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-   -   HbA1C Tests Available at SDM (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=484830)

Kristine Wed, Mar-17-21 14:34

HbA1C Tests Available at SDM
 
Shopper's Drug Mart is now (or soon?) offering finger prick A1C testing at their pharmacies. The cost is $25. I think it's free if you just go through your doctor on routine lab work, but this would be a good option if you have no family doc or you're just curious and want to spend the money.

Gypsybyrd Thu, Mar-18-21 07:52

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kristine
Shopper's Drug Mart is now (or soon?) offering finger prick A1C testing at their pharmacies. The cost is $25. I think it's free if you just go through your doctor on routine lab work, but this would be a good option if you have no family doc or you're just curious and want to spend the money.


That is pretty cool Kristine! And a reasonable price. Pity it's not worldwide. :lol:

wbahn Thu, Mar-18-21 08:11

I don't know if it is still available, but about 15 years ago Safeway sold single-use A1c test kits from Bayer (which later became the A1cNow brand) for $20.

I buy the 20-pak kits online. You can get them from a number of places for under $200 (<$10/test) and if you keep them in a fridge they last a long time -- well past the expiration date, in fact. They also offer 10-pak and 4-pak kits. The 4-pak kits are typically $72 (~$18/test). They are super easy to use.

I've also found that they are quite tolerant of abuse. My current kits are nearly a year past their expiration date (I was really bad for quite a while and didn't test monthly like I want to). I had put one pack of supplies in my pocket to warm up and they got too warm. So after preparing the blood sample and inserting the cartridge it errored out. So I got another pack and an hour later used both. One came in at 6.8% and the other came in at 7.2%. The lab results that were drawn a few days later came in at 6.9%.

treehouse Sat, Mar-20-21 19:09

Wow Kris...I hadn't heard about this.

Benay Tue, Jun-01-21 03:28

Why do I want to test for A1c ?
What will it tell me?

Kristine Tue, Jun-01-21 05:04

It's a good indicator of average blood glucose over time, as opposed to a one-time BG test.

Your blood cells live for a few months. The higher your blood sugar is on a regular basis, the more the glucose tends to get stuck to your red blood cells. That's what the A1C is measuring. The reason it's bad is that it's those glycosylated red blood cells that cause the tissue damaged associated with T2D complications: your eyes, your extremities (peripheral neuropathy), your kidneys, your brain...

In an average healthy person, A1C is at about 5%. That probably includes most people eating low-carb. That's where mine is. Some VLCers, carnivores and IFers get it more around 4%. If you're developing T2 diabetes, it starts creeping higher and higher. I think the diabetic range is considered 6+, though it might depend on the lab reference range, what country you're in, your doctor's opinion, etc.

I think A1C is also higher if you think you're perfectly fine treating your T2D with insulin, but you're still eating the SAD and on a chronic BG roller coaster. IMO, this is why so many clinicians are angry about the standard treatments for diabetics: the "just keep eating crap, cover it with insulin and you're fine" theory. It doesn't prevent the damage.

...at least that's how I understand it. ;)


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