Whoo Hoo!! I’m CELEBRATING!! My A1c reading was 5.5 yesterday!! Anything below 7 is considered to be extremely good, so I really did well!! This number is in line with what a person who does NOT have diabetes would get.
The A1c reading is a blood test, usually done at the doctor’s office, that gives a good indication of the average blood glucose level for about the last 3 months.
According to Wikipedia:
In the normal 120-day life span of the red blood cell, glucose molecules react with hemoglobin, forming glycated hemoglobin. In individuals with poorly controlled diabetes, the quantities of these glycated hemoglobins are much higher than in healthy people.
Once a hemoglobin molecule is glycated, it remains that way. A buildup of glycated hemoglobin within the red cell therefore reflects the average level of glucose to which the cell has been exposed during its life cycle.
Basically, if I understand that, extra glucose in the blood permanently changes our red blood cells. Since our blood cells live for about 120 days, measuring the percentage of “sugared up” red blood cells is a good way to see what my glucose level has been for the last few months.
I was not as pleased with my weight, though, as I’ve not lost any more weight in some time. I’m having a hard time getting myself in the exercise habit, and I know that’s the problem. I’m controlling what I eat and how much I eat, with occasional splurges, but I’m not burning enough calories. Plus, I need to be exercising more just for good general health. I’ve already seen considerable improvement with my step climbing and walking up and down steep driveways on our Date Days, so I should be motivated to work out even more. This is what I’m going to have to work on mentally, as I have never been a very physically active person.
So, I celebrate the great blood glucose results for the last few months and continue to exhort myself to improve my activity level.