Lol! You nailed it, @Eric!
ETA: Sorry for hijacking what was otherwise a noble thread. Love, Hermione
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This is something I’ve mentioned to Michel recently. There is no doubt in my mind that our average A1C is vastly lower Than the average “real” diabetic out there… we need to be careful though to make sure it’s a welcoming place for all people at all levels of control. I’d hate to see someone come here and think “these people are all over this with A1Cs in the 5s and I can’t even get below 10, they’ll think I’m a loser, a slacker, that I don’t care… this isn’t the group for me” and I’ve heard that sort of sentiment expressed by people more than once in the doc…
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Age is 11 or A1C is 11?
I think I know the answer but it is making my brain hurt.
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Such an excellent point! And I totally agree. We want to welcome all, to foster an environment of hope without placing undue burden on anyone. I worry about this too. I think it’s our community’s biggest potential pitfall. Also, for the record, mine is only as low as it is because, like @Pianoplayer7008, I suspect I’m still progressing.
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Yes! I voted, but I’m probably skewing things a little as control is easier for me, still honeymooning. I’ve never been above 5.8 (diagnosis A1c) as far as I know. And even with fairly tight control I have, I’m impressed yours is in the 4s.
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The goal is that if they come as an 11, they would end up becoming as a 5 or 6. I’d be fine with that.
For the record, all A1C’s with 11 are WELCOME! FUD is for you more even than for those with 4’s, 5’s and 6’s. It’s obvious that they already have stuff pretty well under control!
My A1c has also been >7% for most of my life. It’s only with a pump, CGM, low-carb, and 24/7 monitoring and adjusting that I’ve been able to hit the low 6% range. I have yet to hit 5%.
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Age is 15, A1c is 11
That’s so sad.
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From 1965-1985ish, I don’t recall my A1C being tested. When I was doing NPH,REG my A1C was 9-14, lots of variations, although from my point of view I wasn’t changing anything. Told to test before meals only, to determine additional units of regular to add. No pre-bolus or carb counting. (Used meal exchanges).
Things changed in 1996 when I got a pump and taught carb counting for bolus. Prescribed additional BG strips so learned how quickly and how high it spiked after meals, so started to pay more attention to carb choices. A1C became more steady, in the 8-9 range.
2007 started using minimed Sof-sensor CGMS,and in 2010 dexcom 7. This led to A1Cs in the 7s and high 6s. Started reduced carbs, higher protein, fat, and improved dexcom G4, and have stayed in the 5s, lately the mid to higher end. 5.0 was lowest, and felt there were too many lows so think I have found the balance that is best for me.
If I had not found help from the online forums, or started using CGMS (which I learned about from co-worker, not Dr.), I would probably be in the 7-8 range.
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It may be, @Irish, but nothing short of an outstanding regimen would hit the 4s, even while still in honeymoon. Congratulations @Irish! I am so proud for you! And your endo is an a$$.
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@MM2, it is really amazing that have been able to adapt so well and take advantage of all new techs! I hope I am able to do as well as you as time goes on.
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@Irish – your sig made me burst out laughing at the restaurant! I had to spend 5 minutes explaining the whole thread to a table of glucose-normals 
Based on that, I would say that ours are definitely inside jokes…
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I cannot agree more with what @Sam wrote.
We are doing well because we are all learning from each other and working hard at it: we are trying to improve, learn, understand. It is not because it is just easier for us. And we certainly never want to flaunt these numbers at anyone.
So I think we have to work VERY hard at welcoming people into our community, understanding that many will be ready to quickly fold if they feel that we are that elitist group. We all have the same failures as any other PWD, and the same emotional difficulties as well.
One of my conclusions is that we must work harder than we have at sharing what we have learned. We must do a better job at getting our wikis out – I am the first one to have failed at that, since I have a list of wikis I committed to that I have not delivered on. It is by sharing our hive knowledge and supporting each other that we can help best – as long as we always keep alive what drives us: our beliefs that we are unlimited, and that the only way for us to learn is to experiment further!
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We certainly welcome anyone here, and there is no A1C requirement to be a part of this community.
Nobody wants the number waved in their face. And while it may seem intimidating, the other side of it is that people need to realize what is possible with effort and practice, with trial and error.
The positive side of something like this is that people can see what they can achieve. They may have been told that they can’t do it, or that is is impossible.
This site lets them know that they absolutely can do it. There is a lot of value in that.
And help is here, just for the asking.
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This is EXACTLY true for us.
Meeting people like @Eric and @Sam is what got us to try hard and stretch, because we knew it was possible.
Without them showing us that it was possible (and sharing their knowledge with us) who knows where we would be? Certainly not where we are.
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This is true for me, who thought I had a decent enough handle on things - I just didn’t even know about ways to improve on what I have been doing.
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You can file that one under the things that T1D kids say that break their parents hearts. And mine.
Makes for a lot of questions. And a little hope on my part.
I hope that maybe through your son @Chris, this friend will be encouraged to treasure his health more.
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@Chris, you might make it clearer in the original post that the vote is a secret ballot where your identity can’t be seen?
Even though I know that most people here are managing BG aggressively, the numbers still seem skewed by self-selection.
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I’m so glad nobody is showing off his A1c in a signature and that there are no badges for A1c.
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