A1C shock

My advice, as someone who has been a type-2 for more than twenty years:

Don't worry. You're doing just fine.

Millions of people would love to have a 5.9, or even a 6.9.

@scottrl Thank you so much. I have been so shocked that I have cut out all pastries for three months. I eat now only sugarless ice cream. I have lost about 5 pounds.

@jimbo12 Glad to help!

As I often say, I'm not a doctor. But I do think it's important to keep the proper distinction between concern, worry, and panic.

To my mind, you're wise to be concerned. But that's as far as I would go. Otherwise, you're at risk of letting this number drive your life. And what fun would that be?

@scottrl

Thank you. During the last five years, my A1C has bounced around from 5.6 to 5.9 and then back to 5.6., etc. Of three doctors, only one even mentioned the number and suggested counseling.

Wow, I’ve been diabetic type for 10 yrs and my highest was 11. Lol
I am down to 7.2.

There’s no perfect number, as long as you stay mentally and physically active, watch what you eat, you will live past 100. 🙂

"It's not what you eat that harms you. It's what's eating you."

@jimbo12 Sounds like normal (and very slight) fluctuations to me -- 82 year-old type 2 for 27 years. But sugar free ice cream does have carbs. Check "total grams carb" per serving on nutrition label. Sugar free does not mean carb free.

@jimbo12
I am not a diabetic but my wife is a diabetic 1. And what they call uncontrolled.

I saw the comment from @scottrl about millions of people who would love to have your A1Cs. My wife would love to have your numbers. She is on the insulin pump and G-7 monitoring devices. Her A1C stays around 8-9.

Your A1C is so close to being considered normal I think and not a doctor so just the experience of being a care giver for my wife and going through diabetic training classes with her, is to watch what you eat and exercise (after checking with your doctors). How is your weight. Losing weight can affect A1C.

One poster mentioned that sugar free does not mean carbohydrate free. And there is the key. You have to watch the carbohydrate number on what you eat. My wife has to look at the carbohydrates in all the food she eats and then enter the insulin to counteract that.

Also what all my doctors and her doctors say stress and anxiety to not help with any disease or disorder. I am a heart failure patients, just finished prostate cancer treatments, and have an ICD/Pacemaker. I found doing exercises I like doing really helped me with stress and anxiety. I love doing water aerobics. It is in water you are almost weightless and you do exercises to music using water weights. If exercise does not interest you a hobby can go a long way to reducing stress and anxiety. I also ride my bike, walk swim, and love to read. I have been going through multiple MOHS surgeries lately for SCC and BCC which had really added the stress.

Those with diabetes will see the next sentence and know what I mean. My wife's glucose reading got up into the 400s and insulin was not working to bring down. When high she gets muscle pains, headaches and feels horrible. When gets to low it is just like being drunk. I have many times had to give her injection of glucose to bring her out of what is almost a coma. The mentor on diabetes called this the glucose roller coaster. Oh how so true.

You are really doing well.

You know none of these tests is exact, you could have two A1C tests in the same hour, even from the same blood sample, and they might turn out with those two readings!

Also it depends who tests, my endo had an office machine, my PCP sent it out to the labs, readings were always several tenths different (my case turned out well controlled so I've just dealt with the PCP for years now, I forget which was higher).

I've been trying to lose the same five pounds for five years. In fact I have lost it several times, but it found its way back every time.

@cTharbcounter

Thanks for your last paragraph, which gave me a much-needed chuckle.