Nothing like waiting around for blood test results. Good times.😳
Twice a year, I get blood work before my checkup. A day later, I gingerly pull up the results on the MyChart app. Like everyone with blood sugar problems, I worry about my numbers for fasting blood glucose and Ha1C – a number that reflects the average blood glucose level for the past three months.
This time, hurray! My results were great.
My Ha1c – which previously was high normal – had dropped way down 😀. My fasting blood glucose – waaay too high the previous test – had decreased to barely above normal.
So, why did my blood sugar numbers look better? Like most people who have mild prediabetes, I’m not on any prescription medication to improve blood sugar.
It turns out that lots of things affect blood sugar, such as the following:
1. Exercise ( Now that warm weather is here, I walk around my neighborhood a bit more.)
2. Quality of diet (I’ve cut down on processed carbs – a little.)
3. Weight loss (Would only four pounds make a difference?)
4. Stress (Stress raises the level of the hormone cortisol in the body, which can elevate blood sugar. Yes, I’ve felt more calm lately.)
5. Supplements: (About four months ago, I started taking a turmeric supplement for severe arthritis in my hand. After I saw my blood test results, I did some research and learned turmeric might lower blood sugar levels.)
I arrived at my doctor’s office bursting with theories about what caused my better blood sugar lab results.
My doctor’s expert opinion: Who the heck knows?
He explained that it’s not always possible to figure out the reason(s)for better blood test results. Better results even can be due to test error, he said. The Ha1c test, especially, can be less sensitive when measuring lower blood levels, he said.
“I’ll take those numbers, even if I can’t figure them out,” my doctor said cheerfully.
The takeaway: Best to be happy with the better lab work results, keep on doing everything and leave it at that.
Not the explanation I was looking for, but I’ll take it.