Results are in for my first ever HbA1c test

Tropo · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 05:43 AM

5.7%

What is this result telling me?

How am I doing?

I'm still looking for a good chart, but I'm guessing this equates to an average BG level of about 111???

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

xMenace · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 05:51 AM

You are where I want to be!

The medical community wants us below 6.5% but literature suggests that below 6% is much better. I believe 4.5% to 5.5% is considered normal.

princesslinda · #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 05:54 AM

Hi Tropo, Congrats on your A1C! By the chart I use, 5.7 correlates to an A1C of 126. Sounds like you're doing well. Keep up the good work! You can check your lab report to see what your lab has as normal limits for A1C. The lab my doc uses has normal A1C to be anything between 4 and 6.

Tropo · #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 06:04 AM

The test was done in Thailand.

This is what the test result form had to say:

Good <= 6.5
Poor >= 7.5
Fair = 6.5 - 7.5

I'm not doing anything specifically to control BG just yet.

I'm still eating a high carb diet and testing how I react to various foods.

I exercise almost daily.

I've just started to eat smaller, more regular meals.

Tropo · #5 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by princesslinda

Hi Tropo, Congrats on your A1C! By the chart I use, 5.7 correlates to an A1C of 126. Sounds like you're doing well. Keep up the good work! You can check your lab report to see what your lab has as normal limits for A1C. The lab my doc uses has normal A1C to be anything between 4 and 6.

Thanks Linda. I just found a table which also gives 126 for 5.7%.

mho357 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 11:06 AM

Tropo - that is a very good number.

Good job!

Mark

didi1 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 04:36 PM

If anyone is interested in hearing a seminar on line from him, it will be on line on the 25th if I'm not mistaken. I'm trying to find a link to the place to post it if anyone cares to review it . Take care,

didi1 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 07:23 PM

http://www.geocities.com/diabetescha...rt.html?200527 is a place to see ac1 conversion chart

Ronin · #9 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 07:14 PM

Hi Tropo!

Congratulations on a very good HbA1c. Don't get freaked about the translation of the A1c value to mg/dL. The fact is that you, despite your diet, show good control which means that your body is managing carbs.

See if you can get an A1c on a regular basis and start to track the changes. The values will change as your lifestye changes effect your BG levels. 5.7% is respectable. My wife scored a 5.6% at her first A1c (versus my 5.3%) and she has a "normal" FBG in the 80's.

Keep up the good work.

didi1 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 03:54 PM

here is the link to register for the diabetes live teleconference on the web

didi1 · #11 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 03:56 PM

here is the link to register for the live teleconference via the web on diabetes

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didi1 · #12 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 04:18 PM

I was wondering if anyone has come across a reliable meter. I have an Ascensia Contour (Bayer) and is only a few months old. Just hoping for information on personal experience on a few models before I buy a new one. My ac1 is a 5.3 but my meter readings show or correspond to a lower ac1 #. Maybe my meter is reading too low? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Cyborg · #13 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 09:15 PM

Excellent job on the a1c!

The only meter I'll use is the OneTouch UltraSmart...

Ronin · #14 (**permalink**) 10-26-2007, 08:25 AM

Hi Dora!

Meters are, at best, accurate to themselves. I've tried to "calibrate" my meter by taking a sample at the same time that I've had blood drawn for a lab test. The results have been mixed sometimes they are in synch, sometimes one or the other is higher/lower but all are within the range of accuracy cited in the literature of the meter itself. When you look at the stuff about how to use the "test solution" you get an idea of how large the range of values can be.

You must also realize that your meter only tests you when you test. While that sounds obvious the HbA1c is a totally different test as it averages the amount of glyciation of the red blood cells in the sample that represents your weighted average for the past 90 days (or so). Since you cannot test constantly the HbA1c values will differ from your meter readings because your BG levels vary between readings.

Meters are a whole lot beter than the old urine strips (which used to drive my father crazy because he was also color blind and my mother wound up interpreting the results for him). In the end they are only one tool in the arsenal.

Tropo · #15 (**permalink**) 10-27-2007, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronin

Hi Tropo!

Congratulations on a very good HbA1c. Don't get freaked about the translation of the A1c value to mg/dL. The fact is that you, despite your diet, show good control which means that your body is managing carbs.

See if you can get an A1c on a regular basis and start to track the changes. The values will change as your lifestye changes effect your BG levels. 5.7% is respectable. My wife scored a 5.6% at her first A1c (versus my 5.3%) and she has a "normal" FBG in the 80's.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks Ronin. I'll make a point of having it tested every 3 months.

You mention here that your wife had an A1c of 5.6% when her FBG's were in the 80's yet my A1c was almost the same when I get FBG almost always over 110.

I wonder if I might be the victim of a very inaccurate meter...or a bad A1c test. I use the Horizon one-touch meter, but I've never been able to calibrate it as the test solutions have not been available where I live.