The HbA1c blood test is one that most people with diabetes are familiar with, at least to some extent. It measures the proportion of haemoglobin in our blood that has bonded with glucose, and is regarded as an indicator of your average BG levels over the preceding 3 months. “What’s your HbA1c?” is a question …
Ascensia has quietly introduced a new blood glucose meter in Australia. That means there are now five BG meters in Australia that use Contour Next strips. They all have different features! Contour Next One Described in an earlier article on this site. Uses two CR2032 batteries. Has Bluetooth and can link to the Contour or xDrip+ …
It’s now officially winter here, and I’ve quickly noticed something which I forget about every year. BG meters don’t like to be cold! I remember decades ago (before we had CGM) on a week-long hike in Tasmania getting to the cabin at the end of the day, cold and bedraggled. Got into warm clothes, and …
Talk of “Time in Range” and goal ranges regarding BG and CGM data is a common thing these days. I have written about Targets and Goals in the past. Various different pieces of software let you define your “low” and “high” marks to define your goal range, and then report statistics on what percentage of TiR …
Many people treating their diabetes with insulin seem to struggle with keeping their BG steady. And it’s not their fault! This article talks about one of the big ways instability gets introduced. Calculating our insulin needs With the common carb-counting regimen we usually have three parameters to manage our insulin: Basal insulin. The insulin needed to …
As I posted recently, my CGM data has been estimating my HbA1c will be 5.2% (which it was: 33 mmol/mol). However while Sugarmate also calculated an estimated HbA1c of 5.2%, its “GMI” value was 5.8%. I’ve always struggled to comprehend what GMI is meant to indicate. What is GMI? It turns out that “GMI” (Glucose Management …