Type 2 diabetes

P

Patnono

Member
Location
Whittier,Ca
I was diagnosed with diabetes last year, I'm still learning how to deal with it. A wellness nurse calls me once a month. And asked me what my ALC was? I throught it was what the meter read? She said no, so what is the purpose of the meter? Shouldn't it give me the ALC reading? She was more interested in the ALC reading?
 

The AIC us simply the average measure of your blood sugar level over a three-month period. They take your blood and have it tested at the lab. It could be very good, or very bad depending on how well you've controlled your exercise and diet over that period. You can get a feeling on how well you're doing by taking your blood sugar with a glucose monitor after two hours after eating a meal. I hope you're getting some kind of education about all this.
 

Patnono said:
I saw that, so do I have to go to the doctor's to find that out? What's the point of the meter?
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Go to the link that Ruthanne posted. And yes, your doctor needs to either take blood from you in his/her office or he/she will send you to a lab. Usually, your will have to fast overnight. The meter is used to test your blood after a meal to find out how the food you're eating affects your blood sugar. If it's too high, you will need to adjust what you eat and/or your doctor will prescribe medications to help control your blood sugar. Were you diagnosed by a physician? If so, you should have been told all this already, or at least sent to a diabetes class. That's really important.
 
C'est Moi said:
Olivia, I don't believe the A1C is a fasting test IIRC. (The regular glucose testing is, though.)
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Yes, the AIC blood test is for the average glucose numbers for a three-month period, so technically fasting is not required. However usually when sending blood to the lab, the doctor is going to want other numbers as well, such as for cholesterol. And my doctor also wants to get my overnight fasting blood glucose number, too.
 
Yeah, I'm familiar with the testing. About 10 years ago I had "impaired fasting glucose levels" which they now call "pre-diabetes." I think my A1C was 5.8 or so. Anyhow I got myself a meter and some strips, changed my diet, and started walking every day. I was able to get my A1C back into a healthier range within a few months but I still have the A1C test annually.
 

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