If your A1C is high, it may not be you, but your lab.

Over the past four years, I’ve lost 40 lbs. 2019 was the fittest year in my life. I work out 5–6 a week (HIIT) and hike regularly. My blood pressure is 105/58 (not too long ago, a doctor was suggesting I need to start BP medication), my resting heart rate is under 60 and my BMI is at 24 (always been overweight all my life).

Last April, my A1C was 5.6. I got tested earlier this week and my A1C was 5.9.

I was shocked. There’s no way this is possible. I noticed a pattern. When I got my A1C tested at Quest labs, my A1C was 5.5 and 5.6. When it’s tested by Sutter / Palo Alto Medical Foundation, it was 5.8 and 5.9.

I raised this with my PCP. She said that she has seen this before and based on my lifestyle, A1C shouldn’t go up. So, to test this, she ordered another test at quest labs.

At Quest, my A1C is 5.6, couple of days after being tested at Sutter.

This is a big difference. A 0.3 difference in A1C is the difference between being diabetic or not. I don’t know what causes this discrepancy, equipment calibration or human error, but at least they are consistently wrong.

Before you make life changes based on bloodwork, maybe you should get tested in multiple labs.