Got my monitor yesterday

[Buttons11]

Did a test this morning - 9.3, down from 13.1 on diagnosis I'm planning on testing throughout today and then just do mornings for a while to see how it goes. Does that sound like a plan?
My mother was diabetic and many years ago she used to test our blood to see if we had inherited her problem. I think this was around 20 years ago. I seem to remember you had to squeeze your finger to get loads of blood on the test stick. I got the Tee2, and I'm pleased it's so much easier to use.

 

[Goonergal]

@Buttons11 you might find it helpful to test immediately before eating and then again 2 hours afterwards. Combined with noting down what you eat, this can help to identify which foods cause your blood sugar levels to spike, and which don't. You should be aiming for a rise of no more than 2mmols two hours after eating.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yes, there is no point at all in random testing. You need to test out your meals, keep a food diary including portion sizes, and record your before and after levels alongside so you can see which foods are causing you problems. (keep the rise from before to 2 hours after first bite as low as you can) You need to keep doing this for several weeks so you can see patterns emerging and learn which carbs are your problem ones. This is called "eating to your meter"

 

[Buttons11]

I didn't say it very clearly but I did mean testing before and two hours after meals. Sadly I don't have inexhaustable funds to be able to do this everyday.
I can see there's nothing to be gained by randomly testing at different times of the day.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I didn't say it very clearly but I did mean testing before and two hours after meals. Sadly I don't have inexhaustable funds to be able to do this everyday.
I can see there's nothing to be gained by randomly testing at different times of the day.

You don't need to test every meal every day if you want to save on strips. Perhaps you could test evening meal for a week, then lunch for a week and so on. Also the morning fasting can easily be abandoned during this time. It is the least important time to test whilst you are sorting out your food because many factors are involved over night and mornings that we don't have any control over, so your fasting BG isn't important at this stage in your learning. You can always return to that later.

 

[Buttons11]

Thanks, that's a good idea. I assumed the morning fasting one was an indicator of generally going up or down, but I can see where you are coming from.
I'm not sure if I should be talking to you, as you are a dog and I'm a cat but you've been more help to me than the NHS!

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thanks, that's a good idea. I assumed the morning fasting one was an indicator of generally going up or down, but I can see where you are coming from.
I'm not sure if I should be talking to you, as you are a dog and I'm a cat but you've been more help to me than the NHS!

I'm also a bird

I believe people put far too much emphasis on the morning fasting reading. So much depends on factors we can't control. The test immediately before evening meal is usually the best indicator of how you are doing as this is normally the lowest reading of the day (that is only if you don't eat anything between lunch and evening meal of course).

 

[Buttons11]

I'm also a bird

You'd better watch out then

My results yesterday were: on waking 9.3, went for a walk and 2 hours after brekkie it was 6.9 , before lunch 6.9, after 8.7, before dinner 8.4, after 11.9. So a good start then went downhill. I had chilli with cauliflower rice and a yoghurt, for my evening meal, but afterwards I just sat and watched TV. I didn't do a before bed one as my OH was working late and we didn't eat the evening meal until 8pm so by the time I did the test 2 hours after I figured it wouldn't be much different when I went to bed.
Couldn't resist doing a test this morning 9.3 again
For the next few days I'll test before and after evening meal and maybe do a whole day at the end of the week.
Thanks again for all your help Bluetit1802

 

[Bluetit1802]

That rise after your dinner was a bit high. (From 8.4 to 11.9) Try to keep any rise to under 2mmol/l. Have a good look at all the ingredients in that meal and see where the carbs were. Perhaps there was a sauce? How many carbs in the yogurt? Investigate and look for the culprits.