Care-team conversations
Lab results explained, one term at a time.
A printable four-column glossary for the words on your lab report, with A1C, fasting glucose and two more terms worked as examples.
Education only. Examples are illustrative. Nothing here is medical advice.
You almost toss the handout because half of it is words you were never taught. A1C. Fasting glucose. Hemoglobin. You read the lines twice, look for a definition, and find none. By the time you set the page down, you are no closer to understanding your own blood test results.
That is not a reading failure. Lab reports are written for people who already know the shorthand. A glossary turns the page from a wall into a list.
This page gives you a four-column table you can print or copy by hand: the term, a plain-language meaning, where it shows up on a report, and one question to ask. Four terms are worked as examples. The method works on any report you bring home.
This is education only. It does not interpret your results, diagnose anything, or tell you what to do. Your care team does that.
Practice with the free toolkit.
The free Diabetes Information and Appointment Toolkit has twelve parts in one printable book: a start-here guide, the test words you will hear, questions about your results, programs to ask about, label practice, a question builder, a source check, a caregiver pack, a 30-day planner, a glossary, a seven-exercise workbook and a household week planner.
Free, no payment card. Reply VERIFY to our short email and we'll send you the toolkit, then 4 short emails over about 10 days; one names our own $9 Fillable Edition. Every email has an unsubscribe link.
Build a “Words You Will Hear” page in four columns.
You are not rewriting the report. You are making one line for each word that stops you. Four terms are enough for one sitting.
| Term | Plain-language meaning | Where it shows up on a report | One question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1C (also called HbA1C, hemoglobin A1C) | A blood test that shows your average blood glucose over the past two to three months. It measures the percentage of your red blood cells that have glucose-coated hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells. | In the test name column, under its full name, Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), or one of its other names. | “What does my A1C result mean for me, and what should I understand before the next visit?” |
| Fasting glucose | A glucose result your report labels fasting. It is one measurement at one time, not an average. | In the results table, beside the test name, date and units. | “What does fasting mean for this test, and how should I read this one number?” |
| Blood glucose | The sugar in your blood that comes from the foods you eat. Your cells use it for energy. | As glucose or blood glucose on the report. | “Is this number from a blood sample, a home meter, or both?” |
| Prediabetes | Blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. | In the written summary or note that comes with the results. | “What does this word mean in my record, and what is the next step you recommend?” |
Illustrative layout, not a medical form. This page does not list ranges, targets, or results.
Print this page from your browser, or copy the four headings onto a sheet. When you add your own rows, leave the fourth column blank until you are with someone who can answer. Words like high and low are comparisons to a range printed on the report; ask which range.
Five minutes is enough for three terms. A blank line is a question, not a failure.
Use the table on one report in five minutes.
If you searched for blood test lab results explained, start with one term, not the whole page. A lab results page helps most when it gives you a small method, not a dictionary.
1. Circle only the terms you cannot explain out loud.
Skip the rest for now. A long list is not a better start.
2. Copy one term into the first column.
One term, not the whole page. Start with the word that made you stop reading.
3. Write the meaning in your own words.
Leave it blank if you are unsure. A blank is a question, not a failure.
4. Write where it appears.
Page, section, line. This helps you find the same term at the next visit.
5. Write one question in the fourth column.
One term, one question. You can add more rows later.
Stop after three terms. Put the sheet with your appointment notes, or take a photo of it so it is with you when you have a question. The point is not to finish the report. The point is to arrive with a short list.
A1C and fasting glucose are not the same number.
MedlinePlus explains that an A1C test shows your average blood glucose over the past two to three months. It measures the percentage of your red blood cells that have glucose-coated hemoglobin, and red blood cells live about three months. That is why the test can reflect a longer stretch of time.
A fasting glucose is one glucose result your report labels fasting. It is a measurement at one time, not an average. MedlinePlus notes that your blood glucose level changes all the time, and a home check measures what it is at that moment.
One is a longer view; one is a snapshot. Ask your care team how they read them together, and what they want you to understand before the next visit. For a one-page word list on A1C, see A1C Meaning: A One-Page Grocery Glossary.
The fourth column is the part that travels.
A meaning helps you read the page. A question helps you get an answer for your own record. These stems work for many terms:
- What does this term mean in my record?
- Where is the range on this report, and how do you read it?
- Is this result from a blood sample, a home meter, or both?
- What should I understand before the next visit?
- Who do I call if I have a question?
Write the answers in your own words while you are still in the room. Read them back once: “So this term means this, and the next step is that. Did I get that right?”
The free Care-Team Conversation Planner gives you a date line, three questions with answer space, and a place for the agreed next step. The web version needs no email address. If you would rather keep the glossary with your questions, Prepare Three Questions for Your Care Team walks through the same three-question habit.
A filled row, start to finish.
Here is one completed row. Every detail is invented for practice.
Term: Fasting glucose.
Meaning in my words: A glucose result labeled fasting. One time, not an average.
Where it appears: Page 1, results table, second line.
My question: What does fasting mean for this test, and how should I read this one number?
Fictional practice example. It does not show a real result and does not recommend a food, medicine, or target.
Then take this row to the appointment and ask the question before the visit ends. Write the answer under the question, not in your head.
Why this page is a glossary, not a remedy.
You may have come looking for natural options and found a page about definitions. That can feel like homework when your week is already full. It is fair to be wary of free health pages that turn into sales pitches.
Here is the honest version. This page is education. It does not sell supplements, name products, or tell you what to take. It does not ask for an email address to read. Nothing here asks for your results or health details, and please do not send them. No page on this site has had clinical review yet, and the bar at the top says so. The Editorial Policy explains how pages are written and what review status means. The Review Methodology explains what a review would involve.
If you want a personal treatment plan, this site is not that. Your care team is. Test this page cheaply: print the table and use it once. If the questions help, come back. If not, close the tab. That is a fair trade for a free page.
Your other fear is reasonable too: spending money on a product that promises to end diabetes and not knowing how to check it. NCCIH’s page on diabetes and dietary supplements reviews the research on several supplements. It describes conflicting or limited findings and notes that some supplements have side effects or can interact with medicines. It gives general information, not a personal plan. Ask your care team or pharmacist before trying any supplement.
Use the Source Credibility Checklist to check one claim at a time. It works in your browser without an email address.
Questions people ask about lab results.
How do I read blood test lab results without a medical dictionary?
Start with the words that stop you, not the whole page. Copy one term, write its meaning in your own words, note where it appears, and add one question for your care team. Four columns and three terms are enough for one sitting. This page does not interpret your result.
What is the difference between A1C and fasting glucose?
An A1C test shows your average blood glucose over the past two to three months. A fasting glucose is one glucose result your report labels fasting, a measurement at one time. They are different kinds of numbers. Ask your care team how they read them together.
Can a lab test results explained page tell me if I have prediabetes?
No. This page defines words; it does not read your report. Prediabetes means blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Ask your care team whether that term applies to you and what they want you to understand.
Do I need an email address to use the glossary?
No. This page works in your browser and can be printed. The Care-Team Conversation Planner web question builder also needs no email address. Its printable PDF comes by email after you reply VERIFY.
Where can I check a supplement that promises to end diabetes?
Write the exact words and the date you saw them, then ask your pharmacist or care team. NCCIH reviews the evidence for several supplements and notes mixed or limited findings, side effects, and interactions with medicines. It does not give you a personal plan.
General education only. This page helps you organize learning and questions. It is not medical advice and does not recommend a treatment, diet, medicine or blood-sugar target. Personal health decisions belong with your care team. Medical and educational disclaimer
Sources and editorial notes
- MedlinePlus, Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) Test, retrieved October 18, 2026. Used for the definitions of A1C, blood glucose, hemoglobin and prediabetes, and for the difference between a one-time glucose measurement and an average over two to three months.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Diabetes and Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know, retrieved October 18, 2026. Used for the statement that findings for several supplements are conflicting or limited, that more studies are needed in some cases, and that some supplements have side effects or can interact with medicines.
- Table layout adapts the three-question page in our free Care-Team Conversation Planner.
Examples are illustrative and fictional. Not yet reviewed by a clinician. See our Editorial Policy, Review Methodology and Affiliate Disclosure.
Take one row to the next visit.
Three questions, three answers, one next step with a who and a when.
Free online. The PDF comes by email after you reply VERIFY.
Keep the next report simple.
A1C Meaning: A One-Page Grocery Glossary
A printable card for A1C, serving size, and net carbs in plain words.
Doctor Visit Questions for a Diabetes Appointment
A before, during, and after sheet with one agreed next step.
Care-Team Conversation Planner
Prepare three questions and record your next step. Free online or as a PDF.