Last week, Alex had to go to the lab for her HBA1C test. We went to do the blood draw on Tuesday and picked up the results on Thursday. For the uninitiated, the HBA1C shows how well insulin and sugar levels are maintained over the previous 3 month period. When Alexandra was diagnosed, her HBA1C was 14.7%. Anything over 10% is poor diabetes management, and all diabetics strive for numbers in the single digits.
Well, drum roll please, Alex's HBA1C was 6.0%!! That is almost as good as mine! (Non-diabetics are usually between 4% and 5%.) Granted, she's still in her honeymoon, so her own body is helping by kicking in a little insulin. But, it means that we're on top of this, and with God's help, we'll stay on top of it.
We go back for another test in December, and hopefully we can stay in that very nice range.
When we saw Alex's doctor on Friday, her jaw dropped so fast and far it nearly hit the desk! I am convinced it's because most locals don't have the tools and means (i.e. money) to keep their kids in range.
On a side note, meters donated by many many people have finally arrived in Ghana and I should be collecting them next week. Dr. Renner will have them in her hands by mid-October when she returns from holiday. I hope that in this small way, we are well on our way to helping other Ghanaian children achieve great HBA1C tests, just like Alex's!
-------------------------------
Originally published September 30, 2008 at Obroni Observations
No comments:
Post a Comment