A1C levels?

[feisty one 12]

I got my blood work done yesterday. I was able to look up my results online this morning. My A1C was 7.1!!!!! That is the highest it has ever been. I am concerned that the surgeon will cancel with it being that high. Anybody else have close to that number and was still able to get surgery?

[SpartanMaker 767]

7.1, while not great, if far from "high". For a diabetic, doctors consider anything under 7 as controlled or "good". I can't imagine any surgeon cancelling due to that that number, but honestly the best way to know is to call them.

[ShoppGirl 4,781]

You may want to see if you can or should get it tested again closer to your surgery. I mean ask your dr and ideally it’s not a big deal at all but if it is ask if you can test again in hopes that you can get it down before they cancel you. One time I went to the lab and the computer asked if I had fasted for 8 or 12 hours (whatever the requirements are supposed to be according to the lab) and I realized that I never really do that but this time I was extra early appointment and I realized it wasn’t long at all since midnight. I always was told by my dr just nothing after midnight which means I never have done the full time and everything had always been normal though. Anyways, my cholesterol was a little higher than normal and I asked if that could be why and he had me test it again and it went down (now it’s back up but that’s a different story). Maybe you just didn’t fast as long as you usually do and you need to test it again?? Just a thought

[SpartanMaker 767]

33 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

You may want to see if you can or should get it tested again closer to your surgery. I mean ask your dr and ideally it’s not a big deal at all but if it is ask if you can test again in hopes that you can get it down before they cancel you. One time I went to the lab and the computer asked if I had fasted for 8 or 12 hours (whatever the requirements are supposed to be according to the lab) and I realized that I never really do that but this time I was extra early appointment and I realized it wasn’t long at all since midnight. I always was told by my dr just nothing after midnight which means I never have done the full time and everything had always been normal though. Anyways, my cholesterol was a little higher than normal and I asked if that could be why and he had me test it again and it went down (now it’s back up but that’s a different story). Maybe you just didn’t fast as long as you usually do and you need to test it again?? Just a thought

You shouldn't need to fast for an A1C test. This test is actually measuring your average blood glucose over the past 90 days or so. That's one of the advantages of the A1C compared to just measuring your current blood glucose level. It's not impacted at all with things like how soon you ate, so it's a better measure for diagnosing diabetes.

[kcuster83 1,504]

You usually don't need to fast for A1C testing.

Also, 7.1 really isn't horribly high. Considered controlled for a diabetic but it would be considered high for someone who is not diabetic.

To make yourself comfortable, I say it doesn't hurt to ask. Although. I am sure you will hear from them anyway if there is concern with your blood work.

[ShoppGirl 4,781]

1 hour ago, SpartanMaker said:

You shouldn't need to fast for an A1C test. This test is actually measuring your average blood glucose over the past 90 days or so. That's one of the advantages of the A1C compared to just measuring your current blood glucose level. It's not impacted at all with things like how soon you ate, so it's a better measure for diagnosing diabetes.

Ooh. I am not diabetic. Just thought maybe it would be an excuse to get another test if dr did say it was high.

Edited October 11, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[SpartanMaker 767]

OP could always ask for another test, but since it's measuring the last ~90 days, it's not likely to be that different.

Edited October 11, 2022 by SpartanMaker

[ShoppGirl 4,781]

15 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

OP could always ask for another test, but since it's measuring the last ~90 days, it's not likely to be that different.

I probably should have just stayed out of this one because I really know very little about diabetes. I was just thinking that if the difference between what’s considered okay and what the OP thought may be too high was only .1 then maybe a retest would help. I know if they said they were going to cancel my surgery I would at least ask about doing it again (lets be honest I probably would have begged to do it again). It sounds like based on other posts it’s really not that high anyways and it’s hopefully not even going to be an issue, though. Fingers crossed.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,597]

Mine was 7.3 and my bp was 156/92 and they still did my surgery. I think you'll be ok.

[SpartanMaker 767]

1 minute ago, ShoppGirl said:

I probably should have just stayed out of this one because I really know very little about diabetes. I was just thinking that if the difference between what’s considered okay and what the OP thought may be too high was only .1 then maybe a retest would help. I know if they said they were going to cancel my surgery I would at least ask about doing it again (lets be honest I probably would have begged to do it again). It sounds like based on other posts it’s really not that high anyways and it’s hopefully not even going to be an issue, though. Fingers crossed.

I hear you. I honestly don't think the OP has anything to worry about. Bariatric surgery is almost universally praised for its ability to either completely reverse diabetes, or at the very least, reduce the need for medications.

If surgeons only did the surgery for people that already had controlled blood glucose levels, it wouldn't have this reputation.

Now from a complication perspective, when patients have an A1C above about 8.5 or 9, the data suggests that they are much more likely to have issues post operatively, such as infections, renal failure, or even heart attacks. The lesson is, I think, high A1C = bad, low A1C = good 😊

[KimA-GA 540]

my dad is a LADA diabetic and they have done surgery (non bariatric) on him as long as it was under 8.

[Candigrl1 152]

5 hours ago, feisty one said:

I got my blood work done yesterday. I was able to look up my results online this morning. My A1C was 7.1!!!!! That is the highest it has ever been. I am concerned that the surgeon will cancel with it being that high. Anybody else have close to that number and was still able to get surgery?

My doc wouldn't touch me until mine was under 9 and of course once I got it down to 8 she wanted a retest in case it was a fluke. When I had my surgery it was 7.6.

[Old Salt 64]

My A1C is 6.0 and in my initial consult report the Doc wrote that it must stay below 8.0. I do not know if that is a hard fast rule but seems to be the standard number he goes by. I don't think the Op will have any concerns.

[feisty one 12]

Thanks everyone for the answers! I have an appointment tomorrow morning with the surgeon to hopefully get my surgery scheduled! The office never called about my A1C so hopefully everything is good! Fingers crossed

[feisty one 12]

Got a surgery date. Nov 16!!!