Can my HbA1c be different when I travel?

Sometimes you will want to know your HbA1c but, for one reason or another, it may be difficult to visit a diabetes clinic. For example, you may want to test your HbA1c at shorter intervals after a change in your insulin dose. A home test for monitoring HbA1c may then be practical. Another way is to put a few drops of blood on a filter paper and send it to the laboratory. This might be particularly useful if you are traveling, and cannot get hold of a doctor who knows enough about you or your diabetes. If you have well-controlled diabetes, sending an HbA1c test every 3 months may be fine. You can call your diabetes team to discuss the result.