Diabetic Recipes
I made a note on my calendar to call Dr. S today about the bloodwork I had done last week. His nurse told me it may be a week or two before I got results and that I could call any time to see if they were in.
I got impatient (go figure!) and called yesterday. After going through automated phone Hell, I got to the voice mail of the nurse. Her mailbox said feel free to leave a message, but be aware that it may take me 72 hours to get back to you. *sigh*
So I left a message fully expecting NOT to hear from her any time soon. I considered calling again today, but even though I'm impatient I'm not a pest. Well, maybe sometimes.
We walked in tonight after dinner at Mom and Dad's around 7:30 p.m., shuffled the kids upstairs for showers and then I started opening the mail. I sifted through the junk first and then noticed a fairly thick envelope from Dr. S's office. I was actually a little confused, and then while I was opening it realized that they had put my test results in the mail.
His handwriting is atrocious, but I managed to see what I had been waiting for since May -- my A1C is 7%. A number that I'm actually pretty thrilled with. I deciphered his note next to the 7%: High. I looked again to make sure it didn't say 70%.
High, I thought. Sure. But did he consider where I've been in the last five months: a move across the country, a new job that I kept for less than three months and that made me cry on nearly a daily basis, having my family separated for six weeks, making two mortgage payments, learning to live in a new climate, dealing with a one-hour commute after having a roughly four-block commute in my previous life, learning a new work schedule and working around having two kids in a new elementary school and their busy schedule, helping No. 1 adjust to a new life that he didn't want.
Sure, 7% is on the high side of normal, but it's only 0.2% higher than I was about six months ago. Six months of being disconnected. I think I did pretty good all things considered.
On my last A1C my reading was 6.7 and before that was 7.1. My doctor thinks this is on the high side and wants me to get the reading below 6.0
If you are a type 1 on insulin getting a reading of 7% is fantastic. My endo is very happy if I can be between 7.2 and 7.5. Any lower and he would suspect many lows (true). Sure 7% is at the high normal but as far what I know and what I have been told you're doing great especially what you have been going through these last 6 months.
Helen
I agree a 7 is good. My endo is also a diabetic and if he says it is okay, I take quite a bit of stock in that.
Rivac,
yup, they tell us Career Diabetics that having a 7% A1C is Good! Why is it then that I feel soooo crummy keeping my sugars up where the Medical Community likes them? This has been an argument with my Endo for about a year now. I reported in at 5.8%, he flipped and changed all the numbers for my pumping. Now I've spent the last two months feeling BLAH. Is there a happy medium????
That is so weird that I would see this blog because I just called my doctor today to find out what my blood results are. I live a very stressful life also right now with taking care of my mom financially and living in an unsafe apt compex...aaaarrrrggg. A yr ago mine was 8.5 so anything better than that I will try to do a cartwheel without hurting myself! LOL! You are doing an awesome job at 7! And we all know that you will do even better once you get some of that stress off of you :)
wowie - not sure where you live but I'm not moving there. I call my doctor and speak to him whenever I want. I live in the middle of nowhere and have my blood test results in less than 48 hours. I've given up on an Endo and use a nurse from my insurance company that I speak to for free weekly and I fax her by BG readings and she and I discuss ways to work things out. May of 2007 my A1C was 9.3 and I was rising and crashing all the time. When I began working with the nurse things started evening out and May of 2008 my A1C was a 7.0 which my country doc says is good for an adult Type 1. I went on the pump 5 weeks ago and my A1C 2 weeks ago was 6.5. I have gone from mild to moderaste retinopathy to having NO retinopathy as of last week at the ophthomologist. Doctors are only practicing medicine and it is up to us to take charge of our condition and learn and WORK. In 20 years of being Type 1, the last 6 months have been great and the last 5 weeks since I started the pump have been phenomenal. I can't wait to start the CGM which fortunately my insurance will cover. Do not let the doctor dictate how you feel about yourself and your diabetes - we all have good and bad times. Use the best tools that you can afford and don't forget to live in the meantime or it is all worthless. God Bless
Sounds like you've been through a lot of stress recently, and that's enough to spike anybody's blood sugar. A 7 in this circumstance is pretty darned good.
Like another commenter, my primary doc insists that I keep my A1c below 6. I've had A1cs ranging from a high of 5.4 to a low of 4.9 over the past 3 years, and now my endocrinologist is saying that those are too low. He wants me to get my A1c up above 6 and keep it between 6 and 6.5. I see no benefit to doing this and believe it is much more beneficial for us diabetics to keep our BG as "normal" as possible. If I can keep my A1cs below 5.5 without spiking or dipping into low territory, I'm happy. (But then, I'm a type 2, and I don't use insulin, just pills, diet, and exercise.)
Once things have calmed down at your place, your A1c will probably come down as well. Good luck to you and I hope everything works out well for you.
You have done a great job with an aic of 7!!!
My most recent was 7.2, down from an awful 8.5 I experienced during a few months of a stressful school year. I am shooting for around 6.5. I have had A1c's as low as 5.5, but I had multiple lows every day when that happened. Though I did not ever pass out, the emotional roller coaster plunge of frequent lows makes me want to avoid that. So I will keep my A1c's in the 6.5-6.9 range. IF I CAN....
I just went on the pump 5 weeks ago. Last week my A1C was 7.6 which was the highest it has ever been. If I can not get my A1C down under 7 then I will go off the pump. Has anyone ever gone off the pump because they could not get their numbers down. I will give the pump a chance though.
Thank you
I am glad to see you are going to give the pump a chance. 5 weeks is certainly not long enough to get adjusted. It has been a while since I went on the pump but I want to say it really took me a few months to get used to it and to get things normalized. Good luck.
I think that number is good, considering ALL that you have been through. I am a R.N., lots of stress and that ole stress will crank that glucose up to numbers that are unacceptable.
I think the key is to try not be stressed. Once you learn that, will you tell me how to destress? Stress is everywhere right, but it is deadly for diabetics.
Hi tatertown! You say you are now feeling blah since your endo changed the settings on your pump. Did he make a big change to your basal rate? Did he change your carb ratio? Do you have access to a diabetic clinic or a diabetes education nurse? My nurse wears a pump and is very knowledgable with the settings and what is really expected for type 1's. What is CGM? Buy the book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. It will help you understand pumping and taking control of pumping yourself. It's really good. Good Luck!!
At my last check up, my A1C was 5.3, when it was previously 6.6,so I hoping that is a good improvement. on the down side, my cholesterol was slightly up--sigh, guess you can't win them all!
Boy, an A1C of 7 sounds pretty darn good compared to my 9.5. I've had Type 1 for 20 years and have been on a continous roller coaster nearly the entire time. I just can't seem to discipline myself. My endocrinologist, who I've been seeing for the past 16 years, says he wants my A1C at 7.0 or lower. I think the average BG is 170.
My doctor thinks 7.0 is fine! I know what stress and depression can do to ones A1C. My sister passed away in April and for the previous 6 months and even now, I'm still having a hard time getting it back down to 7.0. I think your doing fine with all the stress it sounds like you have in your life right now! Sometimes these doctors just don't understand how life gets in the way!
I WANT TO KNOW IS THERE A A1C METER THAT I CAN PURCHASE FOR HOME.