Hi Everyone,
My A1c Is very high any advice of how to get it down?
Hi. :)
Okay well first of all, what is your A1C? What's your insulin plan? If I know this stuff I can maybe get an idea of what you need to do. :)
My A1Cs have never been above 6, and that's due to me keeping good watch. I'm on a insulin ratio plan and it does wonders on my body. I'm also pretty active and I try to eat healthy. Maybe try being more active? Try walking or playing a sport- if you don't already. Also (you don't have to do this, it's just helped me) maybe try a lower-carb diet. I've cut a lot of carbs out of my diet and as a result I haven't really needed insulin shots. It's great! And if your active, you can obviously eat more carbs. Maybe your plan isn't working for you? My boyfriend who is also a diabetic was on a plan where he took insulin at certain times. He was having high numbers a lot and he was getting frustrated. I told him he should try and switch plans, he did. Now he has beautiful numbers and I'm so proud of him! So maybe your plan isn't working for you, or your diet? I'm not really sure. Just talk to your doctor!
Good luck! :)
~Janie
Hey Olivia, I personally think that talking to your doctor would be the best idea. A suggestion that I have though is seeing how different foods affect your blood sugar through checking your blood sugar. Everyone is different and some foods may spike blood sugar in some people faster and higher than others. It all depends on your body and how different foods affect it. Once you know which foods spike your blood sugar and try to not eat them too often. The best thing to do though is to talk to your endo and ask if there is something that they can suggest anything professionally. That's how I got my A1C down I also stayed away from foods that would spike my blood sugar. I hope that this helped.
Janie,
I'll have to ask my mom what my plan is because it is not working. My a1c is 10.8. Some highs because of puberty. I am VERY active. I am going to try to cut carbs and eat healthier I eat healthy most of the time not ALL the time. I check b4 i eat enter carbs and then i eat. Thanks for your help my next app is in May and then I will talk to him/her. Thanks again
Olivia
Thanks Katelyn for your advice. There are only two things that spike my blood and I rarely eat them ( ice cream and orange juice) Thanks again ill talk to my endo.
Eating lower carb will help.
It will also help you to aim for a lower target blood sugar. I usually aim for 100 because it makes the math easy. You'll have to test often to avoid lows.
Pumps make it so much easier to correct a high. I couldn't get my A1c below 8 when I took shots.
In addition to checking your numbers before you eat, make sure you are checking 2 hours after eating. If meals are spiking your numbers by more than 50 (2.8), you likely need more insulin to cover your meals. Another 'rule' I follow is: don't eat if your number is over 126 (7.0), but I know there are people who wouldn't be willing to do that because it can be really inconvenient. Finally, check your sugars often and correct if high.
Maybe your insulin to carb ratio is not enough. If you were taking the correct dose of insulin with everything you ate, your A1C should be right in range. Maybe because you are getting older you just need more insulin. Most children start out on only a touch bit of insulin, but will need more as they get older. Continue checking your blood often and when it is high, it's important to take a correction dose! Don't just ignore a high number! Talk with your doctor about this and see if they want your insulin regimen to change.
I use the "tight control" insulin regime. You take insulin with all of your food except HS snack. My last 3 A1C's have been between 5.3 and 5.6. The carb ratio works wonders and actually got rid of all of the neuropathy in my left leg. You may need more long acting insulin or up your short acting. You really have to work closely with your doc and get him to look at your blood sugars at least every other week. I used to have to send mine weekly; now, I only have to send them biweekly. I don't know how you take your insulin, but I had to split my Lantus so that I take it 12 hours apart-it works better for me, otherwise I was always waking up in the 180's or so. Now, I am almost always between 80-120. I also test 4-6 times daily and wear a CGM.
Thanks everyone for your advice!! :)
Did you just have an endo appt to learn your A1C? What suggestions did the dr. give there?
If you are working to get it down, then you need to commit to testing often (b4 meals and 2-3 hours after.) Then you need to write down the carbs you are eating and all your BGs. You can ask your parents for help with that - try to have a 5 minute meeting every day to look over the numbers from the last 24 hours. Then you or your mom can call them in to your endo for help on what adjustments to make. (Or can make them yourselves if comfortable doing so.) It won't be perfect at first and takes time to see improvements.
Good luck Olivia, it is great that you realize this is a potential problem and want to do something about it!
[quote user="spaghettio"]Another 'rule' I follow is: don't eat if your number is over 126 (7.0), but I know there are people who wouldn't be willing to do that because it can be really inconvenient.[/quote]
I have to have a between meal snack even if I'm over 7 (126) or I'll go low before my next meal.
Olivia, I would say that you probably need more insulin.
Maybe you should increase your basal if you're on a pump and try a low carb diet. I will have my a1c test tomorrow. I think it will be maybe 8 or 9 I'm scared. My bs average according to my meter is 198.
Oh, you could be anemic. Girls will have anemia because of having periods. Iron deficiency anemia will make your A1C falsely high. I have anemia and I'm on iron tablets. My latest A1c was falsely high because of being anemic. It was 7.4.
Thanks everyone for your advice I will take it under consideration