I'm totally gutted

[carolyn]

I got my new Hb/1ac today. 8.4 UP from last time's 7.5. I'm absolutely gutted. I've been so good. My d nurse said it is probably due to a bad wound infection, on my tummy, just before the test. Also I'm having differant readings from differant meters. My d nurse wants me to start using optium xeed, which reads 2 points higher than my accu-chek compact plus. Any reasons why they differ so much?

[davef]

Carolyn,

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. But the A1c is bound to have been badly skewed by the wound infection.

My main meter is a Bayer countour but I have a One Touch as my spare and it can read higher. remember that meters can have a 10-20% tolerance. So 6.1 could be 6.7 (10%) or 7.4 (20%).

I say but the clearly skewed result behind you as if you didn't even get the test done. You could always get a retest in 5 weeks time and it may give a more accurate result.

[BlueSky]

... My d nurse wants me to start using optium xeed, which reads 2 points higher than my accu-chek compact plus. Any reasons why they differ so much?
The Accuchek Compact gives whole blood readings, while the Optium Exceed gives plasma equivalent readings. Plasma readings are 12% higher than whole blood readings. So 10mmol/l on the Optium is the same as 11.2 on the Accuchek. If the differential is greater than this, it must be meter inaccuracy.

Blood glucose levels during the 2 weeks before the test have a heavy weighting in the HBA1c measurement. So the infection would have had a big effect. Your next HBA1c should be a lot better. :)

[sable_032592]

i have constant skin infections since i still have staph in my blood system (from back in 97, i had a golf ball sized "button" on my leg, not spread out on it, above the skin, like protuding) and my A1c was 15.6 when i had blood tests done at the ER... since then, i have smaller (pen-tip sized) irritations on my skin and my level is usually around 13.5, i know still really really really high, but since i've gotten those things under some kind of control, and i changed insulin (basal - lantus), my home level this monring and for the past week was been from 5.3 to 7.1, best they've been in over 10 years...

so i wouldn't be too scared about the A1c, it's the infection that caused it to go higher than normal...

as for the accu-chek compact plus, i have the same machine and if it's reading too high, contact roche diagnositics and tell them that, they'll more than likely send you a new machine... or a coupon for one... i use the same one and have used over 7 kinds of meters, no one meter is the same as the other, but they are basically the same when it comes to giving youself insulin which is why it usually doesn't matter enough to change the technology...

i was on the freestyle mini last year and it wasn't as accurate as the compact plus is... maybe you should ask your pharmacist about it...