[Kendall]

I have been a member here for about a week and I'm reading tons of posts and my husband is starting to think I'm getting sucked into some new cult. Okay, not quite, but I've read most of the threads on at least the front page of Type 1, Pumping Insulin, Monitoring, and Carbs/Calories. I have learned a lot and been reminded of a bunch of stuff I had forgotten that I ever knew. I see that several posters consistently have A1cs near or bellow 6. A few are even consistently close to 5.

The reason I even found this forum is because my husband and I are talking about planning our first pregnancy and I also got my recent A1c back and it was 7.3 (one of my highest ever). I knew it wasn't going to be great, but I'm considering it a starting point for improvement. For several years after dx I stayed in the low to mid 6 range, so I know I can do it. Even in the last week I have seen a huge improvement (avg BG down from 156 to 140) just by paying more attention and pre-bolusing for meals.

Anyway, my question is...what are your secrets to getting your A1cs so low? I know that there are no magic bullets or miracle systems. It will always be hard work, but what are the practical things you do to stay in such tight control? I'm sure some of you do things I would never think of on my own. So please share the wealth with the rest of us.