A1C - blood sugar

suziecue66

http://chriskresser.com/why-hemoglobin-a1c-is-not-a-reliable-marker

waldenfam2

I am pretty shocked by all of this. When I went to the doctor- because of strange weight gain (low calorie, healthy diet with a lot of exercise) they discovered I was hypothyroid. I returned after I started synthroid to get follow up blood work. The doctor said she wanted to test my A1C although she was quite sure nothing would be wrong. I don't know why she wanted to test because I didn't really mention symptoms that would lead to that diagnosis (fatigue, weight gain were my symptoms).

I went to an RD who told me to INCREASE my carbs because I was eating too little of them and that was leading to my fatigue. When I increased I did notice that my running got easier and I had a bit more energy. Now I wonder if that wasn't a good idea.

I probably will get another doctor. The trouble is how long it takes to even get an appointment. I want to follow up with this one, at least for now, because I want to know more about what the lab results mean.

I take- Synthroid, ambien, adderall but I don't think any of these would contribute.

I also don't eat much fruit, usually a piece a day or less. I guess I can improve my diet, but it makes me sad that it would have to be 100 percent healthy instead of the 90% I do now. I hate to say it is "unfair" because life is unfair, but it does feel that way.

It is unfair, I completely agree. I was diagnosed at 31, 31! Neither my mom or dad have it, but my grandmother does. It totally sucked at first and I felt like I would starve. But at the same time I didn't know a ton about diet or serving sizes, etc. The thing is, I still cheat at times, or rather figure out ways to squeeze a few extra carbs into a meal without effecting my sugar levels. That all comes in time though and understanding how your body reacts to different foods. It's really different for everyone.

As for the meds, I have no idea. I just knew about the stantin's because my mother in law was diagnosed a couple of months ago and she's happens to be on that class of drug. To top it off she was put on steroids and not told that it would also raise her sugar levels. Doctors are not created equal and finding one that takes your concerns seriously helps.

Good luck with the follow-up and if anything call the office and see if they can give you a blood glucose monitor and testing strips. They usually have a lot of those laying around and are given out free. This will allow you to start keeping an eye on your numbers before your appointment.

suziecue66

http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/blood-test-results.html

Sometimes if your iron levels low can increase a1C according to above. Have you ever checked your iron levels - you said you had fatigue that seemed to improve with adding more carbs?

Pepper2185

I am pretty shocked by all of this. When I went to the doctor- because of strange weight gain (low calorie, healthy diet with a lot of exercise) they discovered I was hypothyroid. I returned after I started synthroid to get follow up blood work. The doctor said she wanted to test my A1C although she was quite sure nothing would be wrong. I don't know why she wanted to test because I didn't really mention symptoms that would lead to that diagnosis (fatigue, weight gain were my symptoms).

I went to an RD who told me to INCREASE my carbs because I was eating too little of them and that was leading to my fatigue. When I increased I did notice that my running got easier and I had a bit more energy. Now I wonder if that wasn't a good idea.

I probably will get another doctor. The trouble is how long it takes to even get an appointment. I want to follow up with this one, at least for now, because I want to know more about what the lab results mean.

I take- Synthroid, ambien, adderall but I don't think any of these would contribute.

I also don't eat much fruit, usually a piece a day or less. I guess I can improve my diet, but it makes me sad that it would have to be 100 percent healthy instead of the 90% I do now. I hate to say it is "unfair" because life is unfair, but it does feel that way.

Carbs (the right ones) work in your favor if you are diabetic. They are an important part of the diabetic diet. Sounds crazy, right?

I'd say go to the diabetes education class after you see what your Dr. has to say. They are great at explaining everything you need to know, and what diet mistakes you might be making. They will teach you how to eat to stall the onset of Type 2 diabetes, if that is a concern for you.

Good luck

AZKristi

Ask your doctor how high it was. Was it slightly elevated or way above the target range? If it was slightly elevated, try getting most of your carbs from foods with low glycemic index scores and get retest in a few months. If it was way out of range, ask for a referral to a nutritionist.

In the old days, when they simply measured fasting blood sugar (or did a day long blood sugar study) the tests were only capable of measuring blood sugar at the exact moment the sample was taken. A high A1C result is very different - this test gives your doctor a picture of your average blood sugar levels over the past few months.

Agator82

Simple question, what was your fasting blood glucose?

brooke800

Fasting blood glucose (is that glucose, serum?) was 76 with lab ranges 65-99
My A1C was 6.2
My creatinine, Serum was high at 1.13 (.57-1.0 are lab values)

I have been going to an RD because of my difficulty losing the weight I gained from the thyroid issue, but I didn't know about this until today.

Agator82

The A1C level and your fasting blood glucose are an odd combination. Before you replied I was guessing you were going to be over 100, so good news you are probably not diabetic. That being said, there are clearly times when you blood glucose is high for a time (A1C gives a type of 3-month running average of your blood glucose levels). If you want to confirm that you are not having any insulin resistance issues then you might consider asking your doctor for a Glucose Tolerance Test. What it requires is you drink a sugary drink and then they take a blood sample at periodic intervals to see how long it takes you blood glucose to return to normal.

Is it possible that you had just started losing weight when you had the blood test? Another thought I have as I type is that perhaps you were experiencing some insulin resistance that has already started to reverse itself, It is possible I have had this experience before.

Is your doctor or RD concerned about the A1C? This range puts you at risk for Diabetes, but certainly does not diagnose you. This may be warning and your RD can certainly help you a bit, stay away from simple carbs like white bread, watch out for sugars (like ketchup, etc.

Diabetes is a diagnosis you want to avoid as it will affect not only your life, but the lives of those around you. As stated above, you may have been having some problems that have now resolved themselves because you have improved your diet and lifestyle.