A1c
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trackercasey76 wrote: »amyfrogred wrote: »Hi, 2t9nty I have taken your advice... up protein and lowered carbs added some cider vinegar. So, when I was diagnosed T2 in May my A1c was 7.1, Today I went to my Dr. To get my recent lab results and my Dr. Was happy with my results A1c down to 6.3 also my cholesterol was reduced to half from 199 to 98. I'm going to a diabetes class soon. I also got a hepatitis B shot along with pneumonia and a flue shot recommended for diabetics. Dr. Informed me the shots could spike my blood sugar, but it's normal and not to worry. I asked why with all my progress I still can't keep my BG under 120 in the AM fasting, Dr says not to worry about the number as long as I maintain it and there are no high spikes.
Awesome!
How low have you gotten your carb intake?
IMHO, the diabetes classes can be fertile breeding ground for dubious advice that educators believe, right or wrong, is likely to be followed by "average" T2Ds. My guess is that it will be years until standard diabetes education advises T2Ds to avoid the one thing they have the biggest trouble handling - carbs.
I learned A LOT in my Diabetes ed class, I was so happy I took it. I have heard nightmare stories from many other people but mine was great.
Great! Could you be persuaded to post a couple highlights?0 -
trackercasey76 wrote: »amyfrogred wrote: »Hi, 2t9nty I have taken your advice... up protein and lowered carbs added some cider vinegar. So, when I was diagnosed T2 in May my A1c was 7.1, Today I went to my Dr. To get my recent lab results and my Dr. Was happy with my results A1c down to 6.3 also my cholesterol was reduced to half from 199 to 98. I'm going to a diabetes class soon. I also got a hepatitis B shot along with pneumonia and a flue shot recommended for diabetics. Dr. Informed me the shots could spike my blood sugar, but it's normal and not to worry. I asked why with all my progress I still can't keep my BG under 120 in the AM fasting, Dr says not to worry about the number as long as I maintain it and there are no high spikes.
Awesome!
How low have you gotten your carb intake?
IMHO, the diabetes classes can be fertile breeding ground for dubious advice that educators believe, right or wrong, is likely to be followed by "average" T2Ds. My guess is that it will be years until standard diabetes education advises T2Ds to avoid the one thing they have the biggest trouble handling - carbs.
I learned A LOT in my Diabetes ed class, I was so happy I took it. I have heard nightmare stories from many other people but mine was great.
Great! Could you be persuaded to post a couple highlights?
I went in scared and thinking that only fat people got diabetes. I learned that it's mostly genetic and that anyone can get it, therefore nothing to get depressed or feel guilty about.
I learned how to count carbs and what they mean to a diabetic, how many and what types to eat, when to eat and why I need to eat more often. I learned what other factors may cause spikes such as stress, illness, lack of sleep etc. So much good info taught by nurses that were diabetics themselves. It was a 10 hr class stretched out over 5 weeks.
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trackercasey76 wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »amyfrogred wrote: »Hi, 2t9nty I have taken your advice... up protein and lowered carbs added some cider vinegar. So, when I was diagnosed T2 in May my A1c was 7.1, Today I went to my Dr. To get my recent lab results and my Dr. Was happy with my results A1c down to 6.3 also my cholesterol was reduced to half from 199 to 98. I'm going to a diabetes class soon. I also got a hepatitis B shot along with pneumonia and a flue shot recommended for diabetics. Dr. Informed me the shots could spike my blood sugar, but it's normal and not to worry. I asked why with all my progress I still can't keep my BG under 120 in the AM fasting, Dr says not to worry about the number as long as I maintain it and there are no high spikes.
Awesome!
How low have you gotten your carb intake?
IMHO, the diabetes classes can be fertile breeding ground for dubious advice that educators believe, right or wrong, is likely to be followed by "average" T2Ds. My guess is that it will be years until standard diabetes education advises T2Ds to avoid the one thing they have the biggest trouble handling - carbs.
I learned A LOT in my Diabetes ed class, I was so happy I took it. I have heard nightmare stories from many other people but mine was great.
Great! Could you be persuaded to post a couple highlights?
I went in scared and thinking that only fat people got diabetes. I learned that it's mostly genetic and that anyone can get it, therefore nothing to get depressed or feel guilty about.
I learned how to count carbs and what they mean to a diabetic, how many and what types to eat, when to eat and why I need to eat more often. I learned what other factors may cause spikes such as stress, illness, lack of sleep etc. So much good info taught by nurses that were diabetics themselves. It was a 10 hr class stretched out over 5 weeks.
sounds like the class I took!
We also all started with a glucometer to learn how various food affected our blood sugars & it was surprising just how different everyone was. Fruit didn't affect my blood sugars very much whereas with others, it did.
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rheddmobile wrote: »I like salted sliced radishes for my salty crunchy addiction. Low carb and very few calories.
I eat radishes, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, pickles ... on a daily basis with a little salt for flavor. These are some of the foods that keep me full. I've always had these in my diet, the difference is not having cheese and crackers with heavy dips at the same time.3 -
I couldn't take it any longer so I called my Doctor and told them I needed my A1c number for my last Diabetes Ed class tonight (they call it a class reunion). In February my A1c was 11.8 it is now 5.7! I'm pretty pumped!!11
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I had my first visit with the doctor since getting my test results and finding out I have diabetes. My A1c was 9.6 - starting on some meds and checking my numbers daily now for three weeks. Already changed my diet. Feel like I'm starting a whole new life.3
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trackercasey76 wrote: »I couldn't take it any longer so I called my Doctor and told them I needed my A1c number for my last Diabetes Ed class tonight (they call it a class reunion). In February my A1c was 11.8 it is now 5.7! I'm pretty pumped!!
Wow! That's a great number. I'm hoping mine will be that low next Dr visit in 3months.1 -
sweeetypie1 wrote: »I had my first visit with the doctor since getting my test results and finding out I have diabetes. My A1c was 9.6 - starting on some meds and checking my numbers daily now for three weeks. Already changed my diet. Feel like I'm starting a whole new life.
You are staring off right with a change in your food intake. What meds did they put you on? If you don't mind sharing. I'm taking metformin.0 -
amyfrogred wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »amyfrogred wrote: »Hi, 2t9nty I have taken your advice... up protein and lowered carbs added some cider vinegar. So, when I was diagnosed T2 in May my A1c was 7.1, Today I went to my Dr. To get my recent lab results and my Dr. Was happy with my results A1c down to 6.3 also my cholesterol was reduced to half from 199 to 98. I'm going to a diabetes class soon. I also got a hepatitis B shot along with pneumonia and a flue shot recommended for diabetics. Dr. Informed me the shots could spike my blood sugar, but it's normal and not to worry. I asked why with all my progress I still can't keep my BG under 120 in the AM fasting, Dr says not to worry about the number as long as I maintain it and there are no high spikes.
If you have dawn phenomenon, like I do, the reason is that your body produces stress hormones first thing in the morning to get you up and running for the day. Try testing at some other time of day while fasting and see if your glucose is lower. I check mine in the middle of the night sometimes for this reason.
There's nothing you can really do to prevent dawn phenomenon but it lasts a short time out of the day and isn't as harmful as if your fasting sugars were high all the time. "Normal" range of dawn spikes for a diabetic is anything under 130, so 120 isn't too bad. My experience is that the only thing which really lowers it is a lot of exercise late in the previous day.
I'll look into this phenomenon, it sounds terrible.
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I just had my 4th of 5 diabetes education classes. I'm considered "controlled by diet", so no meds, but I too had higher than normal (130) fasting blood sugar readings. My teacher suggested I try having a bedtime snack, and it it amazing--it works! It's a small snack, and I'm careful because I don't want to bring back acid reflux (they tell you not to eat 2 hours before laying down), but you might try a small snack (I have 2T of hummus & a little sauerkraut, typically). Even when my bedtime test numbers are good (102), they're even better in the morning (94). Good luck!
And for everyone reading this--if you haven't taken diabetes education classes, do it! I am the most recently diagnosed student in my class. Others had been diagnosed 2 to 20+ years ago and had never taken the classes. They are worth your investment in yourself and imo will really help you to learn to manage the many facets of diabetes.6 -
Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.0
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rheddmobile wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »Mine was 11.8, I just had a blood draw last week and I'm waiting on the results...hoping it is much lower!
How long has it been since the 11.8? What has your diet been? What are daily readings looking like?
[Sorry for the rapid-fire questions.]
It was mid February that I was 11.8, that was when I found out I was diabetic. Since then I have been very carb aware, took a diabetic awareness class and have been testing once daily (alternating between morning fasting and 2 hrs post dinner). According to my tracking app my average has been 101 with a high of 144 and a low of 70. I have also dropped about 25 pounds since march and about 40 since Christmas. I really expect my A1c to be much better. The app estimates my A1c to be 5.0 but I doubt it dropped that much.
Could very well have, mine dropped that much in 4 months. Particularly if you went on any meds. Fingers crossed!
I know the ADA says test at 2 hours post prandial, but my peaks hit for most foods at about 45 minutes, and start rapidly coming down after 1 hr. If I only tested at 2 hrs I wouldn't have anything like an accurate idea of my actual spikes, and two hours four times a day is a third of a day... a long time for glucose to be elevated.
There's a mistaken notion - supported by insurance companies who don't want to cover the cost of testing strips - that testing frequently isn't helpful for non-insulin dependent diabetics, which goes back to one badly run study, in which the subjects were not instructed what to do if they tested and their sugar was high. So, the test subjects tested, found their sugar was high, said, "Shucky darn, that looks bad," and did nothing different. And then the study found that testing didn't help them. But there are many possible interventions you can do when your sugar is high, such as immediately exercising, and remembering that you can't tolerate that combination of food in the future. I really recommend testing more often than once a day.
Great job on your number going down so quickly, hard work pays off!
I'm one of those people whose insurance company pays for only 1 strip a day. It's so difficult and frustrating to know when to actually test for any kind of pattern.
Any suggestions would be so appreciated particularly regarding having use of only 1 test strip daily! Thanks
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I don't have insurance, so I buy my own strips. I can't imagine a better use of my money - I like my vision, I like my feet, I like my intellect, and these are some of the first things to be damaged by bad glucose control. I have a Bayer Contour next, which is the highest rated meter as far as accuracy. The meter plus 100 lancets, lancing device, and 100 strips is 40 dollars on Amazon, and 100 strips is 20 dollars. So for 40 dollars a month you can test 6 times daily, and for only 20, 3 times. Less than two dollars per day.Hearts_2015 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »Mine was 11.8, I just had a blood draw last week and I'm waiting on the results...hoping it is much lower!
How long has it been since the 11.8? What has your diet been? What are daily readings looking like?
[Sorry for the rapid-fire questions.]
It was mid February that I was 11.8, that was when I found out I was diabetic. Since then I have been very carb aware, took a diabetic awareness class and have been testing once daily (alternating between morning fasting and 2 hrs post dinner). According to my tracking app my average has been 101 with a high of 144 and a low of 70. I have also dropped about 25 pounds since march and about 40 since Christmas. I really expect my A1c to be much better. The app estimates my A1c to be 5.0 but I doubt it dropped that much.
Could very well have, mine dropped that much in 4 months. Particularly if you went on any meds. Fingers crossed!
I know the ADA says test at 2 hours post prandial, but my peaks hit for most foods at about 45 minutes, and start rapidly coming down after 1 hr. If I only tested at 2 hrs I wouldn't have anything like an accurate idea of my actual spikes, and two hours four times a day is a third of a day... a long time for glucose to be elevated.
There's a mistaken notion - supported by insurance companies who don't want to cover the cost of testing strips - that testing frequently isn't helpful for non-insulin dependent diabetics, which goes back to one badly run study, in which the subjects were not instructed what to do if they tested and their sugar was high. So, the test subjects tested, found their sugar was high, said, "Shucky darn, that looks bad," and did nothing different. And then the study found that testing didn't help them. But there are many possible interventions you can do when your sugar is high, such as immediately exercising, and remembering that you can't tolerate that combination of food in the future. I really recommend testing more often than once a day.
Great job on your number going down so quickly, hard work pays off!
I'm one of those people whose insurance company pays for only 1 strip a day. It's so difficult and frustrating to know when to actually test for any kind of pattern.
Any suggestions would be so appreciated particularly regarding having use of only 1 test strip daily! Thanks
If you have to limit testing, alternate between testing when fasting and testing after meals. There's evidence that post prandial highs are a better indication of who will have complications than A1c is.
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sweeetypie1 wrote: »Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.
@sweeetypie1 Hi
You just hit the blue Quote button at the bottom of the box to reply to someone in a thread. 0 -
rheddmobile wrote: »
I don't have insurance, so I buy my own strips. I can't imagine a better use of my money - I like my vision, I like my feet, I like my intellect, and these are some of the first things to be damaged by bad glucose control. I have a Bayer Contour next, which is the highest rated meter as far as accuracy. The meter plus 100 lancets, lancing device, and 100 strips is 40 dollars on Amazon, and 100 strips is 20 dollars. So for 40 dollars a month you can test 6 times daily, and for only 20, 3 times. Less than two dollars per day.Hearts_2015 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »trackercasey76 wrote: »Mine was 11.8, I just had a blood draw last week and I'm waiting on the results...hoping it is much lower!
How long has it been since the 11.8? What has your diet been? What are daily readings looking like?
[Sorry for the rapid-fire questions.]
It was mid February that I was 11.8, that was when I found out I was diabetic. Since then I have been very carb aware, took a diabetic awareness class and have been testing once daily (alternating between morning fasting and 2 hrs post dinner). According to my tracking app my average has been 101 with a high of 144 and a low of 70. I have also dropped about 25 pounds since march and about 40 since Christmas. I really expect my A1c to be much better. The app estimates my A1c to be 5.0 but I doubt it dropped that much.
Could very well have, mine dropped that much in 4 months. Particularly if you went on any meds. Fingers crossed!
I know the ADA says test at 2 hours post prandial, but my peaks hit for most foods at about 45 minutes, and start rapidly coming down after 1 hr. If I only tested at 2 hrs I wouldn't have anything like an accurate idea of my actual spikes, and two hours four times a day is a third of a day... a long time for glucose to be elevated.
There's a mistaken notion - supported by insurance companies who don't want to cover the cost of testing strips - that testing frequently isn't helpful for non-insulin dependent diabetics, which goes back to one badly run study, in which the subjects were not instructed what to do if they tested and their sugar was high. So, the test subjects tested, found their sugar was high, said, "Shucky darn, that looks bad," and did nothing different. And then the study found that testing didn't help them. But there are many possible interventions you can do when your sugar is high, such as immediately exercising, and remembering that you can't tolerate that combination of food in the future. I really recommend testing more often than once a day.
Great job on your number going down so quickly, hard work pays off!
I'm one of those people whose insurance company pays for only 1 strip a day. It's so difficult and frustrating to know when to actually test for any kind of pattern.
Any suggestions would be so appreciated particularly regarding having use of only 1 test strip daily! Thanks
If you have to limit testing, alternate between testing when fasting and testing after meals. There's evidence that post prandial highs are a better indication of who will have complications than A1c is.
@rheddmobile Thank you for the suggestions. I believe each of my strips is $1
I cringe when I mess one up (or get a dud) and have to toss it because it's one less strip that month. I have a One Touch Ultra which might be why they are so expensive? It's the brand I've used from the beginning and just stuck with it for no particular reason. I appreciate you sharing about the Bayer Contour Next I'm all for accuracy!
I don't have a clue where mine rates other than the strips in comparison are quite expensive. I'll have to look it up out of curiosity now. I do like the sound of your meter, perhaps if I switch up meters via insurance, then buy extra strips via Amazon I will be able to track far more often. I also really appreciate the knowledge you shared on postprandial highs being a better indicator than A1C's that's something I know little about. 1 -
sweeetypie1 wrote: »Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.sweeetypie1 wrote: »Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.
Thanks, just hit the "quote under the reply. I'm new to the meds also so I'm just curious. Let us know if it helps you. It took me a good 2 weeks of adjusting my dose to get a good result.0 -
I just got a call from my Endo. My latest test results have my A1c down to 6.8. Progress! Also I just had one of my hyper-parathyroid glands removed (took out a 1/2 in. tumor)5
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I just got a call from my Endo. My latest test results have my A1c down to 6.8. Progress! Also I just had one of my hyper-parathyroid glands removed (took out a 1/2 in. tumor)
So happy for you! With some of your crazy numbers it's excellent that you're under 7. Maybe things will be more predictable for you going forward.4 -
amyfrogred wrote: »sweeetypie1 wrote: »Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.sweeetypie1 wrote: »Started on Glimepiride. Amyfrogred - I can't figure out how to reply directly to your post.
Thanks, just hit the "quote under the reply. I'm new to the meds also so I'm just curious. Let us know if it helps you. It took me a good 2 weeks of adjusting my dose to get a good result.
It works! Thanks for info about two weeks.0 -
