How to Check Your A1c at Home (Or in a Clinic)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2020
- A guide on how to check your A1c at home (or in a clinic) so you can stay on top of your diabetes management.
In this video, I’ll show you 3 different ways of checking your A1c (also known as "hemoglobin A1c").
- 1st test you can complete 100% at home
- 2nd test you compete at home and send to a lab for analysis
- 3rd test requires you to go to a lab to get blood drawn and analyzed
You can learn more about how to lower your A1C on DiabetesStrong.com ►: diabetesstrong.com/how-to-low...
You can buy the home A1C test I use in the video on Amazon ►: amzn.to/348Brbk
“This is an affiliate link. If you buy this product, I'll receive a small commission”
SUBSCRIBE to the Diabetes Strong TH-cam Channel HERE ► goo.gl/VSNTQI
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PRODUCTS MENTIONED: A1CNow SelfCheck, Quest Diagnostics, Home Access health
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Love the videos. They’re very informative, and you have such great energy about you! Keep doing what you’re doing! Thank you!
Awww, thank you
Thank you for this walk through video. Very thorough
You’re welcome. Thank you for watching
THANK YOU FOR KEEPING IT SIMPLE SO A DUMMY LIKE ME CAN UNDERSTAND....YOU'RE THE BEST..TAKE CARE 😊
Great videos. I tried the A1c now just a few minutes ago, result 8.4%. I'm ok with that. My avg. of 8.26 mmol/L since I was diagnosed with Type 2, 3 months ago 22.7mmol/L
Thank you
Thank you, you are awesome.
Thank you for sharing the info. that was very helpful. thanks again
Great to hear. Thank you
Thank you so much for this!!
You're welcome
Thank you so much for the step by step instructions for the AIC self test. I followed you and I did mine as I was looking at your video. Mine came back at a 5.7 which is the lowest I can remember having since being a diabetic. I go for my physical on tomorrow so I will see I the numbers match. But I appreciate your help with this!! 😊😊😊
👏🏽 Great to hear that
Thank you , very good video i love it now i know
Thank you I have diabetes and I was wondering if you could do this at home this test it was very informative
Good, I"m glad it was helpful. I was curious about the home test too so it was a fun video to make
Thank you very much for perfect video.
Glad you liked it!
Great walk-through of the three methods. Obviously, the recent postal service "issues" impacted the speed of the mail-in version, but I wonder if the two-week delay of your sample's arrival may have impacted the accuracy of the test, especially if it was sitting in a warehouse without climate control. I'd love to know more about whether the sample degrades with temperature variance.
I was wondering that too. I called the lab after about a week because I was concerned the sample would be spoiled. The lady I talked to assured me it would be good for up 3 weeks in the mail though.
Thank you, very helpful, waiting on my A1CNow… ✅
Awesome, happy to hear that
Good job! Well done video
Thanks
Good job!
Excellent video very well spoken and understood so I really wasn’t aware you could do A1C at home, good to know. So it looks like to me the A1CNow is most accurate pretty much agreeing with going to the lab, well done thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching
Thanks for this video demo! I frequently have trouble getting a1c results to my endo - timing issues with my GP who does the lab work. It’s been frustrating and I really don’t want any more blood draws than are necessary. I’m in my 70s and have a lot of scar tissue from years and years of blood draws. This home test may solve the problem! Thank you so much!
You're welcome. I've used it several times since I made this video and still find the home tests to be highly accurate
@@DiabetesStrongCan you recommend a good brand, a reliable one, please? Thank you for this helpful video!
@@inthevortex-de1rhthanks. Yes, you can find a link to the one I use in the video description below the video
@@DiabetesStrong thank you very much 🥰😘
Thank you for the information. You have a new Follower.
Thanks and welcome
I luv your video i just found you and u make more sense than a doctor. Ive been a type 1 disease sense 2010 i first walk in the ER with a very high level at 1500 and was a the hospital for a week and they told me I was a diabetic type 1 smh
Thank you, I'm glad you find them helpful :-)
The other method, and I’m assuming it’s extremely common, is when you are at your endo’s office for a follow up visit, they will do the finger prick version and you’ll hear the results during that same visit. Less daunting then the blood draw from a lab and in my experience still a little more accurate than the at home test. Great video!
Absolutely. Not every endo office offers this (which I’ve found a little surprising). I’d usually get my A1C that way but due to COVID my endo currently only does telemedicine
Lab tests are mire accurate, but the A1C measurement itself is crude. It's only useful for diagnosis, not therapy decisions. That is why CGMs are being covered by more insurance companies.
- If your endo does a finger prick test and gives you an A1C result during the same visit then they're using the same A1CNow tester technology. You can buy what they buy - a package with 10 tests instead of 2. The cost per test is the same. A big downside is the shelf life is too short for personal use even if you tested monthly.
Thank you!
You’re welcome
Thank you for your video. - I hate doing my blood test every day, and I though by doing the A1C on a monthly basis I could probably keep a reasonable control over my sugar level.
Thank you, I’m glad you found it useful. I think the A1c test can be helpful and depending on how you manage your blood sugars it might be sufficient. But since it only gives you a 3-month average it doesn’t quite give you enough information to make frequent changes to your management
I loathed doing the daily blood test until I found a different kind of "sticker" that works by just putting it against your finger and pressing. A little thingy snaps out and makes the stick - you don't see or feel it. A number of companies make them. The one I have is McKesson, Pressure-Activated Safety Lancets 30 /g needle. If you have calloused fingers get one with a longer needle. The higher the gauge number (30g) the shorter and finer the needle so to get a longer one you would go down in number, like 29 or 28 etc.I got it on amazon,
It can't help your control beyond possibly motivating you to keep doing what you have been or change something.
Before now i gave up on checking my blood sugar and now the doctor gave me the dexcom G6 so far its ok . Now ive got my sugar some what lower than i was used to i used to walk around with a blood sugar level around 400-550
Do you take insulin?
Very nice video. I ordered the 5 minute at home test from Walmart for $66. Please tell how it took you 3 tests to get a result. What did you do wrong?
It was only the first one that didn’t work. I think I showed what not to do in the video, but I think I didn’t press the testing liquid firmly into the meter. It has been a while since a made that video. I still use the kit and haven't had an issue since that first test
Question, do I lose my prescription for decxcom and tandem pump if i cancel the lab and endo appointment, also do you train people how to go MDI? Giving thanks!🙌
Not necessarily, but you should check with your insurance and your doctor. Some insurance requires doctor visits and some doctors require visits to write prescriptions.
I don’t teach how to do MDI, you’ll have to find a diabetes educator or endo to help with that. I just do more genera videos
Wow so my A1C was 15.1 in April of 2022 and as of September 1st it 7.3 and I was just prescribed the dexcom g6
That's quite the improvement
Cristel, I am trying to find a video of yours where I think you mentioned that when you tried high fat or very low carb diet you became slightly insulin resistant. I believe it was mainly a carinvore diet or very protein diet. Please clarify.
I got very insulin-resistant when I followed the keto diet. I mention it in a few videos but haven’t made one dedicated to that subject
How often do you test the A1C at home using the at home test monitor? Would you read it once per month or more, or less? Thank you!
Most often people only get their A1C measured every 3 months, but I think it depends. If you manage your diabetes with finger sticks and you're unsure of how things are going monthly might be helpful. If you use a CGM, you probably won't need as frequent measurements as the CGM data will indicate what your average blood sugars are
@@DiabetesStrong Thank you.
Diabetes type 2 can be reversed with the proper exercises and food, check it out, and you will be out of medication
Are cartridge and shaker pouch available separately
Not that I'm aware of, they all came in the same box when I ordered it
Can you buy refills for this tester or once it’s done you have to buy a whole kit over again?
I haven't seen any place sell the test components individually so I think you have to buy a new kit each time
@@DiabetesStrong thank you 😊
Do you need be on fast before doing these A1C tests?
No, that’s not needed for an A1c test
I m from India, please provide link to buy this item
The link is in the text below the video. If you’re using a smartphone just click the ^ next to the title and the description shows up
@@DiabetesStrong Thank you very much
I tested with A1c now last week Saturday jun 3. Recd a replacement kit so decided to check again today, jun 12 Had a .7% increase. After inquiring about this, was told i should expect a +/- .9 % variance. Does that sound right or even acceptable?
From all I’ve seen online the expected difference should be around 0.5%
I also used the A1C at home test. It is usually the same as the test at the doctor's office. However, my last one was .3 higher than the one at the doctor's office.
I asked my physician about this. He said the acceptable difference is +/- .25.
Disappointed about my results using the A1C now self check test. I did it back in September 20, 2023 of this year and it was at 5.7% then I cut out all carbs and sugars, say 95-98%
After 3 months of diet and exercise, I texted 6.1% today. That makes me prediabetic, wtf!
I have been monitoring my glucose levels during this time almost every day. Some days were 98, 97, 96, 83, 79 at fasting, then 2 hours post meals at 123, 116, 114, 106, 102, 98, etc... I was pretty thrilled about my upcoming results. Now I am pretty disappointed. However, I will continue with the diet even more restricted from now on. I need to bring my A1C level to at least 5 5.1 or so.
An option is to request a (potentially free if you're in the US) Freestyle Libre sensor and wear that for 2 weeks. It could give you a more detailed view of how your blood sugars are fluctuating 24/7 (how to get on here: th-cam.com/users/shortsJo5z6e_LMdA?si=Xv8k04sN6J_LaS7H)
The test at home is for one time only, or can I use it more often?
The at-home test comes with 4 cartridges and each can only be used once
@@DiabetesStrong can you buy more cartridges or do I need to buy a whole new kit
@@sschevmale24 you but the whole kit, which includes cartridges
The two at home tests were taken tue same dayvwith a difference of .5 that's a big variance, no?
I’d agree. Based on my experience I would not buy the at-home test where I have to send the sample in again
Is it correct that this A1C only needs to be done only every 1 to 6 months and not every day?
Yes, most often you’ll see every 3 months recommended. It’s because I measure your average glucose over roughly the last 3 months. So measuring it every day won’t give you any valuable information
Yes. I't wouldn't change perceptibly from day to day. It' doesn't directly measure blood glucose at a point in time, but is an indirect measure of the average level of over a period of months.
What does it mean when u insert thing and it says org
You can see all of the error codes in this document. I don't think there's an org code though, but several that start with OR
ptsdiagnostics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/pn_91076_rev._d_pkg_insert_a1cnow_en%EF%80%A2fr_ca__otc.pdf
Hello. So im sort of freaking out right now. After having a stressful year of nursing school and when i started feeling week I went in for a checkup. After doing bloodwork my doctor told me i have ab A1c of 6.8. He says i have diabetes. This is a shock to me.i really an freaking out does that mean I need medication and I have diabetes for life or is it possible to lower my A1C? He says it will be difficult for me to lose any weight and i should go straight to medication. Can you give me advice on if I can lower my A1C or am i never to get rid of the diabetes.
It really depends on what type of diabetes you're being diagnosed with. Your doctor has to do a C-Peptide and Antibody test to determine if you live with type 1, type 1.5, or type 2. Type 1 and Type 1.5 are autoimmune diseases and us living with those will need to inject insulin for the rest of our lives or we will die. Some people living with type 2 diabetes can achieve normal blood sugars without medication.
Get the diagnosis from your doctor and you can read more about the different types of diabetes and how to lower you A1C on www.diabetesstrong.com
Type 1 diabetes: diabetesstrong.com/category/diabetes/type-1/
Type 2 diabetes: diabetesstrong.com/category/diabetes/type-2/
How to lower your A1C: diabetesstrong.com/how-to-lower-your-a1c/
Do you need insulin if the A1C is only 6.8, type 1?
Isn't there a difference between venous( drawing blood from a vein with a needle) and capillary(finger stick) blood drawing for accuracy of an A1c measurement? I read that's why the finger sticks aren't always accurate since it's capillary and to wait and see for a definite venous A1c.Thanks
I haven't come across that in my research. There can be a difference between a CGM reading and a finger stick, but that's because CGMs measure in the interstitial fluid, but that's a slightly different issue of course.
You made me curious, so I dug a little and found a study from 2019 that shows that there are no significant differences in the accuracy. Great question!
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30854894/
@@DiabetesStrong Thanks very interesting.I had read that on another site and was a bit concerned as to relying on my glucose meter measurements.for accurate results.(even though I know there are variables).Thanks again.
You are better off using a finger stick tester that might be off as much as 15% in absolute value several times a day, than using a laboratory measurement that tells you very accurately what your average was for the last 3 months. A BGM can show you the effects of what you did, like eating a piece of pie or running on a track. That is useful for daily management choices. An A1C test might indicate you are doing "fine" at 6.7. You could be hypoglycemic half the time, hypoglycemic the other half and still have an A1C of 6.7.
Now it runs between 170-220
How accurate are these home tests?
I do a direct comparison in the video. I found the 5-min home test most accurate compared to my lab test
@@DiabetesStrong Thank you, I am going to order one. Primary Care refuses to order A1C for me with routine lab work. Fasting Blood sugar has to be over 120 before they are allowed to order one.
@@dirkmoore4224 interesting. I’ve never heard that requirement before
Thank you!
Simple: what went wrong for me, how to get it to work... exactly what I wanted to see about the pts Home Test Kit.
PS: You're adorable, and if it makes it ok I'm super gay.
Best comment ever. Thank you ❤
Were you fasting when you checked yours?
No, no need to fast for an A1c test
Ohhh😘😘😘
How much is the device?
You get directly to the product on Amazon if you just click the link in the video description. When I just did that now it’s listed at $63 for the kit, that’s 4 tests
My a1c is 15
That's great
How much does it cost?
Depends on the test. You’ll find an Amazon link to the home test in the video description. There you can see the latest price (depending on demand I have seen the price fluctuate)
From your replies to some comments, am I to understand that after exhausting the four pouches that come with the first Home Test Kit (A1C Now), I have to purchase a complete new set (meter and all)?
I haven’t found a kit that sells additional test strips. So yes, with this one you’d have to buy a new package that includes a new meter
Does your insurance pay for those A1c tests 🤔
I don't think they'd pay for a test that's not done in a lab. But you can always reach out to your insurance and ask
Price please
It depends on where you buy it. I have a link to Amazon below the video
Doctors need to come up with another designation. I was an A1C . They need to come up with their own terminology and not steel from the Air Force.
Steal
Important want press down hard til I hear hard click…
Geez, quit moving your hands so much, its ver distracting.