Free A1c Tests at Walgreens in November

Good news for anyone who’s not up-to-date on their hemoglobin A1c tests (a simple blood test that gives an idea of your average blood glucose levels over the previous three months): in honor of diabetes awareness month, Walgreens is giving them away for free. Click here for more information, including a store locator — but make sure to call ahead: the tests are taking place at one-day clinics and are not available all the time.

I’m personally psyched because I have an endocrinologist’s appointment this Friday and had thought I was going to have to do my usual routine — go to Quest Diagnostics in Oakland’s Chinatown and wait in a room full of coughing people to have my blood drawn. Totally miserable — not to mention an excellent way to pick up swine flu. I’m also assuming that the Walgreens A1c tests don’t actually require a needle in the arm — if they’re anything like the machine that my endocrinologist had in NYC, it’s a simple finger prick, and the whole thing only takes about 7 minutes. God, I loved that A1c machine.

Have no idea what I’m talking about? Here’s more information on the A1c, courtesy of WebMD.

Update: Shortly after I wrote the draft of this post, I looked at the order form my endocrinologist gave me the last time I saw him and noticed that he also wanted me to have my TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels tested. You know, because I — like many type 1 diabetics — have a high risk of developing thyroid disease? (Which, needless to say, would suck.) Anyway, that meant I couldn’t take advantage of Walgreens’ special machine after all — and had to go to Quest for a full-on blood draw. The upside: if you show up at the clinic at 4:30, there is no line and, therefore, less of a chance of picking up H1N1 in the waiting room. The downside: if you then intend to go to a 6pm kickboxing class, you are at much higher risk of having your puncture wound reopen during pushups, resulting in the need for a new band-aid and making the teacher ask, loudly, whether they have a liability form from you on file.

Catherine Price

Catherine Price (www.catherine-price.com) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism

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Catherine Price

Catherine Price was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism