Does anyone here use these? I know Walmart has a kit for $8.99 that you collect a sample and send to a lab and have a link to results emailed back to you. And for about $28 or so, you can get a 2 test kit from Bayer which includes the meter and you can get results in 5 minutes.

I wouldn't mind knowing what it is now, a few weeks before I take the 'real' test.

I had one at a clinic and it read 4.1, quite a wonder and fun to brag about. But I didn't/don't believe it. My true A1Cs were about 4.8. The home tests at least a few years ago were quite inaccurate.

Did some reading, (webmd, etc) and found that the home meters are all reasonably accurate. The +/- 1% error is not that much.

The theory behind the A1c test is that the glucose associated with red blood cells(RBC). RBC circulate for 3 months, so measuring them is an average glucose for, say 1.5 months. The measurement has less fluctuation than a typical non-fasting blood glucose test.

That said, it is extremely expensive to get a very accurate meter. The home systems are cheap and accessible and by definition, slightly inaccurate. The FDA has to approve the systems -- that they are producing a reasonably accurate result. No matter what your opinion of the FDA, these standards are really quite good. Remember the same can be said for the blood glucose meter. They are slightly inaccurate -- with some variance even in repeated tests. This has to due with some variance in the testing materials, etc.

The good reading is 4-5.9% for healthy people, 8+ % for diabetics. You want to below 6.5-7% to be considered OK.



Getting a 4.1 or 4.8 really does not matter. Both are quite healthy. If you want to spend time going to the lab, waiting, get the draw, wait two weeks for results; yes, the results will be more accurate.

I will be going to the lab in the beginning of March, preceding my doctor appointment. But I am aching to know what it is before then. I also think that the readings I'm getting lately on my bg meter might be too good to be true.

The bg numbers on my home meters have always been substantially lower than the bg number the lab reports. I know that part of this is the difference between whole blood from my thumb measured immediately vs. plasma from blood taken from my vein and not immediately processed.

Still, I'm not sure that accounts for all of the difference. I have a "conspiracy theory" that the bg meters are deliberately set to be lower than what is truly accurate. This is a CYA move - if the meter reads 65, and it is really 50, that could be a major risk for someone using the meter. However, if it reads 65, and it is really 80, that is much less of a problem.

(I have not much to base this idea on, other than all three of my meters, on control solution tests, show a value lower than the midpoint of the control range).

Thanks for posting this! I had no idea these things existed.

Actually the main reason I get an A1C test (aside that the doc wants it) is to confirm the accuracy of my meter. At 100 three month average I am 5.1, at 90 I am 4.8. This has been consistent over the years, so serves the side function of confirming meter accuracy.

Gee I think I know it all about diabetes and haven't given any thought really, to the numerical correlation. I just aim for under 5.5, which I've been at for 20 years (well, 2 5.7's)

I don't think I've measured below 7 since the 90's, with some much higher than that. But I'm pretty sure I'll be there next time I have it done.

I bought one of these kits from Walmart. I'll probably do the test within the next few days.

I did the Walmart one and it read the same as the blood test one I'd had before.