Glucose Testing / Scores Questions....
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| Tue, 04-01-2008 - 10:08am |
Got a mess of more tests last week.
Wanted to share the results - tho I've gone over them w/the doc - thought I might like to discuss them with others more experienced w/such-
My 2 hr blood fasting scores have improved over the last year!
Last weeks were 85, 114, & 131. In the summer, I topped 140+. A yr ago 160+.
Just exercising a little more - eating less sweets, slightly better overall.
Also my A1 is said to be 5.1. I'm told that is "good"? I believe my A1 in the summer was 4 something. I really don't know much about the A1. Seems to me that if my glucose levels for fasting - are on the high side, that my A1 score would not be good ---- Don't quite get that. Just going by what the doc says.
Big question: With having these 3 tests - I SWEAR they've been giving it to me differently. ALL year long - I've weighed approx. the same amount. Yet for this 2 hr tests --- the first 2 were admin. using 1 1/2 (ONE&AHALF) of those syrup bottles. Last week they used only 1. I'm wondering if this has made a diff. there.
Anyone know much about the correct amt to use in the admin - how to determine what's right. I asked the doc, but she did not seem to be concerned that diff. amts were used for the same time 2hrs ---- & I've still been at the same weight. I mean, possibly as much as 7 lbs less - but not that much. (i may have fluxed betw. 147 & 155 - maybe not that much).

A1C "normal" is < 6.0; the American Assoc of Clinical Endocrinologists look for under 6.5 for diabetics; the ADA looks for under 7.0 for diabetics. So, 5.1 is good; 4 seems a bit low (but then I'm not a doctor and don't even play one on TV). A1C is an average of the last 3 months also, so it kind of balances good days and not great days over time. It measures glycated hemoglobin, or how much sugar is sticking to your red blood cells. The life of a red blood cell is approximately 3 months. And, that sugar sticking to the blood cells is where damage happens - think of the sugar as a spike stuck on the smooth ball of the blood cell. Wherever that 'ball' bounces gets poked by the spike. The lower the A1C, the fewer spiky blood cells are poking at your kidneys and eyes and nerves and such.
Not sure about the other test you were given since I haven't had one of those - my doctor always requests just a plain fasting serum glucose (don't eat all night then get blood drawn first thing, no nasty sugar syrup drinks). Generally speaking, though, an "after meal" blood glucose of <140 is good. My guess is that the difference between 1 and 1.5 servings of that stuff is a difference in how many grams of carb it is - whether it's 30 grams or 45 grams (or whatever) is semi-immaterial if your outcome is a result under 140. If the result was higher, I'd want to know how many grams of carbs it was and make sure I keep to less than that in my daily eating plan. Different carb amounts affect people differently.
--Deb
You most likely had a modified glucose tolerance test in which you are given 100 grams of sugar and then your blood is drawn usually 2 hours after you have drunk this sweet drink. The doctor needs to order the amount of sugar that you are given and normally they order a full test or a modified test and then the lab knows what to give you.
Your A1C is wonderful. If you had a 4, it was before you were diabetic as that is a non-diabetic reading.