Blood Sugar & HbA1c Tests
Today's sugar and the three-month average in one visit — the pair that actually shows where your diabetes stands.
Blood sugar testing answers two different questions with two different tests. A fasting or post-meal glucose reading shows where your sugar stands right now, in mg/dL — the unit printed on reports in both India and the US. HbA1c works differently: sugar in the blood slowly sticks to haemoglobin in red cells, and because those cells live about three months, the percentage of 'sugared' haemoglobin is a tamper-proof average of the last ten to twelve weeks. One test can look fine on a careful day; the pair together cannot be fooled.
Diabetes runs quietly for years before it announces itself, and it runs in families — if a parent has it, testing is not optional curiosity, it is maintenance. At this clinic the fasting sample is drawn in the morning, the report is usually ready the same day, and Dr. Khanna reads the numbers against your history and medicines rather than handing you a sheet and a worried evening on the internet.
Who should consider this
- Anyone over 40 who has never had a baseline sugar test, or over 30 with a parent or sibling with diabetes
- Increased thirst, frequent urination — especially at night — or unexplained weight loss
- Known diabetics due for their periodic HbA1c to see whether the current medicines are holding
- A previous report showing 'prediabetes' or borderline fasting sugar that was never followed up
- Wounds that heal slowly, repeated boils or fungal infections, or tingling in the feet
- Women who had diabetes during a pregnancy, which raises lifetime risk and needs periodic checks
How to prepare
Fasting sugar: 8–12 hour fast. HbA1c: no fasting needed
- For fasting glucose, take nothing but water for 8–12 hours — an overnight fast with a morning sample is easiest
- Plain water is completely fine and will not affect the result; tea, coffee and biscuits will
- Take your usual medicines as advised — if you are on diabetes tablets or insulin, ask us when you book whether to take the morning dose before or after the sample
- HbA1c needs no fasting at all, so it can be done at any time of day, even after lunch
- If a post-meal (PP) sugar is ordered, you will eat normally and return for a second sample about two hours after the meal
What happens at the clinic
Each test is a simple blood draw from the arm, over in a minute or two. If both fasting and post-meal sugar are ordered, you give the first sample on an empty stomach, eat your normal breakfast, and come back roughly two hours after eating for the second — the gap between samples is the only time-consuming part. HbA1c is a single draw whenever you happen to come in.
Your report, and what happens next
Most routine sugar and HbA1c reports are ready the same day, and Dr. Khanna goes through them with you at the same desk: whether the numbers are normal, borderline or in the diabetic range, and what — if anything — changes in your medicines, food or walking routine. Established diabetics typically repeat HbA1c every three months until stable, then every six; a borderline result usually means a repeat test and a review of habits rather than immediate medication.
What it costs
The bill depends on which tests are ordered: fasting glucose alone, fasting plus post-meal, HbA1c, or all of them together, sometimes alongside kidney and lipid tests that diabetics need periodically. Doing the related tests as one bundle usually costs less than the same tests spread across separate visits.
Call +91 73148 55445 for today's rate — it takes a minute and there are no surprise charges.
Common questions
Can I drink water during the fast?
Yes — plain water is encouraged and does not alter the result. What breaks the fast is anything with calories or that stirs the metabolism: tea with sugar, coffee, biscuits, even chewing gum. Keep it to water alone for the 8–12 hours.
What is the difference between fasting sugar and HbA1c?
Fasting sugar is a snapshot of one morning; HbA1c is the average of about three months, measured through sugar bound to your red blood cells. A snapshot can be unusually good or bad on any given day, which is why doctors rely on the pair together.
Should I skip my diabetes tablet before the fasting test?
Do not decide this on your own — for some medicines the morning dose waits until after the sample, for others it must not be skipped. Tell us what you take when you book and we will give you exact instructions for that morning.
My fasting sugar was borderline last year. Do I really need to test again?
Yes — borderline (prediabetic) numbers are precisely the stage where testing matters most, because food, weight and walking can still turn the trend around without medicines. An annual check, or six-monthly if the number was close to the line, shows which way you are heading while there is still time to steer.
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