[icarus2712]

In Feb my hb1ac was 11.8, and yesterday it went down to 6.9!!!

Morning readings around 90.. I am not on any meds. was on and off them , stopped taking them long time back. I am 50 male , I have lost weight since I was diagnosed with DB in 2017, it could have been there since long. I weighed around 97 kgs then now I am 90, exercises , dieting nothing. Except for brief period after Feb I started fasting diet, which I discontinued after a month , could not stay hungry.

Well what happened around June , I started weight training at home, after 3 months my biceps started to pain I thought due to exercise overload, which later spread to shoulder. Doctor says its frozen shoulder, common with diabetics. I am off weights since 2 months now due to shoulder pain.

So, what could be cause of hb1ac drop?

 

[Nemo]

It's probably due to the fact that you lost weight. And by eating less carbs you lost that weight. Good for you!

 

[itissteve]

icarus, it sounds like you're doing all the right things: you lost weight and you're exercising. I don't know what you've been doing for exercise while you're not lifting, but clearly you are not sitting on the sofa doing nothing. And, diet... well, it's possible after managing diabetes for several years you've internalized what you can eat "safely" and not.

A1c measures a protein in the blood that is present in proportion to glucose in the blood. That protein has a life of about three months so if you got your A1c yesterday, that represents continuous blood glucose levels since mid-August. Did you change anything besides the weights since then? What have your previous A1cs been? Was the 11.8 an outlier or consistent with previous tests? Is it possible the 6.9 is in error? Is it difficult to get it tested again to be sure? 6.9 is quite the improvement from where you were but you probably would want to know if it was for real.

 

[icarus2712]

icarus, it sounds like you're doing all the right things: you lost weight and you're exercising. I don't know what you've been doing for exercise while you're not lifting, but clearly you are not sitting on the sofa doing nothing. And, diet... well, it's possible after managing diabetes for several years you've internalized what you can eat "safely" and not.

A1c measures a protein in the blood that is present in proportion to glucose in the blood. That protein has a life of about three months so if you got your A1c yesterday, that represents continuous blood glucose levels since mid-August. Did you change anything besides the weights since then? What have your previous A1cs been? Was the 11.8 an outlier or consistent with previous tests? Is it possible the 6.9 is in error? Is it difficult to get it tested again to be sure? 6.9 is quite the improvement from where you were but you probably would want to know if it was for real.

Hb1ac was around 12 since 2017. I am not doing any active exercises -in fact sit on sofa working online entire day, with afternoon sleep 1-2 hours -since I stopped due to frozen shoulder, since around Aug. Yes only change has been diet with portions reduced like I am from India, so its rice and rotis(breads) usually in a meal, now since june its either rice or rotis in meals, not both at a time.

I went for hb1ac only when I noticed fasting around 90, which was around 135-150 previously if i remember correctly.
I thought my machine has malfunctioned.

Strange,,

 

[itissteve]

It is. I'd be tempted to get a second A1c just to make sure the test wasn't messed up somehow. What you'd do to address a 6.9 is different from what you'd do to address an 11-something, especially in light of the reduced activity.

 

[icarus2712]

It is. I'd be tempted to get a second A1c just to make sure the test wasn't messed up somehow. What you'd do to address a 6.9 is different from what you'd do to address an 11-something, especially in light of the reduced activity.

what explains reduced fasting sugar levels? that too in consistent readings.

 

[itissteve]

what explains reduced fasting sugar levels?

Oh, any number of things: how long ago (and what) you ate before the fast; natural body cycles ("dawn phenomenon" makes some diabetics' fasting test their highest number of the day; that's typical for me); how well you slept/how long you fasted; (unlikely but) a meter or batch of strips that are not calibrated quite right; a new mattress that doesn't leave you sore when you wake up (inflammation can raise blood glucose levels);...

I was able to push down my morning fasting glucose by having a little bit of a fat/protein snack shortly before I went to bed (cheese, salami, etc.); I could tell the difference if I went without it the night before. But that doesn't work for everyone.

 

[mbuster]

Assuming your A1c test are right, I'd guess your weight loss has reduced your insulin resistance allowing your blood sugars to be lower. A 6.9. A1c is still an average BG of over 8.3 (150) so it is still not a good level.

As far as the frozen shoulder, did your doctor rule out anything else that could have caused the pain, ie torn rotator cuff etc.? How long after the bicep pain until your shoulder started hurting, and did it go away? Are you doing any physical therapy? Just sitting on the couch is not good if it is frozen shoulder.

 

[icarus2712]

UPDATE: Today I did the HB1AC test and the readings were 6.4 and 129 mean glucose(previously 154), considering no further changes in diet, sedentary lifestyle, no exercise due to a partial tear biceps and a weight gain of about 2.5 kgs. And of course no diab meds.
The only reason I can think of is reduced stress levels, which contributed to the onset of diabetes 7-8 years back when my AC was 11.9!!

 

[itissteve]

Thanks for the update, icarus2712! Stress can do terrible things to our bodies, especially over longer periods of time. You're still on the right road; if you can get you A1c even a little lower (with moderate exercise like walking, etc.), you're in a great place to be able to avoid the worst diabetic complications.