Subject: Re: HbA1c
From: Marion Barbe (meab1@earthlink.net)
Date: Sat Jan 18 2003 - 15:16:54 EST
My meter does that, Eric. It gives you 48 hour averaging, as well as 1 week, 2 weeks and 1 month. Seems to me, that you could get a day's average, by just tallying the numbers for that day and dividing it by however many times you tested that day. If not, i stand corrected. Have a great weekend, Marion ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Bohlman" <ebohlman@earthlink.net> To: "Diabetes Discussion List" <diabetic@Lehigh.EDU> Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 11:00 AM Subject: Re: HbA1c > 1/18/03 3:00:37 AM, "Marion Barbe" <meab1@earthlink.net> wrote: > > > Karen, you might want to add your test results each day and at the end of > > each week, to get a better idea of what your BG averages, per day and per > > week. > > > > I do this by adding all of my individual results horizontally in my log > > book, then divide that number by 5, or 6, depending how often i test that > > day. At the end of the week, i do the same vertically, dividing those > > results by 7, to average out my weekly results. > > > > Perhaps doing this, will help you keep track of your averages, so you won't > > be so surprised, the next time you get your A1c results from the lab. > > That doesn't really give you a picture of your average BG *over a 24-hour period*, which is the > average that correlates with A1C. The problem is that most of us measure our BG at the specific > times, usually fasting and post-prandial, when they're likely to be the highest. That's fine, > since it's those readings we need to look at to achieve short-term control. But in most people, > the average of those readings will be higher than the 24-hour average. In a few people, it will > be lower because they spike badly in their sleep or in between meals (this is more common with > type 1s than type 2s and is often related to injected insulin running out unexpectedly). > > In order to get a true picture of your average BG by testing, you'd have to either test at very > regular intervals, at least once per hour, day and night, or at random times. It *is* possible to > get such results with something like the MiniMed continuous glucose monitor, but that's expensive > and can only be done in the short term. Still, if someone has good test results and a bad A1C, a > responsible endocrinologist (or even GP) should do that before accusing the patient of "cheating." > > > >
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