A1c and Me

I never was much of a diabetic. 

I was diagnosed several years ago, but my blood sugar never was very far out of the normal range.  I never had to take insulin – just one Metformin tablet a day seemed to keep things under control.

Now, after maintaining A1c levels of around 6 for the past year, my doctor has taken me off Metformin, too. 

For those who aren’t familiar with the A1c test, it measures the sugar percentage in your hemoglobin. The red blood cells that circulate in the body live for about three months before they die. When sugar sticks to these cells, it gives a picture of how much sugar has been around for the preceding three months.  The American Diabetes Association currently recommends an A1c goal of less than 7.0%, while other groups such as the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a goal of less than 6.5%.

I haven’t been officially declared to be a former diabetic – I’m still supposed to continue monitoring my blood sugar – but it’s a step in the right direction.