I don't understand the numbers...

kikityme

So my doctor doesn't tell me a whole lot...(long story, but he's been my doctor for 35 years and I'm loathe to get another.)

Did my 3 month test yesterday and the numbers came back today. He said they're great and cut my meds in half, YAY!

But...I don't know what any of it mean. I always sneak a peek....

Glucose Serum Fasting: 6.5
Creatinine: 67
Cholesterol: 3.59
Triglycerides: .97
HDL Cholesterol: 1.25
LDL Cholesterol Calc: 1.90
Non-HDL Cholesterol Calc: 2.34

I assume the cholesterol stuff has nothing to do with the diabeetus, but with a family of heart problems...

I see lots of people posting numbers here in the 100 range, and I have no idea, cause I don't have any numbers like that?

amberj32

So my doctor doesn't tell me a whole lot...(long story, but he's been my doctor for 35 years and I'm loathe to get another.)

Did my 3 month test yesterday and the numbers came back today. He said they're great and cut my meds in half, YAY!

But...I don't know what any of it mean. I always sneak a peek....

Glucose Serum Fasting: 6.5
Creatinine: 67
Cholesterol: 3.59
Triglycerides: .97
HDL Cholesterol: 1.25
LDL Cholesterol Calc: 1.90
Non-HDL Cholesterol Calc: 2.34

I assume the cholesterol stuff has nothing to do with the diabeetus, but with a family of heart problems...

I see lots of people posting numbers here in the 100 range, and I have no idea, cause I don't have any numbers like that?

Here's a link on the info for your cholesterol.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol-levels/art-20048245

Here is a link for the A1c:
http://healthy-ojas.com/diabetes/a1c-glucose-chart.html


The number must be good because the doctor is decreasing your meds!! Congrats!

GlucernaBrand

Congratulations on doing so well with diabetes management! If you haven't had the opportunity to meet with a diabetes educator, they're a great resource for explaining lab results. ~Lynn /Glucerna

kikityme

Congratulations on doing so well with diabetes management! If you haven't had the opportunity to meet with a diabetes educator, they're a great resource for explaining lab results. ~Lynn /Glucerna

Yeah...Honestly, I've had about 3 appointments and always have to cancel cause of work. :grumble: But I am watching the numbers go down. 3 months ago that 6.5 was a 10.2...

Thanks for the link, I kind of get it. Although I still don't know what that 3 digit number is that people post. Doc is fairly certain that I don't need to test blood sugar, as I've got a pretty good grip on it, if my numbers had been going up, he would have made me.

GlucernaBrand

There are benefits to testing your blood sugar levels, such as learning which foods increase blood sugar levels and which help keep it at a lower level. We talk a lot about diabetes self-management since there are hundreds of decisions people with diabetes make every day that affect their overall health as well as blood sugar levels. I hope you're able to attend a diabetes education class where they will teach you about testing blood sugar plus a lot of other useful information. ~Lynn /Glucerna

amberj32

I would like to test to see where I'm at daily and how different food effects me.

hookilau

I agree that testing is important.

My doctor never told me to test, however my mom (nurse) insisted that I must know where I stand.
I told her that if the doctor thought I should, I expect he would've told me to, right?..RIGHT?! :huh:

Surprise. When I started testing, I got a rude awakening.

My doctor has lower standards than I do, however, he respects my decision to aim higher (or lower as the case may be).

The more I learn about diabetic management, the more I realize that his particular style of treatment is geared towards an older demographic, more resistant to change. His patients only test in the morning, I knew this because he was shocked to see my records. :laugh: He stammered alot and he downright almost passed out when I asked him about having a crazy spikes when I got my period :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: It was....awkward. :ohwell:

I'm 45 & have many years of management ahead of me (God willing). Without testing, I think it's easy to become complacent. Though I test less often these days, I still monitor closely at random intervals.

There are just too many variables (for my taste) that can trend badly without monitoring.

edited to add the bit about my doctor

scubasuenc

I have gotten my diabetes under control to the point where I no longer need any medication. My doctor told me to reduce my testing frequency. However I still do a fasting test in the morning. I recently stopped the metforminm so I am testing occasionally after a meal just to make sure that I'm still in the normal range.

I don't intent to stop testing. I think part of it is the reminder that I must battle this disease on a daily basis. I don't want to get complacent. I am under control with diet and exercise, but it is easy to get lazy about them. Daily fasting levels are a measure about how well I'm doing.

GlucernaBrand

It makes a lot of sense to continue testing periodically for the reasons you stated. It's similar to losing weight and then maintaining at a lower weight, where weighing regularly on a scale helps remind us of how much progress we've made and also quickly points out any slips so we can make corrections. ~Lynn /Glucerna

fangirlish

To the original poster, who expressed confusion about the actual numbers and why they don't look like the numbers other post: your test results are displayed using the international measurement standards, which express numbers in mmol/L units. Where you see a 3-digit glucose or lipid number, that is being displayed in US measurement standards, which use mg/dL units.

Your numbers in the US standard come out to (approximately):
fasting serum glucose: 6.5 = 117
cholesterol: 3.5 = 135
triglycerides: .97 = 86
HDL: 1.25 = 48
LDL: 1.9 = 73

So your cholesterol numbers are pretty amazing! Seriously amazing. Cholesterol levels are most assuredly connected to diabetes; many diabetics do have elevated lipids. It's all part of the metabolic syndrome.

Your fasting glucose, while not spectacularly low like your lipids, is apparently much improved. It looks like you've been doing a lot of hard work and are now reaping the rewards. Congratulations!

kikityme

To the original poster, who expressed confusion about the actual numbers and why they don't look like the numbers other post: your test results are displayed using the international measurement standards, which express numbers in mmol/L units. Where you see a 3-digit glucose or lipid number, that is being displayed in US measurement standards, which use mg/dL units.

Your numbers in the US standard come out to (approximately):
fasting serum glucose: 6.5 = 117
cholesterol: 3.5 = 135
triglycerides: .97 = 86
HDL: 1.25 = 48
LDL: 1.9 = 73

So your cholesterol numbers are pretty amazing! Seriously amazing. Cholesterol levels are most assuredly connected to diabetes; many diabetics do have elevated lipids. It's all part of the metabolic syndrome.

Your fasting glucose, while not spectacularly low like your lipids, is apparently much improved. It looks like you've been doing a lot of hard work and are now reaping the rewards. Congratulations!

Thank you! That's exactly what I was asking. My fasting serum glucose was 10.5 in May.

According to the Ontario Health Insurance Program:

Research has indicated that Blood Glucose Test Strips (BGTS) have a limited benefit for many patients who do not take insulin to manage their diabetes. Based on best evidence, the government is introducing changes to the number of blood glucose test strips it will reimburse people with diabetes, while ensuring those who need test strips to help manage diabetes will continue to have access to them. The new changes are aligned with the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for encouraging proper testing practices for optimal patient outcomes.

A July 2009, report from Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) stated that blood glucose test strips, in practice, have a limited clinical benefit for many patients who are not on insulin. The CDA also published a commentary recognizing that some limits on the number of blood glucose test strips reimbursed for patients on oral anti-diabetes medications may be reasonable.

So basically, in Ontario, the meter is free and they'll provide me with 200 strips per year. IF I was having a hard time lowering it, my doctor could overrule it and get me the strips and needles. As of right now, he's ok with me just working on diet/exercise.

scubasuenc

According to the Ontario Health Insurance Program:

Research has indicated that Blood Glucose Test Strips (BGTS) have a limited benefit for many patients who do not take insulin to manage their diabetes. Based on best evidence, the government is introducing changes to the number of blood glucose test strips it will reimburse people with diabetes, while ensuring those who need test strips to help manage diabetes will continue to have access to them. The new changes are aligned with the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for encouraging proper testing practices for optimal patient outcomes.

A July 2009, report from Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) stated that blood glucose test strips, in practice, have a limited clinical benefit for many patients who are not on insulin. The CDA also published a commentary recognizing that some limits on the number of blood glucose test strips reimbursed for patients on oral anti-diabetes medications may be reasonable.

So basically, in Ontario, the meter is free and they'll provide me with 200 strips per year. IF I was having a hard time lowering it, my doctor could overrule it and get me the strips and needles. As of right now, he's ok with me just working on diet/exercise.

So they must expect the disease to progress no matter what people do. I have gone from insulin to no medication and I still test more than 200 times per year. If you want to test more than they allowed amount and your doctor won't overrule see if Walmart sells their meters in Canada. Here in the US they sell an inexpensive meter and test strips are a fraction of the price as the name brand meters. When I was on insulin and had frequent hypo episodes I had several of them just so I would always have a meter with me (office, gym bag, etc).

Alsvic

I WOULD KILL FOR A 135 CHOLESTEROL!

of course my last test was a 146 but that's with Crestor.:laugh:

rowanstuff

Well, now what? I'm not on insulin and I hope I can avoid it. The only measures I know of are BG and A1c. I do a fasting Blood Glucose every day, and I'm starting to add in another measurement an hour after lunch. How else would I track what's going on? Do you know where this research is?

According to the Ontario Health Insurance Program:

Research has indicated that Blood Glucose Test Strips (BGTS) have a limited benefit for many patients who do not take insulin to manage their diabetes.

kikityme

Well, now what? I'm not on insulin and I hope I can avoid it. The only measures I know of are BG and A1c. I do a fasting Blood Glucose every day, and I'm starting to add in another measurement an hour after lunch. How else would I track what's going on? Do you know where this research is?

I'm not defending it, it's just how it is. They are working on it, all I'm saying, is that I'm doing just fine without testing. The main studies came from McMaster University.

The Diabetes Control and Complications trial, a 7-year multi-centre trial, reported a 60% reduction in risk for diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy for people with type 1 diabetes who were given intensive treatment compared with those who were given standard treatment. Intensive therapy slowed progression of and delayed onset of these complications. Intensive treatment included three or more daily injections of insulin or the use of an insulin pump.

Similarly, the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), a large clinical trial of 3867 people aged 26 to 65 with type 2 diabetes, found that intensive glycemic control (maintaining A1C=7.0) compared with less intensive glycemic control (A1C=7.9) resulted in a 12% reduction in risk for any diabetes-related endpoint (sudden death, death from hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, stroke, renal failure, amputation of at least one digit) and a 37% reduced risk for the microvascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, and/or neuropathy).
Self-testing of blood glucose levels is a very important part of diabetes self-management and is particularly beneficial when the information is used to make timely adjustments to help regulate blood glucose levels.

For people with type 1 diabetes, self-monitoring blood glucose 3 or more times per day (using a glucose meter and testing strips) was associated with a 1.0% drop in A1C levels.

For people with type 2 diabetes who were being treated with oral anti-hyperglycemic medications, self-testing at least once a day was associated with a 0.6% drop in A1C levels compared with those who self-tested less frequently.
For people with type 2 diabetes who were not using medications, any frequency of testing resulted in 0.4% drop in A1C levels compared to those who did not self-test at all. As mentioned previously, a 1% drop in A1C levels reduced the risk of acute myocardial infarction by 14% and heart failure by 16%.

As outlined in Recommendation 5, only certain subsets of the population (predominantly those aged 65+, people requiring social assistance and people requiring insulin) are covered for glucose testing strips. These supplies are necessary for all people with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose levels. A recently-published Canadian study found that lack of insurance coverage for self-monitoring test strips was significantly associated with higher A1C levels, even after controlling for age, income level, education level and marital status.

amberj32

Well, now what? I'm not on insulin and I hope I can avoid it. The only measures I know of are BG and A1c. I do a fasting Blood Glucose every day, and I'm starting to add in another measurement an hour after lunch. How else would I track what's going on? Do you know where this research is?

According to the Ontario Health Insurance Program:

Research has indicated that Blood Glucose Test Strips (BGTS) have a limited benefit for many patients who do not take insulin to manage their diabetes.

I saw you lived in Utah. Walmart has the Relion meters for $16 and 50 test strips for $9 if you don't have insurance or if your insurance is more than that. The pharmacy wanted $70 for 50 test strips (Freestyle meter) and I have Blue Shield of CA.

When I was first diagnosed(4/24/14) I tested at least 6 times a day- fasting, before meals and 1 and/or 2 hours after meals. Sometimes I test after I went to the gym. I slowed down a bit on the testing because I'm getting a little better with my sugar and my fingers are looking terrible from all the pokes! I think it's the only way to track what's going on. I also have an app for my smart phone (Samsung Galaxy S3) it's called My Diabetes and I input my blood sugar there and it has charts and a whole bunch of stuff it does ( I don't use it all). You can put in the medication you took and times and the number of carbs you ate at certain meals, etc. It will also estimate your a1c.

I'm hoping to avoid insulin too. My doctor has me on 500mg of Metformin three times a day. But for the past 2-3 weeks I've only been taking it twice a day. I've still been doing good. I have more faith in me than my doctor I guess.

amberj32

I WOULD KILL FOR A 135 CHOLESTEROL!

of course my last test was a 146 but that's with Crestor.:laugh:

Mine 130 about 3 weeks ago when I was tested, but my HDL was only 44, which they said was low.