I’m more interested in how “Lisa”, patient mentioned in article was not testing correctly as stated by her doctor, any thoughts on this?

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How can your A1C test results help your control? Here are two examples.

Bob D., 49 years old, has type 2 diabetes. For the past seven years, he and his doctor have worked to control his blood sugar levels with diet and diabetes pills. Recently, Bob’s control has been getting worse. His doctor said that Bob might have to start insulin shots. But first, they agreed that Bob would try an exercise program to improve control.

That was three months ago. Bob stuck to his exercise plan. Last week, when the doctor checked Bob’s blood sugar, it was near the normal range. But the doctor knew a single blood test only showed Bob’s control at that time. It didn’t say much about Bob’s overall blood sugar control.

The doctor sent a sample of Bob’s blood to the lab for an A1C test. The test results would tell how well Bob’s blood sugar had been controlled, on average, for the past few months. The A1C test showed that Bob’s control had improved. With the A1C results, Bob and the doctor had proof that the exercise program was working. The test results also helped Bob know that he could make a difference in his blood sugar control.

The A1C test can also help someone with type 1 diabetes. Nine-year-old Lisa J. and her parents were proud that she could do her own insulin shots and urine tests. Her doctor advised her to begin a routine of two shots a day and to check her blood sugar as well.

Lisa kept records of all her test results. Most were close to the ideal range. But at her next checkup, the doctor checked her blood and found her blood sugar level was high. The doctor sent a sample of Lisa’s blood for an A1C test. The results showed that Lisa’s blood glucose control had in fact been poor for the last few months.

Lisa’s doctor asked Lisa to do a blood sugar check. To the doctor’s surprise, Lisa turned on the timer of her meter before pricking her finger and putting the blood drop on the test strip. The doctor explained to Lisa and her parents that the way Lisa was testing was probably causing the blood sugar test errors.

With time and more accurate blood sugar results, Lisa and her parents got better at using her results to keep food, insulin, and exercise in balance. At later checkups, her blood sugar records and the A1C test results showed good news about her control.

A1C tests can help:
Here’s an update from the original article:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/news/view.aspx?id=627833&xid=nl_EverydayHealthManagingDiabetes_20090609

LAMESHA

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