my A1c story
It's interesting to find out what your A1c is at diagnosis. Mine was
11.5% which is REALLY bad. Maybe that's why they sped everything
up on that first day. They immediately taught me how to inject myself with insulin, how to use the glucose meter, and gave me a lot of supplies. However, (and here's my miracle story) after 3
months, I got another test done and my A1c went down to 5.3% which is
normal. The nurse didn't believe I was diabetic. It proved that cutting
out (and replacing with healthier options) from my diet makes a HUGE
difference. In fact, they said it was "too good" and I needed to eat more and take less insulin. So I did. That was over a year ago. Today the doc told me my A1c is 5.5%
which he said "is probably better than my A1c" and again, I should take less insulin.
My average blood sugar is 111 mg/dl. It's great news and feels good to know that I'm doing ok...it kinda
turns into a game sometimes - trying to get good numbers. haha the
things I do to entertain myself...
I found this article online(here). It's a pretty good explanation so I just wanted to post about the hemoglobin A1c.
There is a correlation between A1c levels and average blood sugar levels as follows:
While there are no guidelines to use A1c as a screening tool, it gives a physician a good idea that someone is diabetic if the value is elevated. Right now, it is used as a standard tool to determine blood sugar control in patients known to have diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association currently recommends an A1c goal of less than 7.0%, while other groups such as the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a goal of less than 6.5%.Of interest, studies have shown that there is a 10% decrease in relative risk for every 1% eduction in A1c. So, if a patients starts off with an A1c of 10.7 and drops to 8.2, though there are not yet at goal, they have managed to decrease their risk of microvascular complications by about 20%. The closer to normal the A1c, the lower the absolute risk for microvascular complications.
I found this article online(here). It's a pretty good explanation so I just wanted to post about the hemoglobin A1c.
What is a hemoglobin A1c (A1c)?
To explain what an A1c is, think in simple terms. Sugar sticks, and when it's around for a long time, it's harder to get it off. In the body, sugar sticks too, particularly to proteins. The red blood cells that circulate in the body live for about three months before they die. When sugar sticks to these cells, it gives us an idea of how much sugar has been around for the preceding three months. In most labs, the normal range is 4-5.9 %. In poorly controlled diabetes, its 8.0% or above, and in well controlled patients it's less than 7.0%. The benefits of measuring A1c is that is gives a more reasonable view of what's happening over the course of time (3 months).There is a correlation between A1c levels and average blood sugar levels as follows:
While there are no guidelines to use A1c as a screening tool, it gives a physician a good idea that someone is diabetic if the value is elevated. Right now, it is used as a standard tool to determine blood sugar control in patients known to have diabetes.
| A1c(%) | Mean blood sugar (mg/dl) |
| 6 | 135 |
| 7 | 170 |
| 8 | 205 |
| 9 | 240 |
| 10 | 275 |
| 11 | 310 |
| 12 | 345 |
The American Diabetes Association currently recommends an A1c goal of less than 7.0%, while other groups such as the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a goal of less than 6.5%.Of interest, studies have shown that there is a 10% decrease in relative risk for every 1% eduction in A1c. So, if a patients starts off with an A1c of 10.7 and drops to 8.2, though there are not yet at goal, they have managed to decrease their risk of microvascular complications by about 20%. The closer to normal the A1c, the lower the absolute risk for microvascular complications.
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