Good Control, High A1C? ( Diabetes )

[b-man]

Good Control, High A1C? ( Diabetes )

You think you have great blood glucose control, but then you visit your doctor, and your A1C is high. Why does this happen? Your average blood glucose levels are probably based on your levels before you eat. While this usually works well, it does not take your post-meal blood glucose levels into account. Your blood glucose could rise unexpectedly after a meal for a couple of reasons: Either you aren't taking enough insulin, or you're taking insulin too close to mealtime.

To see if this is the reason for a high A1C, measure your blood glucose 2 hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner for several days (in addition to your regular pre-meal tests). Blood glucose that is more than 200 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal is too high. In addition, your blood glucose may be high throughout the night, while you asleep. To find out, wake yourself up at 4:00 a.m. several times during the week to check your blood glucose. If you do this, and you find that your blood glucose is higher than 150 mg/dl, you need tighter control.

Continue to check your blood glucose 2 hours after meals and in the middle of the night once a month. This will help you ensure that you're not having unexpected high blood glucoses that could be affecting your A1C.

B-man