Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Timothy on July 16, 2012 at 3:04pm

Since I have been on CGM my last 2 have been 5.8 and 5.9 %. Before that it was hovering right around 7%.

There are some important things to remember before you get tested though. Make sure your sugar is as close to normal as you can get it before the test. I shoot for 100mg/dl.
Most doctors will tell you that your random glucose at the time of draw does not matter, but really it does matter a lot.

Also if you want to improve your numbers, try to get better control at night, Red blood cells are mostly created while we sleep. If you have high sugars at night, it will skew the test high.

Easier said than done though if you have hypo unawareness as I do. My CGM allowed me to get tight control at night, and that is all that changed really. I am very happy with my current numbers. And my awareness of sugars both high and low has gotten significantly better over the past 5-6 months with tighter control.

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Permalink Reply by Michael McClure on July 16, 2012 at 7:07pm

To add to this, my sports doc just revealed to me that the A1c is HEAVILY weighted to the last two weeks (it's not an even percentage over the last 90 days, as I had been told prior). That would explain my inexplicable recent A1c of 5 toward the end of May: I'd been running somewhat low in the few weeks just prior to my test, and also I was at 68 when the blood was drawn. My previous two were a 6.7 in January of this year and a 6.5 in October '11.

Bet my next one is higher. :)

/\/\

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Permalink Reply by Michael McClure on July 31, 2012 at 12:41pm

New numbers are in! I had a feeling the 5 was an anomaly (and, actually not at all 'real'). It was (and, it wasn't real). The lab I went to in May provided crap numbers according to my Endo (that's why he uses the lab he does). My new A1c from July 26th from my regular lab is a 6.6, much more in line with my previous 6.7 from January and 6.5 from last October.

I was very happy to see my HDL is at 70 and my LDL at 71, and I've been taking Vit D and my total is up from 'too low' to now in the target 30-100 range at a 37. Good enough for now.

/\/\

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Permalink Reply by brokenpole on July 16, 2012 at 3:06pm

I got mine checked at my endo's office last Friday and I was 5.4!! I don't see it from my numbers but hey...I'll take it.

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on July 16, 2012 at 3:08pm

Before I got on the pump I stayed pretty much from 6.3 to 6.5. (which I was fine with). Since I got on the pump I have had two A1C's that were both 5.7. The irony though is the first one I really worked hard at and expected it would be under 6. The second one I had a huge period of time where I was struggling; but the low numbers I'd gotten and the high numbers I'd gotten averaged out to the same 5.7. So it's not all about the number itself but what it indicates as well as if it's an improvement over previous ones.If you've been between 7 and 8 then getting under 7 would be a great goal! Personally I think when someone asks this question the people with "good" A1C's are the ones who respond so it's not necessarily a true sampling!

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Permalink Reply by christy on July 16, 2012 at 3:18pm

My last two have been 5.5 and 5.7. Prior to that 6.6 which was pre-pump.

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Permalink Reply by Cosumne Jan on July 17, 2012 at 2:40pm

I agree about the people who respond. I'm only too happy to tell everyone my A1cs, but you'll never hear me volunteering my weight. Or my IQ.

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Permalink Reply by Marps on July 21, 2012 at 9:41pm

Though I am at 6.1% now, it was definitely a long, uphill battle for years for me to get there. I would definitely be open and honest about my A1cs over the years. For many years, I could not get my number below 8% no matter what I did. I'm not entirely sure that my A1c dipping below 8% finally was my doing- just happened suddenly and I've (thankfully) been able to keep it there for 2 years.

I've been type 1 for 14 years and the majority of those years were closer to the 10% A1cs. It took a while for me to get my diabetes act together, stop ignoring the disease, and put myself first above everything else.

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Permalink Reply by Spock on July 16, 2012 at 5:01pm

Watch a low A1C number like that. As I said below, I am kind of OCD about glucose levels, but ask you doctor if your control is too tight. I am often told that my numbers under 5.7 mean I have a lot of low glucose levels, scary, but true.

Be safe!

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on July 16, 2012 at 6:12pm

That's a false assumption, Spock, that doctors push on us. There is no such thing as control that is "too tight". Dr. Bernstein and others believe that Type 1's should aim for A1C's that are in the non-diabetic range. While that isn't either possible or desirable for all of us, it is definitely possible to have A1C's in the 5's without a lot of lows. If we keep good records (or check on our pumps) we can see if our a1C's are caused by too many lows or not. As I mentioned above I had two 5.7's one of which did not involve too many lows, one of which did (too many highs and too many lows averaging out).

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Permalink Reply by Clare on July 16, 2012 at 3:26pm

I agree with Zoe as far as the people who respond are probably those with decent numbers. My last A1C done in May was 6.1% but prior to that my numbers have ranged from a high of 8.7% in 1999 and a low of 6.9% in 2004. I finally started taking better care of myself over the last 6 months or so and started paying attention to what I was eating and how much insulin I was taking and a bunch of other stuff that I hadn't paid much attention to in the past. As a result the numbers have improved and so has my attitude. I have learned a lot here, like the reply from Timothy who is a wealth in info. I had no idea you should shoot for a normal BS before you have your blood drawn. So I learned even more today.

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Permalink Reply by Marps on July 16, 2012 at 3:43pm

6.1% as of two days ago! 6.2% a month ago. I've been in the 6s for about two years now. I'm MDI, no CGM or pump.

I've been averaging much lower, but it's taking a few months for my A1cs to catch up and reflect the changes. My fastings have been from 60-80 and my 1 hr postprandials are 110-140, 2 hr pp around 100. I'm guessing my next A1c which will be done next month will be closer to 5.8% (which is the lowest I will have ever been)

Before two years ago, I was averaging in the 8%s for years. I couldn't break the plateau. Then, I changed my Levemir schedule & split the dosages, lowered my carb intake to about 30-60g per day, and take Metformin in the mornings.

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