interested in your opinions

jbsmomto1 · #1 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 04:42 PM

I asked this on another forum and got some varied answers, wonder if anyone here knows the true answer.

The past few days my sugars have been mental (high), I have had some gastro bug which seems to have been the cause.

Will my A1C reflect the past few days screwing up how well I had been doing? not great but acceptable. Or does the A1c not show sudden and recent changes? my readings the past few days have been high despite my shots, so obvisoulsy being sick must have had something to do with that. I'm still high today ranging from 8.1 at am fast to so far my highest being about 16.2....if my numbers are ok tomorrow will they counteract the higher numbers?

fgummett · #2 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 04:50 PM

A1c is effectively an average (mean) of your continuous BG level (all day and all night) over the last 90 days or so (average life of a red blood cell) weighted towards the last 30 days or so.

The more time you spend with an higher BG, the higher your A1c will tend to be... more time with a lower BG tends towards a lower A1c... equal amounts of time at high and low BGs can even out to a good average.

Imagine you did a BG test on your meter [let's say] every 15 minutes, all day and all night for the last 3 months... what would the average reading be?

jbsmomto1 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fgummett

A1c is effectively an average (mean) of your continuous BG level (all day and all night) over the last 90 days or so (average life of a red blood cell) weighted towards the last 30 days or do.

The more time you spend with an higher BG, the higher your A1c will tend to be... more time with a lower BG tends towards a lower A1c... equal amounts of time at high and low BGs can even out to a good average.

Imagine you did a BG test on your meter [let's say] every 15 minutes, all day and all night for the last 3 months... what would the average reading be?

So I am probably screwed? In the last week I have had numbers NONE have been in target the week before some were and the week before that some again, but mostly I am out of target. I was still hoping for a good a1c b/c they were not overly high until this past week and more so the past 4 days.

Moonglo · #4 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:01 PM

I thought my a1c was going to be wicked high a couple of weeks ago, b/c I had been sick and then had a hard time getting back on track with my diet and exercise plan once I did feel better. I ended up going from a 9.3 to a 6.4 in three months.

I wouldn't stress it too much... as long as your a1c shows improvement (which it should, even if your numbers have been out of whack for a few days), then you're doing great.

fgummett · #5 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:03 PM

It all depends on how much time in the last 3 months (but especially the last month) your BGs been high, compared to how much time they have been normal or low?

A1c is just a number that is often used to determine how well your BG is controlled BUT it should not be used in isolation from your own BG readings... which I suggest you either track in a log book, or you may find that your BG meter keeps a record of the last so many readings.

Why screwed? Does it impact your insurance, or does your Doctor only consider the A1c without even discussing your own BG readings, or your recent illness that will have affected your BG numbers..? I don't understand

Moonglo · #6 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:06 PM

4 days really should not hurt you all that much... if it is higher than you like, it really has more to do with the last 30 days primarily, and then the last 90 days, from what I've been told. What were your sugars like before you got sick? You could tell your doc that you've been sick too, just in case.

jbsmomto1 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fgummett

It all depends on how much time in the last 3 months (but especially the last month) your BGs been high, compared to how much time they have been normal or low?

A1c is just a number that is often used to determine how well your BG is controlled BUT it should not be used in isolation from your own BG readings... which I suggest you either track in a log book, or you may find that your BG meter keeps a record of the last so many readings.

Why screwed? Does it impact your insurance, or does your Doctor only consider the A1c without even discussing your own BG readings, or your recent illness that will have affected your BG numbers..? I don't understand

because I have been working so hard to get my numbers down and the fact that I did well the past few weeks since on the basal and rapid that the sudden highs tick me off royally. I use the ultrasmart and it has a log book in it.

fgummett · #8 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbsmomto1

because I have been working so hard to get my numbers down and the fact that I did well the past few weeks since on the basal and rapid that the sudden highs tick me off royally. I use the ultrasmart and it has a log book in it.

It is a pretty well established fact that sickness will affect your BGs. Tell you Doctor you have been ill and present your BG readings to her/him... if your Doctor is one of those who only respects the A1c and ignores everything else, then I'd find another Doctor who does understand Diabetes.

A1c is just a number... it does not define you.

Moonglo · #9 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:55 PM

I think Frank's point was that an a1c is not meant to be anything more than a way to gauge roughly how you have been doing, and that it's not nearly as important as your own frequent readings, because the a1c just gives an average, and not a full-blown picture, if that makes sense.

I can tell you this much: stressing about it will only make your numbers worse. There is no "pass or fail" as others here have pointed out to me.

We all understand how you feel; we all want to have great a1c's every time we get them checked. But you are still (I assume because you are so new to our forums?) new to diabetes, and even if your a1c is a litte higher than you like, remember that it often takes a while for us to get our numbers under control to the point where are a1c's look normal, unless we're going hypo occasionally, in which case one may see a false normal.

Moonglo · #10 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fgummett

It is a pretty well established fact that sickness will affect your BGs. Tell you Doctor you have been ill and present your BG readings to her/him... if your Doctor is one of those who only respects the A1c and ignores everything else, then I'd find another Doctor who does understand Diabetes.

A1c is just a number... it does not define you.

definitely find another doctor if the only thing he or she looks at is your a1c. So much else is going on in our bodies, the a1c cannot possibly give you a complete picture of your overall health.

jbsmomto1 · #11 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonglo

definitely find another doctor if the only thing he or she looks at is your a1c. So much else is going on in our bodies, the a1c cannot possibly give you a complete picture of your overall health.

Well in all fairness I don't know what all is looked at, I know he wants my A1C, a fasting sugar as well as cholestorol (not sure what that has to do with anything though). I doubt he will even care, in town here we are pretty much sent of to a DE to tend to us, if she thinks we need new meds or increases/decreases she will talk to the dr, I also like her much better b/c she is less rushed when explaining things to me. It's not their opinion that matters so much as I want proof that I have doing things right. My meter has my average at 11.8 which is much higher than I was before and I think that is what is setting my nerves off. I'll just take teh test and hope for good numbers, not much else I can do really.

Moonglo · #12 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 06:25 PM

I bet it'll come out better than you think. Keep us posted

PS- one of the trademark problems that diabetics can aquire as the disease progresses is higher cholesterol numbers, and some of us have cholesterol problems when we are first diagnosed, esp. if we have a weight problem. Most doctors will check cholesterol, lipids,and several other things. Sounds like yours will be just as thorough.