It was on a Thursday. On Friday he called to tell me my lab results, and my A1C was 6.8.
And, not to be one of "those patients" but there was no effing way it was that high. I couldn't believe it. So I freaked out and spend lots of money on various A1C testing. Let's follow my trail of crazy, shall we?
Friday - Went to Walgreens. Bought an A1C now type test, Walgreens brand. Result was wonky. Turns out it was expired, and this is one of those things where expired ACTUALLY means "doesn't work." (Not always true in medicine, btw). But they didn't have any more. Very nice people.
Went to CVS, bought the same thing. Ran it. 6.1. NOW we're talking. Felt better. Knew I couldn't call my doctor with a home test result, though. Went on Amazon and ordered a whole bunch more, a different brand, the kind my friend recommended.
Saturday - went online to Sonora Quest, and ordered a patient lab of an A1C. Went into a lab in the back of a Safeway and got blood drawn. Picked up a couple things at the store too. Kicked myself for not remembering to do this Friday, because actual lab test - cheaper than home test, and doctor will accept it.
Can I just take a moment to say "shout out to patient ordered labs?" It's so awesome that AZ does this. GO! Order tons of tests! Obsess over numbers you don't fully understand! Wondering if you have high cholesterol but don't have a Primary Care? Order the lab yourself! I love this whole concept. Then take them to your doctor and have it entered into your chart instead of going to the doc, have them run stuff, and then wait days for the result, and then have them have you come in for a second visit, blah blah blah....
Monday - A1C Now tests come from Amazon Prime. Run one. It says 6.4. Lab tests (that I had drawn on Saturday!) came back and said 6.6. It came with a lovely attachment about how I might have diabetes and I should probably go to the doctor. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
So now, within what is basically a weekend, my A1C is anywhere from 6.1 - 6.8, with, let's face it, the two most likely candidates being 6.6 and 6.8. I figure I can't really call my doctor with a "ha! Your lab clearly screwed up!" with a 6.6 v 6.8.
I acknowledge I have been crazy and I take a step back.
Until today.
Today I look at the second CVS kit and the 10 A1C nows I have, and decide to run them both at the same time. Literally, the results were 30 seconds apart.
Yeah. One says 6.8, and one says 6.3. The only difference was which finger I drew the blood from. So not only are these not that consistent with lab tests, they're not really consistent with each other. But then, different lab tests aren't completely consistent with each other, either, based on my crazy experimenting. SO WHAT TO DO?
Probably just take a deep breath and carry on. Boring.
