What does "A1C" mean? It was on my husband's last lab test report. Our doctor had his idiot assistant just read DH the lab results over the phone, and she might as well have been speaking Ancient Sumerian or something. And it doesn't do any good to ask HER anything, because she doesn't know. (I have no idea how she got hired or why she remains employed, but that's another story.)
The only numbers I know anything about are the sugar ones, where if it's over 100 or so you need to pay attention.
What other kinds of numbers should I know about? There is so much we don't know. . .
A1c is an average glucose reading over 3 months. Must be done when fasting (nothing after midnight). There is a tolerance range and above that simply means that the glucose is too high consistently over time. The problem I have is that I know my hubby goes way low......which means he has to be going sky high to have a high A1c. His just came back at 8.3. I can't remember, but I think it's supposed to be under 5.9. You can google it - much on the internet, but sometimes it's called H1a1c.
ReplyDeleteThat's odd - I don't think he fasted for this one, either. Maybe the assistant never told him he was supposed to. I will definitely have to look up more about this. Thank you for the info.
ReplyDeleteI have caught her in horrible mistakes before. I remember once, the doctor told her what lab work he wanted on me, and SHE DID NOT HAVE A CLUE how to spell the names of the tests on the lab order. I could have told her, because I did a couple of years as a medical transcriber and I'm a good speller, but I didn't want to make her look bad because the boss was standing right there. Maybe I should have.
I took the slip over to the lab and of course they couldn't make heads or tails out of her scribblings. I had to tell them the names of the tests the doc wanted.
This is the same doctor who is retiring. I will miss him terribly, but I won't miss his idiot assistant. I'm glad DH has signed up for some classes on diabetes management. I hope we both learn a lot - Heaven knows, we NEED to.
the medical industry is horrible
ReplyDeletethe salary for medical assistants is horrible
the insurance companies are taking over how medicine is practiced -- doctors are no longer trusted and it is more about statistical analysis and how a person fits into computer models. doctors and assistants are becoming more and more order takers and less thinking persons. the problems you mention are only going to get worse in the future - if we don't take care of ourselves (and our families) who will? Good Luck! read the internet but check multiple sites so you are certain to get the right information.
This is kind of OT as it hasn't anything to do with diabetes, but I have already had one repair for a torn rotator cuff (shoulder). It wasn't fun, but it restored my shoulder to more or less normal. Or so I thought. Then several months later, I was helping my husband carry a bulky pice of shelving from the truck and I felt a nasty RRR-III-PP sensation in that same shoulder and now it feels the same way it did before surgery.
ReplyDeleteI went back to the surgeon last week. All he had to go on was an x-ray but he said that it suggests that the rotator cuff is torn again. He also said that he probably won't be able to repair it a second time but won't know for sure until I've had an MRI done later this month.
This absolutely REEKS of pencil-pusher style medicine to me. This doctor is a very capable guy (I know him and his family personally) and I am certain that if he could fix it once, he can fix it again. I am picking up VERY strong vibes here of bean-counters and pencil-pushers rather than doctors practicing medicine, and it infuriates me.
I'm not excited about having surgery again (it was pretty awful the first time) but I am even less impressed with having to live with these limitations for the rest of my life. He said, "We can give you steroid shots from time to time to keep you comfortable." I'm calling BS!!!! If it is fixable (and I believe that it is,) I WANT IT FIXED!!!
Sorry for the rant. Well, actually, I'm not.
My hubby's was 10 and they called the other day to say this time it was 7 so everyone is encouraged...and it is interesting because he buys TWIZZLERS and keeps them in a drawer next to where he sits to watch TV and does indulge in them probably every day and has cookies and cupcakes at picnics if they are offered...so I can only guess that being retired and on an antidepressant and having his sciatic nerve situation under control and his meds better regulated by the endo that is why it is better...not sure but any who...I am pleased that it is better. Tom says this reading is more important than the daily. GOOD LUCK! HUGS
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