@cehunt57 - Thanks you very much for your response and the information you shared here. It actually makes sense considering the connection between A1C and hemoglobin. It is true that my friend has a lot going on!
Your question "Does your friend have good trusted providers?" is an interesting question... I am not sure if I can answer this. Here there is another twist..he also has dental issues.
His dentist suggests from his experience, his dental gums issue could be due to being diabetic. This is where he gets lost on how all these are related and who is right and who is wrong. What does the blood tests mean and to interpret them.