing of the past.

Have a chat with your specialist team about it, but remember that just sometimes the figures that 'they' want just aren't achievable without consequences and that your body may just be telling you that around the 10's IS you figure to be comfortable with.

No matter what anyone may tell you it isn't an exact science. <hug>

Take care

Nick

Thank you both. I am a believer that you do just have to listen to your body sometimes, but it would be nice to have the nurse's & co actually happy with me for once.
I've all but given up on my nurse. I promised my dr that I would go back to her if my results were worse, after 3 weeks and 3 voice mails I've still heard nothing. If it wasn't for all the possible complications I wouldn't waste my time with them.
Well I guess things can noly get better now!
(I sure as hell hope they don't get any worse! )

Hi Beanie,

Doesn't really matter about making your nurse 'happy' !! She isn't paid to be 'happy' about you and it also isn't her job to beat you up either!!!!

(Can you feel my soap box being drawn near??)

OK a suggestion.... ask for immediate GP appointment and don't be put off by oh anytime next week......

Ask for direct referral to Diabetic Specialist Clinic (that way if you don't get to see a Consultant and you should...you should at least see a DSN who is hosiptal based and should be able to answer your fears etc).

Don't take 'No' for an answer and go kick bottom to get some input

Have fun and report back

and Beanie join the Diabetes Research Network

http://www.ukdrn.org/patients_registration.html

Register preferably as interest as a patient advocate (you don't have to do anything) and you will get courses (all expenses paid) offered and get to meet a lot of people who would be v interested in you and your problems etc (including anything from Professors downwards)

And maybe even me at the December annual meeting bash (which is in London)

It can be good fun, is very very interesting and you will learn a lot

Take care

Nick

Thanks Nick.
Appointment with nurse (at hospital) booked for Monday. But she's not much use. That's not a nice thing to say I know, but I find that too many of these Dr's & Nurses like to treat everyone the same. (If one person with high BG eats 4 cream cakes a day then everyone with the same BG must also be eating 4 cream cakes a day.)

We will see. She might have something useful to say.

I think I am signed up already, but I was meant to send some form back so I never hear anything. I will get on the case of that this weekend!

Hi Beanie,

If it doesn't work with her then ask/demand to see Consultant ... it is your right to, especially as you are on a pump.

Excellent re the DRN...fill in that form and away you go !

Take care
Nick

Good Morning,

I went to see my nurse yesterday. Told her my theory as to why by HbA1C is 10 not 6.5 and she agreed. So although 10 is still not brilliant we decided that it's beacuse of the no hypo thing and that actually my bg readings are a lot more stable than they have ever been so now I am working to an average BG below 9 (which I think is reasonable) which will bring down my HbA1C.
So today I feel much more positive. Thanks all for your support.

That's brilliant news

Yo brilliant news!!!!!!!!

Last HbA1c was 9.2. I give up Just gonna sulk until it comes down. Lol. So in order to get over my poor results I went out on Saturday and got smashed. Sunday I woke up feeling myuch better about the world, if a bit wobbly on my feet still. Ha ha.

Anyway, I've made a decision. I don't care much for HbA1c results, and I'm just going to focus on my actual individual readings. At my last appointment my specialist tried to put me on a statin cos my cholesterol is 5.0 (bad levels at 3.3). I said no way! Sorry but once you go down that path you got to stay on them. I would rather try and sort it out myself naturally than keep taking pills to cover everything up! If it was really bad then I would consider it.

Rant over. (for now...)