Tied. In a way that I hate to feel tied.
Lashed, tight to the feeling that I must succeed. Bound to the knowledge that if I don't, the consequences could be (will be) disastrous.
I am free spirited. I throw myself into things with unbridled verve. It's something I like about myself. It's something that has often served me well. It has challenges, of course, like the times I fell while rollerskating down the bulkhead. But it is largely an advantage.
Having an A1C test, waiting on the result, receiving it - all of these steps are agonizing, and they drain every ounce of bohemian lightheartedness. It's frustrating.
As much as I tell others, and fully believe, that "it's just another piece of data" and that "it's information we can put to use," I often find my eyes welling and a lump in my throat when I see a number that isn't quite what I wanted or expected. I often find my heart swelling with pride when I see a number that the doctor likes.
Where in other areas of my life, I give myself permission to not care and I throw caution to the wind, the A1C and its implications force me to focus. That challenges my very nature. It's not that I let diabetes get in my way physically, it's that it presents, in the form of its unpredictable ways and its roller-coaster numbers and its threats of a difficult future, gigantic stumbling blocks to being carefree.
I wish it were different. But the A1C result makes me feel tied. Too serious, too worried, too willing to conform - too inclined to do anything to have it come out right.
It isn't just a number, it's chains.
Hi!
I am a newbie and already I dread the A1C readings every three months. Although I know 6.5 is good, I don't feel like I behaved well unless my reading is < 6.5. And I suppose that I feel this way because of the potential complications that can arise.
If we concentrate more on the things we can do to control the A1c results, instead of living for a bad result, you would probably feel better. You are the person who has the controls, not some lab result. Live to succeed, not to fail.
The horrible wait for an A1C result does nothing but ruin the begining of your next A1C. While I know the importance of the test, I also feel that it can be overrated. I compare it to stepping on the scale. While it is important to know your weight, the number should not always be your main focus. I think we all need to learn how to read and understand what our body is telling us. What A1C or weight might be right for one, may not alwyas be right for another. Record your numbers, pay attention to how you feel, look for patterns and change something if there are problems. It is just a number, your right learn from it and move on.
Yup, I agree with faithnfire, in that keeping records of multiple daily glucose tests, activities, food and what the combinations of these combined elements make living an adventure (at the least) every day. No two days are alike and what you did yesterday may not have made any difference yesterday, but may show up today. Knowing that every day is moments away from being over, and that the next will be a brand new start. The same old same old is never a part of my life as a Type I since 1950. Yes, there have been severe lows (29s the lowest on my tester) and some (though very few that I know of) 400s, but the average HA1c have since first devised for in-office detection began for me have been between 7 - 5.6
I agree. The A1C is an important factor towards your controlling your Diabetes, but you should not become so intimidated by the number that it causes you stress and anxiety if you don't come up with the <6.5 reading. Each person's body is different, and what is a good reading for one may be different for another. I have "stressed" myself out about that A1C every 3 months, but I have come up with the same number (7.1) most times, so I don't worry about it any longer since it hasn't gotten any higher.
it does feel like chains! especially when i've been struggling with 9s for a few years now. i finished college a year ago and it seems impossible to get back in control when i'm fighting to get everything else in my life under control. i've even been exploring the emotional side of diabetes, after almost 20 years....
I have been a type 2 for 20 years, and insulin dependent for 15. For many years I didn't control my condition. Last June I suffered cardiac arrest and had 2 stents put in my heart. At the time of admission my A1C was 9.5. For the last 9 mos it has been between 6.0 and 6.7. I only check my bg once a day now in the am. Usually between 80-100. I understand how anxious we become over our A1C results. Having a knowledgeable and understanding doctor has made my anxiety lessen. I don't need lectures, I need advice
i ws diagnosed three years ago with Type-2. i have been forunate the i have it under control. My last 3 A1C numbers have been 5.7, 5.7 & 5.4. My brother also has type-2 but not as lucky as i am. his lowest reading to date is 8. i don't see how anyone can look at the numbers as chains. Freedom comes to us through information and knowledge. Without it we are chained to failure as my Mother was. When she was alive 30 years ago they didn't have the wonderful technology we have now and her kidney's were destroyed. She died at 48 years old. You should look at the numbers as a way of breaking the chains of failure and the freedom to make choices that will help you succeed in managing your life.
Thanks, all, for your comments. As a note, my last A1C was 6.2%, the one before 5.8%. These numbers qualify as "very good control" but in the end, that control does place some limitations on the amount of carefree frolicking I can do. That's what I was trying to express. Just as diabetes has differing physical effects on all of us - for whatever reasons - it has differing emotional and mental effects as well. Where some people can see the data as a way to free themselves or improve themselves (and there IS some of that attitude in me), after 27 plus years of mostly vigilant control, chains are what I think of when I imagine the A1C. It's not that I wouldn't want the A1C as a tool (I realize the detriments of ignorance) - it's just that it's a very real reminder of the challenges I'm facing on a day to day basis.
I feel the same way; but I have learned that if I can beat it, I am going to beat it. I got my A1C down from 7.4-5.1 by going on a low fat, less than 19 grams of fat a day...it worked. I am still anxious, hoping what I am doing is right, and that somehow this mysterious disease will take over...I have lost 25 lbs doing this as well. I hope it keeps up! Any thoughts?
My husband has been a diabetic for about a year now. When he found out he was 290lbs. He changed his way of eating and excercised everyday. He now is 155lbs. He feels most comfortable when his sugar is around 150. If he goes below 100 he starts getting shakie and eats something. His A1C is always 9 to 9.8. He has had his heart, liver, kidneys everything checked out lately and he's fine. He can't seem to get his A1C down. He takes insulin for every meal, still counting carbs. How do we get his A1C down?? He still excercises everyday.
If your husbands a1c is 9.0 and higher his random testing isnt showing him what his bs are at other times. It shows that his bs are much higher at other times, either when he sleeps or at times he is not testing. His average is about 200 and that is why when he drops to 100 that he feels like he is having a hypo. His body is used to the high reading, this is normal for someone that has had high bs it also happened to me 20 yrs ago.
My a1c last one came back at 8.4 and I can not figure out why. I was exercising and my blood sugars were around 130 or lower. I am getting frustrated.
It is extraordinarily frustrating when the A1C comes back higher when you feel as if it should be lower. First thing - work with your team. Do not be afraid to call them between appointments. If you don't get a call back or can't talk to someone - keep calling. Talk to your team/doc about what numbers you're seeing, what you're eating, what your medication schedule/dose looks like. Ask for assistance. It's vital. And it's their job. Doctors aren't supposed to prescribe and send on your way. They should be more than willing to spend time ensuring that everything they're doing/asking you to do is working. And it is our job (as patients) to let them know if something is off kilter. It's the one piece of advice I'd give in trying to lower A1C. Good luck to you both!
My A1C has been a constant 7.1 for quite some time. I don't seem to suffer any ill effects from it. It drives my doctor crazy. At my worst, I was an 11.0, so 7.1 looks good to me. Am I wrong to think this way?