A1c level ?

Hello. I have just been diagnosed with type II diabetes and my A1C was 10.5. VERY high, I know. My surgery date is November 7, 2006. Is it possible to get my levels down to around 7 or so by then? I know that talking to a doctor is best. My fasting was 183. I have an appointment with my PCP on Monday but I just wanted to talk to someone going through this before I talk to my doctor who has not dealt with many WLS patients.

Yes, it is possible to bring your A1C down fairly quickly. Mine was 13 when I was diagnosed -- and within 4 months, I had it under 7. Listen to the dr -- and do as they ask. I've read a LOT about this -- some theories are that it is better to use insulin initially to bring glucoses under control more quickly. Good luck!

Yes I think it's possible to bring your levels down. I was at 14 when I started and am now at 6.5 and in good control. The surgery has helped tremndously as I now don't have to take any oral medications and my insulin dose is way down. Best of luck to you.

Getting your Blood glucose levels in better control is not only good to reduce Infectiosn but also to prevent Diabetic retinopthay from the sudden weight loss and sudden lowering of HA1c's....... see: Retinopathy progression, sudden lowering of HbA1c , etc, http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/retinopathyprogression.htm My A1C was over 13....... when I went ionto surgery. In the past two years it went down to 7.9 HOWEVER I now have had 4 episodes of Retinopathy adb 4 laser surgeries. I ma facing steriod injections as well a eye surgery, to STOP further loss. ANY DAMAGE already done is permant! I have less than 80% vision in my left eye and less than 50% in my right eye. Please ask for a referral to an Opthamologist as well as a diabetic specialist to lower the A1c slowly. BEFORE surgery. Lisa

For Lisa, I have had 4 laser treatments in left eye and 3 in the right eye. I have also had 3 steroid injections in left eye and one in the right eye. Like you, I had lost a lot of vision in my left eye, I could only make out the big 'E' on the chart. I was told that I was to the point of vitrectomy. But my vision has really improved since I have begun a sequence of 3 injections of Avastin in my eyes. These injections are a recent development in opthamalogy. I had my second injections two weeks ago, and I am amazed at the improvement in my vision. Please ask your retinal specialist about this or find out who is doing this in your area. I have read forums about other eye conditions that have a commonality with retinopathy ( bleeding from new abnormal blood vessels). These other eye diseases are being treated with Avastin too and the patients on these messageboards indicate a lot of success. People who could not drive or read well, now can. These are people with macular degeneration and histoplasmosis who have had Avastin injections. The Avastin stops the new growth and the blood vessels may even recede according to my retinal specialist. I decided to try the injections too and a miracle seems to be coming true for me too. I came across your post through a Google search. I just wanted to tell you that there is hope--please investigate Avastin.

Hello my sugars HBA1C was 9.8 and my doctor put me on a medicene called BYETTA, which is a prefilled pen and you stick yourself in the stomach 1/2 before eating (No pain at all, *****ing your finger is more pain) and my daily sugars have dropped to the mid to low 100's. Believe me it is a miracle drug...Ask you doctor...good luck

My hba1c was 10.5. I was started on Insulin and it was having no effect on me. I then started metformin (and discontnued the insulin) which made a big difference in my blood sugars down from 200 to 100 to 130 in the mornings, fasting.

Update!! I am on Metformin 2x a day went from 188 fasting to 93 the other day. I am never over 180's at anytime during the day. I am so happy that the meds seem to be working. I have another appointment on Sept. 5th I will let you all know how it goes! Thank you all for your support!

i know this is kinda late but i can relate - I was a type II diabetic and after surgery my blood sugars level off to normal. I find the high A1c numbers interesting cause mine have been 6.1 and it is considered high. My doc yelled at me cause he said that I was eating carbs so this maybe why those numbers are high. Yes you can bring them down. You need to check what kind of carbs u are eating and how much. I am not eating alot of carbs in breads, pastas and such but I did notice I was sampling alot of candy at work, cookies (taking 2-3 bites), and such so with that in mind I have and am working on stopping the sampling of chips, cookies and mini chocolates because for me it is like a full candy bar, bag of chips, whatever..and am drinking more water to get back on track. Keep working at it and you'll be a normal numbers in no time. Hugs,

Did you get  your AC1 down before your surgery? I just found this forum.   I started on on Byetta 3 months ago and my AC1 has come down from 7.--- to 5.2 in that time.  5.2 is pre-diabetic.   I have decreased my meds from 1 Avandia & 1 Glucophage in the morning and 1 Glucophage in the evening to just the Avandia in the Am and the 2 shots of 10 mg. Byetta.