The question that is often asked is, “Can type 2 diabetes be reversed?” I think I have made my opinion well-known—I believe it can be reversed.
However, when I went to my doctor’s appointment yesterday, I was pretty much told that it is not possible, not with the extent of my condition. She said that because I continue to have high blood glucose numbers (300-400s in the morning) it is clear that my body is not creating insulin and what it is creating is not working.
A1c
In my video that follows, I said that I would explain what an A1c is and what it means. So, here we go!
My A1c about six months ago was slightly lower than it is now. But it was still very high at 11.2. Today it was 11.8. Three months ago, I was making progress and had a 9.6.
But what exactly is the hemoglobin A1c and what does it measure?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The A1C test—also known as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test—is a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. It’s one of the commonly used tests to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes and is also the main test to help you and your health care team manage your diabetes. Higher A1C levels are linked to diabetes complications, so reaching and maintaining your individual A1C goal is really important if you have diabetes.”
But what does that mean and is it important?
As you can see from the graphic I used from my A1c test, the normal range is between 4.0 and 6.0. That means my A1c or my three-month average blood sugar levels are quite high over that period.
According to the CDC, “A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, a level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes, and a level of 6.5% or more indicates diabetes. Within the 5.7% to 6.4% prediabetes range, the higher your A1C, the greater your risk is for developing type 2 diabetes.”
The following chart from the CDC shows averages and what your A1c would be given the average blood sugar level for a three-month period…
| A1C % | eAG mg/dL |
|---|---|
| 7 | 154 |
| 8 | 183 |
| 9 | 212 |
| 10 | 240 |
These numbers are important because you can see where you are based on your blood sugar readings. It can be scary to see these numbers.
I was quite scared to see the 11.8. This is the highest my A1c has ever been. I will be meeting with a diabetic educator in the next week to talk about what we can do. As much as I do not want to add more medication, it appears that it may come down to that.
There were other options my doctor discussed with me which I will write about in a future article. I do talk about it a bit in today’s video which you can watch below.
Today’s Video
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. The posts that I write are not to offer medical advice, but merely what I am doing on my journey and things that I personally have found helpful. I do a lot of reading and researching from an academic standpoint and will use some content that comes from people in the medical profession. If you have questions or concerns about anything that I write, please contact me at karin@diabeteshealthnuts.com. Thank you! 🙂
About the author
Karin Nauber is a professional journalist who has worked in the newspaper business for the past 25 years. She is also a grandmother who, along with her spouse, is raising one of their granddaughters. Karin has nine grandchildren with whom she enjoys spending as much time as possible. Karin also was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 13 years ago and has faced many challenges with the disease. If you would like to contact her, please do so at karin@diabeteshealthnuts.com.
A whole lot was covered on here. In the future there will definitely be a way to reverse type two diabetes. All you can do now is treat it and also be as healthy as you can that way diabetes can take a less toll on your life and won’t affect you very much. I never knew what an A1c is until now. It’s a blood test to measure your average blood sugar in the past three months. It is commonly used for prediabetes and diabetes.
Thanks for visiting our site Caleb and for sharing your comments with us. I am glad you now have a bit more of an understanding of type 2 diabetes and what an A1c is. I hope you will return often!
To our health,
Karin 🙂
My mum had this type of diabetes since her early twenties. She managed it very well, and hardly would you ever notice she had a medical condition. Had it not been for cancer several years later, I bet she’d still be going strong. I think once you accept it, you’ll basically know how to take care of yourself. It can even go into remission as you ask in the post – can it be reversed.
Thanks for visiting our site and for your comments, Steve. I like hearing stories of people who manage their condition very well! Sorry to hear about her cancer.
To our health,
Karin 🙂