So, I finally had my long overdue diabetic check-up today – just a weigh-in, blood pressure check and drawing blood for my “quarterly” HbA1c check-up.
Regular followers will remember that I was due my check-up on 27th March, but it got postponed the day before and rescheduled until today (5th May)! Much to my chagrin as I was really excited to see how my HbA1c looked after three months on my aggressive Type 2 diabetes remission program.
So I went ahead and ordered my own private HbA1c test from MonitorMyHealth, a highly reputable and reliable private service here in the UK, notably because they use the same NHS labs that UK GP surgeries use. It was actually MonitorMyHealth who provided my initial diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes two and a half years ago.
Anyway, the results from that test were far beyond my wildest dreams – I had been at 79 mmol/mol (9.4%) at my previous test in December – well into the “seriously uncontrolled diabetes” zone, and had just started to experience some more severe symptoms.
I had been expecting a result in the early 50’s (6.8-7.1%). Secretly hoping for 48 mmol/mol (6.5%). And hoping against hope for something even lower.
42-48 (6.0-6.5%) is classed as “prediabetes” and getting to 48 or below is the target most clinicians give their Type 2 patients in the first instance. Getting to 48 and under, and maintaining that for six months without medication, is the UK medical system’s classification for “remission”.
Anyway, I smashed my target and went straight to the bottom end of the prediabetic range at 42 mmol/mol (6.0%)! I was over the moon! And so today I was naturally very excited to see my diabetic clinician and show off my results.
I don’t think she believed what I was showing her, she was so flabbergasted. She was also shocked by my weight loss – since I’ve now lost nearly 18% of my diagnosis weight, more than 1/6th and approaching 1/5th of my original body weight!
When I explained my regimen to her, she was also quite taken aback.
The biggest surprise came when I told her I am only half way to my weight-loss target, and that I am also targeting an HbA1c around 23-27 mmol/mol (4.3%–4.6%) , which is the absolutely optimum range for health, the level of a healthy child or an adult athlete. She actually laughed! She said “very few people have an A1c in that range”.
“very few people have an A1c in that range”.
Diabetes specialist clinician, on my goal to achieve an optimal HbA1c of 23-27 mmol/mol (4.3%-4.6%)!
Wow! I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – we live in a society where diets are simply awful. Even the “healthiest” people are likely eating a lot of processed junk. But if “very few people” are in that optimal, healthy range, that effectively means most are on their way towards Type 2 Diabetes. Of course, many may be able to keep it under control, but clearly, many eventually succumb.
The current statistics from Diabetes UK state that 1 in 9 people are living with undiagnosed “prediabetes” right now. And of course, I was one of them. When I think back now to the years before my diagnosis, the signs were all there. It’s such a shame that most people are blissfully unaware and seem to think diabetes is something that happens to other people!
Clearly, if “optimal health” from a blood sugar perspective is so rare it suggests that number will only continue to grow. But it is disconcerting. And really disconcerting for an experienced medical professional to be so resigned to sub-optimal health, and so dismissive of someone progressing towards it!
But don’t worry – I didn’t take it to heart. Not one bit. What I heard was not a negative at all. What I heard was a clear challenge. I don’t want to just live with prediabetes, or even “normal” blood sugar. I don’t want to be “sub-optimal” anymore.
If there is an optimal number for health and longevity, then that is where I’m heading.
So – challenge accepted!
Meanwhile, watch this space over the next day or so – I’ll get my new updated HbA1c test results back shortly, and I’m excited to see how far along I am. My last test was just over five weeks ago now, and assuming I’ve kept along roughly the same trajectory, I should now be in the mid 30s in mmol/mol (5.3-5.6%)! Best case, even the early 30’s (5.0-5.2%). I don’t dare hope (do I dare??) that I’ll hit the late 20’s (4.6-4.8%)! 😜
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