Re: question on A1c levels

April 11, 2010

You're not asking me, but I'll give you my 2 cents worth just the same!

Trial and error. Try something, log it or journal it, noting the results, and if

not what you wanted, try something else. As I've stated, what works for me is a

relatively small selection of foods. I eat the exact same thing at bedtime,

night after night, and even though I do this, I don't have the consistency I

would like. But I also do have a fair degree of consistency nonetheless. IF I

were to eat whatever I felt like at bedtime, well, I'd really be a mess. Keep in

mind, you need to have a consistent starting point at bedtime as well. I

generally do. I check my bg about 2 plus hours after eating dinner, and if

necessary, make an adjustment with a snack or insulin, and then check it again

at bedtime before eating a snack. Nearly 100% of the time, I get that second

reading at the number I want, so my snack is always the same.

The overnight is my hardest time. It's taken me, literally, years to figure out

what to do, what to eat, how much insulin to take. I'm sorry to sound so

" numbers " oriented, but it's really unavoidable. We can only manage this disease

if we pay attention to the numbers.

Dave

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Re: question on A1c levels

Hi Terrie,

To convert mg/dl (American units) to mmol/L (the units we use here in Canada

and most other parts of the world), you divide the number by 18. To convert

the other way (from mmol/L or Canadian units to mg/dl or American units) you

multiply by 18. So your reading of 14 would be approximately 252 in American

units. Your 27.7 would be 500 in American units and that one is most

definitely sky high. I personally wouldn't consider 13-14 sky high, but then

I am type 1 and see those numbers on a fairly regular basis.

Diabetes is different from most other chronic conditions because of the

degree of management we as the patients must put in. It is a 24/7 job and it

is as much an emotional disease as it is a physical one, as far as taking

care of ourselves. However, most doctors do not have time nor training to

meet our emotional needs. My endocrinologist specializes in hormonal systems

and this is what I expect him to know. There are other professionals, such

as counsellors or psychologists or even many diabetes educators, who

specialize in helping people with emotional needs. Of course, some doctors

are also good at this, but it can be difficult for them to ask how we are

doing emotionally in an appointment that may only be ten minutes long. A

doctor is primarily concerned with your physical well-being and, like it or

not, what determines this is how well you are controlling diabetes and other

health conditions. Most conditions rely on numbers, but most of the time the

patient themselves doesn't have to worry about them so much. If you have a

problem with your thyroid your doctor will give you pills and do blood tests

every few months and tell you when it's under control. With diabetes, that's

mostly your job, and the doctor can only play a supporting role.

This is part of the reason I love the online diabetes community. I get

support here even just by reading messages from other people and knowing I'm

not alone. There are also in-person support groups which can be valuable

experiences. I forget where in Canada you live, but there are some here in

Vancouver which I have been to. I don't go regularly, but knowing they are

there if I need them is nice. I have also read a lot of books about

diabetes, especially autobiographies written by people with diabetes, as a

source of support.

Jen

April 11, 2010