There is a scoring system. A healthy bloodstream that is not in any immediate danger of slipping into the diabetic zone will have an HBA1c score of under 42 millimoles per mole. Anyone who records a score of between 42 and 47 is in the pre-diabetic category and those with a score of 48 or over are classed as Type 2 diabetics.
A year ago my score was hovering around 47/48. I was on the edge of becoming a card-carrying member of the Type 2 brigade. That was something I really did not want and so, without going crazy about it, I did three things. Firstly, I stopped adding sugar to hot drinks. Secondly, I greatly reduced my alcohol consumption. Thirdly, partly with the aid of weight loss reduction jabs, I shed a stone in weight (14 pounds) - limiting my daily intake of calories and learning to be more watchful about what I eat.
And now the good news is that my HBA1c score is down to 41! My doctor told me this at today's hypertension focused appointment. Jokingly, I told him I would celebrate with a few pints at my local tonight. I was delighted but when on such a health journey one should guard against complacency. It would be easy for the score to rise again - back to the threshold of full-blown diabetes.
We are going to Egypt in early March for a week long Nile cruise and our travel insurer needed clarity about my health before providing a quote. That's why I made a point of asking Dr Dale about my latest HBA1c score and when questioned he said, "No you are not diabetic and you are not pre-diabetic any more. You are in the normal range."
I have always wondered what it is like to be normal.
41 on HbA1c is normal. I always knew you was a Wery Normal Guy.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Hamilton my cousin is a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon.
He's in Who's Who. When I see him he'll say, You look well.
George's Italian mother died some years ago. His father died in May age 104.
Well done lad
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