Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Install the app
Install
Reply to Thread
Guest, we'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the
Diabetes Forum Survey 2024 »
Home
Forums
Diabetes Discussion
Ask A Question
Totally bewildered by my doctor.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Brunneria" data-source="post: 1354022" data-attributes="member: 41816"><p>Hi and welcome <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Just a couple of things in response to your post.</p><p></p><p>Firstly, my fasting blood glucose tests in the morning, are proof of absolutely nothing, except to show that my fasting blood glucose hops about like a pea on a drum. From opening my eyes, to going through my morning routine, to the point at which I eat breakfast. Seriously, my readings can vary from the 5s to the teens. Now, I am diabetic, and you don't seem to be, so your range is probably smaller. But I strongly advise you to run half a dozen tests one morning - on wake up, and then every half an hour for a few hours, until you eat lunch. You will probably see that a single fasting blood test is like pinning the tail on a donkey. Add in the natural variations and inaccuracies of home glucometers (+/- 15% on every test), and you will see that your figures are less useful than you may have thought.</p><p></p><p>In case you are wondering what causes these fluctuations, it can be exertion, stress, sleep, lack of sleep, hunger, your liver deciding to be helpful and release glucose into the bloodstream... only some of those have anything to do with being pre-diabetic.</p><p></p><p>Secondly, if you are going to run a home glucose tolerance test, then I suggest you read up on it very carefully, and do it exactly as would happen at the surgery. Timing. Quantity of glucose (in grams). Time taken to glug the drink in minutes. Precise timing of subsequent blood tests. Amount of exertion. etc. etc. It is the only way you will ever be able to make a personal comparison with 'official' stats - and even then, your doc will discount your findings out of hand. They always do. The assumption is that you won't have done it 'properly'. It won't matter whether you did or you didn't. They will assume you got it wrong.</p><p></p><p>Thirdly, everyone, diabetic or not, experiences something called 'the last meal effect'. It is where your body gets used to dealing with the amount of food and carbs that you have been eating for the last few days. And it then expects you to eat the same today, and expects that you will need the same amount of insulin to cope with those carbs. Basically it uses the requirements of the last few meals to predict and get ready a certain amount of insulin. Then when you eat, that insulin is conveniently available. </p><p></p><p>But if you have been eating 2 smoothies (what is in them, by the way?) and a light evening meal for a few days, and then dump in a whole bottle of lucozade, your body isn't prepared. It will do its best, and it will catch on fast, but it won't react as quickly, or as efficiently, as if your last few days had involved chugging lucozade.</p><p></p><p>So basically, for anyone who eats 'reduced carbs' or a restricted diet, it is very important that they sort their 'last meal effect' out BEFORE they do a glucose tolerance test. The standard advice is to eat 200+ grams of carbs a day for at least 3 days before the test. Personally, I would suggest doing it for a week. That way, the test result is comparable with the general population, and can be interpreted using standard NHS guidelines.</p><p></p><p>Hope that helps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Brunneria, post: 1354022, member: 41816"] Hi and welcome :) Just a couple of things in response to your post. Firstly, my fasting blood glucose tests in the morning, are proof of absolutely nothing, except to show that my fasting blood glucose hops about like a pea on a drum. From opening my eyes, to going through my morning routine, to the point at which I eat breakfast. Seriously, my readings can vary from the 5s to the teens. Now, I am diabetic, and you don't seem to be, so your range is probably smaller. But I strongly advise you to run half a dozen tests one morning - on wake up, and then every half an hour for a few hours, until you eat lunch. You will probably see that a single fasting blood test is like pinning the tail on a donkey. Add in the natural variations and inaccuracies of home glucometers (+/- 15% on every test), and you will see that your figures are less useful than you may have thought. In case you are wondering what causes these fluctuations, it can be exertion, stress, sleep, lack of sleep, hunger, your liver deciding to be helpful and release glucose into the bloodstream... only some of those have anything to do with being pre-diabetic. Secondly, if you are going to run a home glucose tolerance test, then I suggest you read up on it very carefully, and do it exactly as would happen at the surgery. Timing. Quantity of glucose (in grams). Time taken to glug the drink in minutes. Precise timing of subsequent blood tests. Amount of exertion. etc. etc. It is the only way you will ever be able to make a personal comparison with 'official' stats - and even then, your doc will discount your findings out of hand. They always do. The assumption is that you won't have done it 'properly'. It won't matter whether you did or you didn't. They will assume you got it wrong. Thirdly, everyone, diabetic or not, experiences something called 'the last meal effect'. It is where your body gets used to dealing with the amount of food and carbs that you have been eating for the last few days. And it then expects you to eat the same today, and expects that you will need the same amount of insulin to cope with those carbs. Basically it uses the requirements of the last few meals to predict and get ready a certain amount of insulin. Then when you eat, that insulin is conveniently available. But if you have been eating 2 smoothies (what is in them, by the way?) and a light evening meal for a few days, and then dump in a whole bottle of lucozade, your body isn't prepared. It will do its best, and it will catch on fast, but it won't react as quickly, or as efficiently, as if your last few days had involved chugging lucozade. So basically, for anyone who eats 'reduced carbs' or a restricted diet, it is very important that they sort their 'last meal effect' out BEFORE they do a glucose tolerance test. The standard advice is to eat 200+ grams of carbs a day for at least 3 days before the test. Personally, I would suggest doing it for a week. That way, the test result is comparable with the general population, and can be interpreted using standard NHS guidelines. Hope that helps. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post Reply
Home
Forums
Diabetes Discussion
Ask A Question
Totally bewildered by my doctor.
Top
Bottom
Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Ad free.
Join the community »
This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn More.…