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The Question

11/17/08 03:28 PM

"My A1c is 11.6. What do i have to do to get it to be 6.5?"

Asked By: jenny993

Category: Type 1

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Expert Answers (2)

11/18/08 10:35 AM

Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c is a measure of the amount of Glucose which permanently attaches itself to the Hemoglobin portion of a Red Blood Cell, through an irreversible process called Glycosylation. . . A process which occurs at a much higher rate whenever there is excess glucose in the blood. Red Blood cells live in our bodies’ for about 90 days before they become worn out and are recycled. It is therefore unlikely that anyone could lower their HgbA1c level from 11.6 to 6.5 within a months time period, short of a complete blood transfusion. With that being said, however, lowering your HgbA1c from a number of 11.6 to an 8.0 or 7.5 is much easier than lowering it from a 7.5 to 6.5. . . As the tightening of control that occurs at the lower numbers takes a lot of “fine tuning.” Our bodies’ also require some time to adapt to the change of improved HgbA1c, and it may be wiser to take it at a slower steady pace. . .Especially if your have Heart Disease or Atherosclerosis. Starting the use of Insulin is an excellent way to get things under control, and seeing a Dietitian who can help you develop a meal plan that works for you and your body is essential. Finding ways of staying active is also necessary if you want to find balance and optimal health. Your goal of getting your HgbA1c down to a 6.5 is absolutely realistic, but not within the time frame you were hoping. Take Small Steps every day, and you will find the rewards and begin feeling GREAT in the process. Best to you in finding ways of incorporating Healthy Self-Care Behaviors into your life!

Answered By: Claire Blum

Accreditations: RN, CDE

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11/18/08 11:03 AM

Jenny- One of the first goals might be to figure out why your average blood sugar is so high. Are you taking insulin as prescribed, watching your diet and are you getting enough exercise are great questions to start with but..... you may need to look a little deeper. Checking your blood sugar pre-meal and 2 hours post meals is an excellant way to collect data needed to find trends. If you feel you are watching what you are eating- are you getting 2 hour post meal readings of less than 140? If not, you may need changes to your insulin regimen. You might also want to think about checking a mid-sleep ( 2-3 am) glucose as well. Often just spot checking blood sugars doesn't show the whole picture and trends can be spotted and treatment changes made with more data. If you feel you are doing everything right to the best of your ability and your levels are still too high- consider speaking to your health care provider about continious glucose sensing or even an insulin pump. Remember, changes don't happen over night but you can take control of your situation and reach your goal of tighter glucose control

Answered By: melissa magwire

Accreditations: RN, CDE

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Community Answers (5)

12/27/08 12:12 AM

One futher comment: I'd like to add that the doctors and nurses were VERY SHOCKED, (and very happy) to see my daughter's number lowered. They told us that it was unusual for #'s to drop so drastically in such a short period of time (9.5 weeks). However, we (my husband and I) worked very hard to feed her properly (all the right foods) and nutritously (no sugar). Without sounding repetitive... The Dr. Fuhrman books were our saving grace. - My husband even lost 20 pounds from eating as well.

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12/26/08 11:41 PM

This summer, my Daughter's A1C test was 9.6. She was able to bring her # down to a 6.1 within two months. My husband and I read "Eat For Health" books by, Joel Fuhrman, M.D. She was very succesful with her results from taking Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional advice. I RECOMMEND THESE BOOKS TO ANYONE WITH DIABETIES! I got my books through Eat Right America (it was cheaper than Amazon).

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12/26/08 09:12 PM

You don't say what you're doing already. Are you on pills? Insulin? What kind of exercise regime? Are you familiar with the book "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, " by Richard K. Bernstein, M.D.? You can find answers there. Basically, assuming you're using the usually -prescribed ADA diet, forget that and concentrate on reducing the high-glycemic carbs in your diet. This will bring your numbers down. If you're on medication, you'll need to reduce that, too.

Answered By: whimsy2

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11/18/08 01:25 AM

Joe is right, its not going to happen overnight. It took me 3 years to get to 6.5. I tested frequently and ate the same foods for a while, so I could understand how the foods affected me. From there, I was able to dial in the exact amount of insulin to take for that particular food. I also got myself a PDA and bought a carb counting program that links to a diabetes diary (both from CalorieKIng.com.) Hope this helps.

Answered By: mike37

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11/17/08 05:21 PM

I hate to hear that someone has such a high A1c. I'm not sure if this is correct it says you have had diabetes since 1908? I'm going to assume you mean 2008. If so, that isn't very long time to have diabetes. To answer your question, lets take small baby steps first. Let's try to get you to drop at least to 10 If you can do that, then you'll be able to get to 6.5. First get in contact with the patient education people in your clinic or hospital. Meet with them and the dietician. They can help set you up on a routine that can't fail. If you listen to what they say and follow their example and apply it to your lifestyle you can take insulin and acheive wonderful results. Don't set yourself up to get a 6.5. I've never been there in 30 years. I am happy with 8.3-8.5. If you are like me and have brittle diabetes, those numbers are livable. Don't let everyone scare you. It takes a long time to learn how to manage this thing. Go see your doctor now and have another test done. There's a chance your test was defunked or your were sick with a virus and it affected your testing. Is this your first test, what have others been like?

Answered By: insulin joe

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(5 Answers)

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