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Posted 9/10/2011 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
A couple of months ago I wrote you about my lousy BS numbers but yet I had an A1c of 6.1.    I took my meter in and had it checked against my doctor's meter and it was only off by 1 point.  I wondered if there was a mistake in the blood work but was assured it was accurate. 

 

Fast forward to today.  I've been struggling more with high BS numbers, was put on short acting insulin before dinner and I've still had high BS numbers two hours after eating.  I have been soooo confused. 

 

I had my A1c test last Friday and got the results today...a 5.5!  Can someone make sense of this?  Has this happened to anyone?  My doctor isn't giving it a thought.  I've been testing 7-9 times a day and I sure don't get these numbers.  Actually, my 30 day average on my meter puts me at 168, which is between a 7.4 and a 7.5 on the A1c but yet my test comes back a 5.5.  I'm about ready to throw in the towel!  Help!

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/10/2011 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
confused    Huh?

No, it doesn't make sense unless you're dipping really low overnight but I think you'd know that.   I don't understand at all.  You could buy one of the Walmart ReliOn A1c kits and test it yourself.  It cost $9 the last time I checked it there. 

Sherrine, I don't know what to say. How have you been feeling?

Posted 9/10/2011 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
I've felt terrible...extremely tired, rubbery legs, etc.  I wrote about it further down in my Dawn post.  BUT blood work just came back and I'm low in potassium and also am somewhat anemic.  Now they want to find the blood loss so a billion tests are heading my way. 

 

I do check in the middle of the night when I'm up so that's not it either.  My poor fingertips are in shreds. 

 

This morning my fasting sugar was 113.  One hour later I was getting ready to walk the dog.  I started feeling tired, rubbery legs, shortness of breath so I took my BS.  It was 193 and I hadn't had a thing to eat.  You see, my meter coincides with the way I feel.  I wonder if there is something wrong with the doctor's equipment.  But he won't listen.  He's satisfied with the A1c and thinks I have stress.  Nope.  This isn't stress.  I'm getting to the point of wondering why I'm even bothering to check my BS.  I try so hard and I don't know what to believe.

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/10/2011 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
I think something else is going on and it's affecting the blood sugar results.  Blood loss?  You would have noticed that in the bathroom.  (Not red but dark or black).  Have you had heart tests?  Are you taking a diuretic?
Posted 9/10/2011 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
None of the above.  I'm just so tired.  He has be giving a stool sample and getting more blood work this coming Wednesday.

 

In my searches I found this site and, yes, the A1c can be wrong.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see the circumstances where it can be wrong.  Anemia is one of them.  I had no idea.  This makes more sense.  Now, if only he listened to me in February when I told him the 6.1 A1c couldn't be right.  mad

 

http://www.isletsofhope.com/diabetes/treatment/hba1c_1.html#how

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/10/2011 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
Then that's it.  When the A1c is calculated, the red blood cells are the carriers that keep the glucose markers for 90 days (that's not scientific wording) and if the red blood cells are deficient, which results in anemia, then their number is substantially lower, so the A1c would be lower.  The A1c is accurate for the blood sample it was given but the blood sample is missing red blood cells.

Now, they need to find the cause of the anemia.  In my husband's case he had an ulcer in the upper small intestine.  He was also tired and had rubbery limbs but he never went to the doctor until he fainted three times over the weekend. 

I'm so glad your doctor has zeroed in on the anemia.  In the meantime, eat healthy and avoid strenuous activity.  How's your blood pressure?

Posted 9/10/2011 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
Everything else is fine.  I have no pains or cramping.  Whenever I had ulcers in the intestines from Crohn's, I was in a lot of pain.  That isn't happening.  Same with stomach. 

 

I always eat nutritionally well.  It makes a world of difference with diabetes, fibro and other things I have.  Always have fresh fruits and veggies.  So I will keep on keeping on.  I'll let you know what they find out. 

 

Members, it is important to pay attention to not only your blood testing but also your body.  By the way, I asked him to check for anemia last week!  LOL  No one knows your body like you do and don't "settle" for what sometimes is diagnosed.  In July, he said it was stress.  Nope, nope, nope!

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/10/2011 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
You are absolutely right!  Doctors need to listen more to what their patients say.  Seems to me, though, if a patient comes in and relates the symptoms you're talking about (tiredness, shakey, rubbery limbs), the doctor would do lab tests checking for anemia and thyroid, heart.  Well, you know.  Have a healthy weekend!  (And eat some spinach.)
Posted 9/10/2011 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
I had some last night!  smilewinkgrin

 

Thanks, Lanie, for your support!

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/13/2011 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sherrine. Both meters and A1c testing can be affected by anemia and other conditions. Some meters claim to have better technology and correct for anemia and other conditions. I believe it is the One Touch. What kind of meter do you use? Do you think something is up with your crohn's if you are anemic and low on potassium? Blood sugars can do crazy things! We know, because we test ours a lot. Mine's done crazy things. It was actually lower when I had colitis!! Now after my resection and weight gain of about 8 pounds, it's up and I am now on metformin. There are some days though that it is much lower than others and I have no idea why. I haven't eaten less or exercised more, so go figure! Stress is supposed to make it go up but sometimes I think it makes mine go down. Anyway, keep us posted and I hope you feel better. Sorry you are going to have to get a bunch of tests-:)
Posted 9/13/2011 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it could be the Crohn's causing the anemia.  This happened to me about 20 years ago...and I wasn't diabetic at the time.....and they never found the source of the blood loss.  But I know they will want to check things out.

 

I have the Breeze2 meter and love it.  It has been very accurate.  I had it checked with the doctor's meter in February and it was fine.  I'm having it checked again tomorrow.  But, I now know what is causing my blood sugar to be all over the place and my A1c to be low.  I never knew this could happen so that's why I wanted to share what I found out.  Knowledge is power!  Thanks for your input.  Isn't diabetes fun?   mad  

Sherrine

Posted 9/15/2011 12:09 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, diabetes is very fun, but crohn's is more fun, don't you think???!!! I wanted to add something. I got a new Bayer Breeze USB meter and have checked my BS twice and it read 150 and 153 which somehow didn't seem right to me, it seemed high. Yesterday before dinner it was 150 and I've had a lot of stress lately so I thought that was it but when it read 153 this morning, I tried it with another meter, my breeze 2 and the reading I got from the breeze 2 was 129. Sooooooo. Anyway, I think I made an error in a previous e-mail but I am not sure. I do think it is the freestyle meters that can correct for anemia and give you an accurate bs. I'll double check and post again. I am a diabetes educator, so you know I love having diabetes, it's like I can't get away from it AND I have huge guilt about getting it. With colitis wearing me down, I actually gained weight and couldn't get it off. Gained more weight after my resection so the bs finally went over to the other side of having diabetes from pre diabetes. Rats!!
Posted 9/15/2011 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
I used to go crazy when I would get two meter readings, one minute apart, from the same finger prick, and be 20 points different. Then I found an article in Consumer Reports evaluating meters. I think LanieG would make it into a stickie but the data is over 3 years old. Perhaps when Consumer Reports rates the meters again, they are overdo. They have already redone their research on BP monitors.

In the meantime I regularly verify accuracy by taking measurements with my meter at the same time lab work is done.

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=20&m=2040014
Posted 9/15/2011 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
The Administrator doesn't want any more new stickies but I can either copy the data I posted or the link into the Resource sticky above.  I'll probably copy the data because sometimes links become outdated and will not come up.

On a side note, I believe there is also the question whether a meter reads whole blood or not.  (This is a topic I don't fully understand so I can't talk knowledgably but if you check the manual that comes with your meter you can probably find that info.  If you do and want to talk about it, then post it as a new thread, please.)  This may account for different brands recording higher or lower compared to others.  Since the industry standard allows differences from 10 to 20%  (I'm pretty sure those are the numbers.), it's not surprising to get different readings.  My frustration is when I test the same blood bead with the same meter less than a minute later and get a blood sugar reading much higher or lower.  It might not make much difference for me if I'm not taking meds but for someone on insulin, that's another story.  I think doctors probably understand this and figure as long as the blood sugar is "in the ballpark", it's ok.

 

Posted 9/15/2011 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
I've been eating a lot of spinach salads and also taking iron and I'm feeling much better.  My numbers have come down, too.  My Breeze2 meter seems to be quite accurate because how I feel usually corresponds with what my meter says.  That should be considered too in my humble opinion.  So, hopefully I'm on the right track.

 

Jeanneac, don't be hard on yourself.  You probably had a predisposition to diabetes.  It runs heavily in my family so I wasn't surprised when I developed it.  It's what you do now that counts.  It's hard losing weight with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis.  We can't eat tomatoes, salads, many fresh fruits and veggies.  BUT the heavy carbohydrate foods are what we can eat.  I ended up losing my colon so now I can eat the good things and that has helped me keep good control of the diabetes.  But, you have to do what you have to do.  There is no reason to blame yourself.  Life just happens and I'm sure you are keeping things under control.  Here's to good health for everyone!  yeah

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/16/2011 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sherrine, yea, sometimes life just happens. Diabetes does run heavily in my family too!! I was lucky enough to monitor it and find out that I had it very early in the dz. Funny how things happen that you would never imagine!!
Posted 9/16/2011 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
I may be understanding what you are asking wrong... But A1c tests are different than your blood sugar tests. A1c shows how severe of a diabetic you are. 5.5 is great for a diabetic, which shows you are controlling it in the A1c tests. I do not know the blood sugar system in england, and it does do things like 5.5 for a blood test. Also, air can affect your blood sugar on how much air gets in the blood before u test it
Posted 9/17/2011 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Smurfy, the A1c measures your overall average blood sugar for the past three months.  It should be close to what you are getting with your meter.  Mine always have until last February.  The 5.5 A1c means my overall blood sugar was around 111.  That definitely isn't accurate because my blood sugar was so high that I was put on short acting insulin before dinner. 

 

When there is a huge discrepency between the A1c and your meter readings, you need to tell your doctor.  I had to do a lot of squawking but my doctor listened and discovered I'm anemic.  That's why the A1c was so low.  Now we are on a search to find where I'm losing blood.

 

I sure wish I had the control that the test said but I don't at this time.  I will be close to that once I get the anemia taken care of.  I didn't know that air affected the tests though.  I'll have to check that out!  Thanks!

Sherrine 

Posted 9/17/2011 8:04 AM (GMT 0)
I can see the A1c from my meter??? 5.5 in A1c is actually great ofr a diabetic. My blood work recently showed im anemic, do I need to tell him? I've been eating meat, taking iron pills and drinking ensure to get more iron
Posted 9/17/2011 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
My meter will tell me my average for one day, one week, and 30 days.  I see what is says and then read the conversion chart that is in the Diabetes Resources at the top of this forum.  There is a smaller chart but Lanie put a link to a big chart and that's what I use.

 

Yes, a 5.5 A1c is excellent.  That means my average blood sugar over three months was 111.  BUT it really wasn't!  It was far different from my meter.  At the time, my meter was saying my 30 day average was 193 which would put the A1c between 8.3 and 8.4.  I had my meter checked and it was accurate.  So that let me know I had something going on in my body that was causing these conflicting readings.

 

I found out that I am anemic but have been taking iron for years.  I'm losing blood internally so I now have an appointment with a gastroenterologist to have tests run to find out where the blood loss is coming from.  An infection can cause anemia along with other things so I'm being thoroughly checked out.  I hope this answers your questions.

 

Sherrine

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