Question:
Has anyone, who is diabetic, been told...
... that you must have a hemoglobin a1c result of 9 or less? I am currently at a 12. Are there any supplements or diet tricks that I can use to bring this number down faster? Thanks for the help. — Earl Z. (posted on March 28, 2003)
March 28, 2003
An HgA1C of 12 is pretty high. It indicates that your blood sugar's been
out of control for awhile. The HgA1c shows how well you have controlled
your blood sugar over the past two to three months. It is administered by a
doctor, and should be done 2-4 times a year. A good HgA1c level is less
than 7%.
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So I don't think that there is any "tricks" to bringing it down.
Follow the diet prescribed by your physician, take your diabetes
medication and the number will come down eventually. I don't think any
doctor is going to want to operate on someone with uncontrolled diabetes
because the healing will be a lot slower...JR
— John Rushton
March 28, 2003
Mine was like yours pre op. I was near strving and it was still out of
control pre op. Since surgery its been near normal under 7.
— bob-haller
March 28, 2003
I used the suzanne sommers diet, sommersizing, very close to atkins. It
brought down my A1C, my cholesterol and everything else. Good luck!!!
— Bethy413
March 28, 2003
IF you are trying to make a deadline for surgery and in a hurry to get the
A1c down, go on insulin if you must. You can dose your insulin to
normalize your sugars, and the A1c will be down in 2 months. The goal for
diabetes is to be less than 6.5. If you are not on insulin now, you will
be off of it after surgery so it would be a temporary thing.
— Dana S.
March 28, 2003
Earl, I had the same problem with having to have my blood sugars under
control for surgery. I think if you can get them under control and show
with your daily monitor that you're having success say over a month period
your doctor may give the "go" on your surgery. It does take
months to bring those numbers down because it shows a long term result.
And if you're at a 12 I'd bet that it'll be a LONG while. Thats why my
doctor was willing to go by my daily monitor. When I had to do this I
avoided ALL sugar and bread. NO pasta, no bread. I could eat an
occassional soft taco shell, and a small amount of rice or potatoe but
avoided any processed bread products, tomatoe sauce, fruits, and anything
with sugar. I also drank a TON of water to help flush my system. You
should also see your doc or a specialist about adjusting your program. Add
an oral med, add insulin, whatever is necessary to bring your sugars down
and keep them down.
— Shelly S.
March 28, 2003
My HbA1c had been running near 10, and because I also need to loose weight,
my PCP perscribed xenical. Yes it is a fat blocker, but eating faty foods
as well as sugar and carbs causes blood sugar to rise. My PCP also said
she has noticed a sharp decline in blood sugars, in many of her patients
taking xenical, It makes since. I do take insulin, and oral meds, my
morning fastings without xenical are around 145 and with taking xenical it
runs 90 much better. Proof is in the blood work, and it doesnt go through
your liver, it only causes malabsorbation of fat by coating the intestine.
My insurance covers it, but many dont its around $120.00 a month. Good
luck on getting your HbA1c down, and your journey. :0)
— wizz46
March 28, 2003
I forgot to mention my HbA1c went from 10 to 8, I only take the xenical
capsules one or two and day, and not everyday as I am supposed to. It was
prescribed to be taken 3x a day with meals, but I dont like the supprising
out come if you know what I mean. If I took it as prescribed, my weight
loss and sugars would probably be even be lower. Rosemary
— wizz46
March 28, 2003
It doesn't really take a long time to get your A1C down. Those results
cover about a 3 month period. What happens is this. Sugar binds to the
hemoglobin in your blood. The cells that make up hemoglobin have a life of
about 3 months. So the A1C tests measures how much sugar is present in the
hemoglobin. The result is not really an average, but more of an indicator
of how often your blood sugar is high and when it is high for extended
periods of time. The desired results may be different from doctor to
doctor. I have Type 1 diabetes and my endocrinologist has told me that for
her patients taking insulin, she wants to see the A1C under 7.
— garw
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