A1C ..what does it all mean??

So, Ashlee had her SECOND visit with the Endo today .... A1C was 8.1 ... BUMMER and, I guess she was really acting up (something that is uncharacteristic for Pre-D Ashlee) but, alas SHE WAS OUT OF STRIPS ... zero-zip-nada .. no testing if you got no STRIPS! This is where I get on my soapbox!

ARKids supplies limited, at best, testing strips for any given month .... by the 19th or 20th of the month she is out of strips. (What's today ? Oh, yea, the 20th!) So Amy and Polo have been purchasing the difference for the last 10 to 12 days of the month. As anyone who has diabetes knows ... those friggin-strips are like GOLD! $1.10 to $1.50 each ... depending on where and WHEN you buy them ... (sometimes she runs out and its not convenient to go to one of the discount pharmacies, like WalMart). I think its just plan sinful to charge these already cash-strapped "kids" an extra $75 to $100 bucks at the end of each month! Add that to the ALL ORGANIC , WHOLE FOODS [ B.A.N.T. products (which are working BTW)]... that cost DOUBLE the regular supermarket prices and they are really stretching the family food budget to its limit! Forgive me ... I'm just worried about how they are going to make ends meet with three other children and Ashlee's illness has curtailed Amy's business outings to a minimum...she has to put Ashlee FIRST. So, the burden of keeping up the family income falls on poor Polo, who is working two jobs ON TOP of his Family Business! The Lord gives them the strength to endure and for that, I PRAISE Him!

OK ...back to the A1C ... My mom's has been OK ... between 6.0 and 7.1. This is only Ashlee's SECOND A1C test ... the first was when she first saw the Endo at the end of March. Amy doesn't remember what that number was only that it was in the double digits . ?? SO what does it mean? Too much Catalina Fun? Too much Cali in general .... I just don't know. We all only want her to to have a long healthy life ... I hate that DIABETES MOVED IN ... and isn't PAYING RENT!