DIABETICS: Whats your HBA1c

[Rashers]

Just for us who are dealing with diabetes and could do with a chat with fellow diabetics.

Maybe we could post our average HBA1c readings, and perhaps share with others how we think, or actually are making headway in briging our readings down.

For instance this moring mine (I'm type 2) was 9.2 and I don't know if that had anything to do with the banned fry I enjoyed last night. Though it's often 11+ and more at times when I'm behaving.

So perhaps we could support each other and share our readings/experiences and how we believe we are achieving good readings, or are suffering bad readings.

One little warning. If someone mentions a med that they feel works for them, don't go for it just for that reason... discuss it with your doc first. The main reason I say this is that one of my meds was making me quite ill until my doc realised what was happening to me and changed that med.

[Womblemum]

For instance this moring mine (I'm type 2) was 9.2 and I don't know if that had anything to do with the banned fry I enjoyed last night. Though it's often 11+ and more at times when I'm behaving.
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Jeeeze Rashers......I think I am bad if I get a 6.5 reading! My first daily reading is usually in the 4.5 > 5.5. and to be honest, I do have a few treats daily, no point in being alive if ya cant have fun!!! So how I manage to stay within the boundaries is beyond me, My meds are Glucophage, Lantus and Aspirin. Was on Diamicron for years but bloods went crazy end of last year and they stopped it and no probs since

[Rashers]

Jeeeze Rashers......I think I am bad if I get a 6.5 reading! My first daily reading is usually in the 4.5 > 5.5. and to be honest, I do have a few treats daily, no point in being alive if ya cant have fun!!! So how I manage to stay within the boundaries is beyond me, My meds are Glucophage, Lantus and Aspirin. Was on Diamicron for years but bloods went crazy end of last year and they stopped it and no probs since

This morning mine was 10.7, yet I didn't have any kind of treat yesterday. I wish I could get it to a regular reading, but day after day it's up and down, varying between 9.5 up to 13.5.

I don't know why it varies so much and the doc is convinced that I must be taking treats that I shouldn't be doing.

I think fasting can push it up too, strange as it might seem.. I had to go for tests while fasting and my reading was up at 17!

Seems it's very hard to get it right.

[Rashers]

It was as 9.2 this morning. Had an appointment with the doc for tests and got there in plenty of time. Why did I bother rushing! The appt was for 10.30 and I was seen at 10.55.

Anyway for starters the doc had no interest whatever in my record diary. She had me take a lung function test while I have a chest infection (which she knows about because on monday she gave me meds for it) and right now I'm going around wearing a 24hr blood pressure monitor. (The result of the lung function test was poor.. not surprisingly)

I've to make an appointment to see her in a fortnight, but I'm refusing to do that and instead making the appointment with a different doctor in the practice.

She will of course ask why I didn't go to her.. which will give me the pleasure of reminding her about the lung function test/chest infection.... her ignoring my diary. I'll enjoy that -- she can be quite arrogant sometimes so that may take the wind out of her sails.

The good news is the practice nurse took a look at my diary (she was surprised that the doc showed no interest) and told me that my overalll progress is going well... and that I lost 1 stone 2 pounds in 3 months. May not seem a lot but every little helps.

I promised the nurse that I'd take an hour's walk every evening... so by this day next week I should be in Cork

But despite that oul doc, I'm happy that the blood glucose is going down albeit slowly and also with the weight loss. I might live to be shot by a jealous husband at the age of 94 after all!

[Mykidsmom]

hmmmm.....thats really high jim....let me check willies log..i keep a food and rating log on him cos his readings out outa wack for no reason..

[Rashers]

hmmmm.....thats really high jim....let me check willies log..i keep a food and rating log on him cos his readings out outa wack for no reason..

Mine's the same Helen... my readings go up and down like a fiddlers elbow.

[lombard]

Been reading this thread.....and here's my little story.....

I had gestational diabetes 30 years ago. I was on insulin and hospitalised 10 weeks before I gave birth..........they needed to monitor me all the time. After giving birth at 1.30 pm my next bloods showed as perfect. I went back to normal straight away. I was told I would have to be monitored on an ongoing basis. It never returned. I did however start to suffer very badly with IBS shortly afterwards.
Two years ago Mr Lombard became ill with a kidney problem....he had to have a special diet...very little protein and a number of certain foods could not be consumed at all. We started eating a lot of pasta and rice dishes....loads of spuds.
I then became very ill....my cholesterol levels were very high..... and triglycerides were dangerously high....but I had not gained any weight. I was referred to the cardiac clinic and the lipids clinic.
My GP felt my illness had something to do with the change in our diet. First I had one of those early morning tests ....it came back at 10.7. She gave me a small blood sugar testing machine to monitor my sugar levels..... after my evening meal. We had a rice dish. Two hours later I did a test and I was 10.9 Mr lombard did his just to compare and his reading was 4.5.
I changed my diet and reduced my carbohydrates intake to fruit and veg only.....on doctors orders. Six months later my cholesterol levels are perfect and after 20 odd years of suffering IBS .......it disappeared. Seemingly I do not process carbohydrates as other people do. I have had this illness all my life and did not know. Thank God for my GP.

[Rashers]

I'd say the spuds contributed to your probs Lombard. My dietician has me banned from them totally.. not even as a treat.

[Mykidsmom]

rashers willies readings go right up immediately he eats ..no matter what he eats...hes gotta watch the readings an hour or two after meals....cos they appear to be the ones that count..

lombard, like you i had high risk pregnancies...... toxima, odema and several eclampic fits while i was pregnant on my first child, everything else except the fits on the 2nd two...i had gestational diabetes on all my pregnancies...immediately after the births all would return to normal.......i has occasion to be in hospital over the christmas last and one of the tests i had involved stomach scans.....because what they either didnt know 30 years ago or didnt tell me in the rotunda when my kids were being born.....the symptoms for high risk pregnancies left damages, ie tendency to develop Atherosclerosis in the stomach....you should ask your dr about it and if you need testing........dont be alarmed...but better sure than sorry right......

[lombard]

Thanks for that MKM I will check that out for sure. There was so much we didn't know back then......or more likely.... we were not told.

[Womblemum]

On the odd occasion I do feel a bit ropey....usually at start of hols in the heat when I have to adjust my insulin.....I do bloods immediatley before and after eating and then about 2 hours later, you then see very quickly cause and effect of certain foods

[Red Biddy]

I take remipril in the morning and at night. I take Adizem and Bedroflumethiadide once a day in the morning

I usually start off with a sugar reading of between 4.8 up to 6 before breakfast and it works up during the day usually ending in something over 8 and I panic. They World Health used to say a reading of 7 was OK but lowered it to 6

I have bran flakes or whole grain toast for breakfast, and exist on maybe a toasted teacake or a bit of fruit until dinner in the evening

I typically have a chop or a bit of fish with a small helping of spuds and low fat beans or a bit of cauli or maybe a stew or shephards pie. I might have low fat oven chips

I use skimmed milk in my tea and sweetners

I cannot drink cold water but try and it hurts - I have had 2 major bowel operations

I seldom drink coffee

I love a wholemeal sambo and try not to eat cheese althoiugh our nurse and doctor in the surgerey (she was a diabetic from the age of 10 untill a year or 2 ago (she is about 50) and had a pancreas transplant and is not a diabetic now - tells me to eat a thin slice of cheese if I want

I read recently that several nations - including Ireland have quite a high proportion of the gene that causes diabetes. It appears to be a gene and if we have the gene we just have to be careful. It seems so unfair

[Red Biddy]

I stopped taking the half asperin - it can cause bleeding in the stomach and the doctor agreed

I am diet controlled but according to my doctor am borderline insulin

[lombard]

I read recently that several nations - including Ireland have quite a high proportion of the gene that causes diabetes. It appears to be a gene and if we have the gene we just have to be careful. It seems so unfair

Hi RB.......Years ago when I was diagnosed with IBS........I went to a naturopath to try and get help. She said Irish people were what she called 'hunters and gatherers' and that we thrived better on protein. I thought at the time she was talking bunkum and paid no attention. Sure weren't we the nation who loved our spuds......but now I know there was weight to what she said.

[Red Biddy]

I have a sister who is also diabnetic so there must be something in it