Freestyle Libra Readings

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
I believe if I even looked at porridge, I would go into melt down!
But that's me!
Are you sure that you are grain tolerant?

Keep us updated.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I haven't had any BP readings as low as Thursday yet, but I do still think there's something amiss. I have another appointment with the GP Monday morning so I'm guessing she'll do a 24 hour monitor.

Thanks again

Just a thought, but have you considered vertigo as a possibility for your "episodes" ? I only ask because a few years ago I had similar problems to you. Lightheadedness and dizziness, almost fainting, especially when bending etc. I thought it was sudden drops in BP as did the GP who gave me a 24 hour monitor. This came back as normal. My own BP monitor also told me I am normal. The GP did a few simple tests in the surgery and told me it was likely to be vertigo. She pointed me in the direction of Youtube for some exercises. I did these easy exercises and the problem went away. Apparently you can train your brain with these exercises.
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you. I have suffered with balance problems for many years. I have medication I can take and have also done the exercises many years ago.

I did measure my blood pressure at 105/63 at home, which is at the lower end of normal. The lightheaded feeling also seems different to my balance problem.

I'll definitely bare it in mind as a possibility though
 
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Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Last one for a while, I promise! Don't want to bore you all

b5cb40d62efb26a1d8329a0e090f2f01.jpg


My experimental breakfast was porridge with a teaspoon of diabetic strawberry jam. As usual with porridge I had a fast spike and fast early drop, but I levelled out and didn't hypo. I felt fine, but I'm still not sure if this means I can tolerate porridge or not? I think I need to repeat and see what happens.

My roast lamb dinner spiked me high and fast (up to 10.1 ), which wasn't great. Again I felt fine and didn't hypo. I levelled off nicely around 5.6 and didn't eat again until 3.5 hours from first bite (I could have waited longer).

So, what has today taught me?

- I need to work on my roast dinners. Something is spiking me fast.

- I have a very exuberant spike, which I think I already knew.

- A fast, high (ish) spike doesn't always result in a hypo for me. So far no real evidence of a reactive hypo.

The Libra is giving me so much confidence. I'm actually a little excited to see my graph after a meal (whether it be good or bad) and I'm willing to experiment and push my boundaries a little to see where it leads me.

I won't post anymore for a while
 

Linagirl

Well-Known Member
Messages
457
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Well done Kaz so happy you got the libre. Have you ever had your b12 and folate checked as if they are low this can lead to nurological type symptoms.
Just a thought xx
 
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Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Well done Kaz so happy you got the libre. Have you ever had your b12 and folate checked as if they are low this can lead to nurological type symptoms.
Just a thought xx

Thanks Emma, I haven't had either of those checked. May be worth looking into. The Libra is brilliant isn't it. Would love to see a couple of your graphs, if you wouldn't mind sharing. I find them so interesting and informative. I'm looking forward to downloading my data from today later as I've had a "funny" day today. Hope all is well with you? xx
 
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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Last one for a while, I promise! Don't want to bore you all

b5cb40d62efb26a1d8329a0e090f2f01.jpg


My experimental breakfast was porridge with a teaspoon of diabetic strawberry jam. As usual with porridge I had a fast spike and fast early drop, but I levelled out and didn't hypo. I felt fine, but I'm still not sure if this means I can tolerate porridge or not? I think I need to repeat and see what happens.

My roast lamb dinner spiked me high and fast (up to 10.1 ), which wasn't great. Again I felt fine and didn't hypo. I levelled off nicely around 5.6 and didn't eat again until 3.5 hours from first bite (I could have waited longer).

So, what has today taught me?

- I need to work on my roast dinners. Something is spiking me fast.

- I have a very exuberant spike, which I think I already knew.

- A fast, high (ish) spike doesn't always result in a hypo for me. So far no real evidence of a reactive hypo.

The Libra is giving me so much confidence. I'm actually a little excited to see my graph after a meal (whether it be good or bad) and I'm willing to experiment and push my boundaries a little to see where it leads me.

I won't post anymore for a while

How fast was your 10.1 spike, and what was actually in your roast dinner?
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
How fast was your 10.1 spike, and what was actually in your roast dinner?

Actually, looking at it again, it wasn't all that fast for me -around an hour and 10 mins from first bite.

Dinner was roast lamb, 2 very small roast potatoes, 3 small pieces of roast celeriac, a little cauli cheese, green beans, cabbage, brocolli, about 3 pieces or carrot and gravy. I also had about 8 fresh raspberries with cream for dessert. A couple of obvious things in there to change!
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Actually, looking at it again, it wasn't all that fast for me -around an hour and 10 mins from first bite.

Dinner was roast lamb, 2 very small roast potatoes, 3 small pieces of roast celeriac, a little cauli cheese, green beans, cabbage, brocolli, about 3 pieces or carrot and gravy. I also had about 8 fresh raspberries with cream for dessert. A couple of obvious things in there to change!

So, what was your 2 hour score then? I'm not at all sure I'd be doing anything too fast, without repeating it again. Completely non-diabetics also have rises, but they fall back quite quickly.

@andcol talks sometimes of testing he has done on his family. I wonder if he has any comment to make.

I am assuming you felt fine throughout?
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
So, what was your 2 hour score then? I'm not at all sure I'd be doing anything too fast, without repeating it again. Completely non-diabetics also have rises, but they fall back quite quickly.

@andcol talks sometimes of testing he has done on his family. I wonder if he has any comment to make.

I am assuming you felt fine throughout?

I didn't actually test after 2 hours as I was busy with the kids. I was 6.1 at 2.5 hours. There's was quite a gap between dinner and pudding as well, which may have affected my levels at 2 hours.

I felt fine throughout. In fact I felt better than j have today and my numbers haven't risen above 6.7.

I'm not diabetic but do have to careful that I don't cause a reactive hypo when I spike high.


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andcol

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
3,176
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Well looking at that trace I would say it all looks like a normal reaction to a carb meal and one which contains more carbs than you normally have. You have the same response that I see in my wife and myself nowadays.
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Well looking at that trace I would say it all looks like a normal reaction to a carb meal and one which contains more carbs than you normally have. You have the same response that I see in my wife and myself nowadays.

Thanks for commenting, andcol.
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I didn't actually test after 2 hours as I was busy with the kids. I was 6.1 at 2.5 hours. There's was quite a gap between dinner and pudding as well, which may have affected my levels at 2 hours.

I felt fine throughout. In fact I felt better than j have today and my numbers haven't risen above 6.7.

I'm not diabetic but do have to careful that I don't cause a reactive hypo when I spike high.


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I realise you're not diabetic, but wanted to avoid using the word normal, as frankly, there seems to be a great deal of debate on what normal actually looks like, and I didn't want to kick that off.

To be honest, it looks like whatever you're doing now is giving you great results, and I agree the Libre gives such a fabulous insight to us all, in our differing ways.

For your fainting episodes, I think, in your shoes, I'd be looking for answers not involving my blood sugars, if they're still going on. But, to be fair, let me just stress, I'm not a Doctor, nor do I know massive amounts about RH, save for the wide understanding it's an extreme reaction to certain foodstuffs - usually carbs - meaning the bloods rise sharply, then fall back equally so, to a lower level. I just know what I would do for me.

:)
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Kaz261 how are your blood pressure investigations going? What did the doc say when you saw him?

Thinking back, my nurse suggested testing twice, mornings and evenings, for 5 days (end up with 4 readings a day).
Then average them out. Gives a good idea of your usual bp.
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Well looking at that trace I would say it all looks like a normal reaction to a carb meal and one which contains more carbs than you normally have. You have the same response that I see in my wife and myself nowadays.

That's very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to comment. We're lead to believe that a non diabetic would rarely rise above 8 ish, so it's kind of comforting to know you have experienced otherwise.


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Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
@Kaz261 how are your blood pressure investigations going? What did the doc say when you saw him?

Thinking back, my nurse suggested testing twice, mornings and evenings, for 5 days (end up with 4 readings a day).
Then average them out. Gives a good idea of your usual bp.

I went back on Monday morning with my BP results from the weekend (he asked me to take morning and evening plus lying down and standing). It was a different doctor (she has loads more experience) and she said they were all perfectly normal! Even 105/63 isn't uncommon apparently. As I had a 24 ECG towards the end of last year, she doesn't feel she needs to do any further investigations in that direction.

I have had a "funny" day today, feeling incredibly tired this afternoon and quite dizzy/lightheaded. Oddly, my sugar levels have been well controlled in terms of spikes all day (my highest reading only being 6.7), but I have dropped as far as 4.5, only 2 hours after dinner. Once again, the Libra appears to be confirming my previous thoughts that if I don't eat enough carbs I seem to drop lower than my body is comfortable.

Here's today's graph (although it doesn't show the 4.5 after dinner drop).
59237794feb17aa4c871582de4cb7afc.jpg

I've postponed my appointment on Thursday evening with my Endo, as I want to get a couple more weeks of data from the Libra. It's teaching me so much and I'm hoping I can take evidence with me to help us move forward in a direction that will hopefully give me more answers.

Thanks for all your replies and advice. Means a lot and it's helping me understand what might be happening


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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
That's very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to comment. We're lead to believe that a non diabetic would rarely rise above 8 ish, so it's kind of comforting to know you have experienced otherwise.


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum mobile app

My husband hit 10 plus after a roast dinner with several carbs including a yorkshire pud, and was still 7.3 after 2.5 hours but back to normal after that. He is tested for diabetes annually as part of his routine MOT and is nowhere near even prediabetic, so "normal" people can see double figures. (I hate to describe him as normal :) )I know very little about RH but your graphs look normal to me. Well done for being so well controlled. :)
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
My husband hit 10 plus after a roast dinner with several carbs including a yorkshire pud, and was still 7.3 after 2.5 hours but back to normal after that. He is tested for diabetes annually as part of his routine MOT and is nowhere near even prediabetic, so "normal" people can see double figures. (I hate to describe him as normal :) )I know very little about RH but your graphs look normal to me. Well done for being so well controlled. :)

Thank you x


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AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,321
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I went back on Monday morning with my BP results from the weekend (he asked me to take morning and evening plus lying down and standing). It was a different doctor (she has loads more experience) and she said they were all perfectly normal! Even 105/63 isn't uncommon apparently. As I had a 24 ECG towards the end of last year, she doesn't feel she needs to do any further investigations in that direction.

I have had a "funny" day today, feeling incredibly tired this afternoon and quite dizzy/lightheaded. Oddly, my sugar levels have been well controlled in terms of spikes all day (my highest reading only being 6.7), but I have dropped as far as 4.5, only 2 hours after dinner. Once again, the Libra appears to be confirming my previous thoughts that if I don't eat enough carbs I seem to drop lower than my body is comfortable.

Here's today's graph (although it doesn't show the 4.5 after dinner drop).
59237794feb17aa4c871582de4cb7afc.jpg

I've postponed my appointment on Thursday evening with my Endo, as I want to get a couple more weeks of data from the Libra. It's teaching me so much and I'm hoping I can take evidence with me to help us move forward in a direction that will hopefully give me more answers.

Thanks for all your replies and advice. Means a lot and it's helping me understand what might be happening


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Kaz - I think your pragmatic approach to your Thursday appointment is absolutely the right thing to do. The data is really valuable.

On a more general note, that your body feels "off" at 4.5 isn't sooooo uncommon, as you may have read on the forum. Some find that floor for feeling fine (Now known as FFFBloods! - Copyright me) reduces afeter a while on lower carb, and for some it remains. I'm one of the oddities the other way in that I'm often well, well below your FFFBloods point, with no real discomfiture until the lower 3s - albeit by that point, I would fully expect to be hungry.

See how you go, but if BP is being discounted, maybe your vertigo (I think you said you'd had it at some point?) is revisiting, in a different way?

Keep digging.
 

Senga

Well-Known Member
Messages
69
Thanks Derek. I've only just read this and unfortunately the Doctor never suggested doing any tests. He's asked me to take a reading lying down and then another immediately after standing to see if there's a sharp change.

I'll mention checking my electrolytes when I go back.

He checked my blood pressure while I was there and it was 135/85! I suffer really badly from white coat hypertension, so it's difficult for him to determine if there's a problem.

Hope all is good with you?
Dont know if it will help with your hypertension, but worth a try. I had my blood pressure checked 3 times at db clinic and it was really high they mentioned something about white coat syndrome as I get really anxious going to docs. On the fourth visit I took my mobile phone with me and asked if I could listen to relaxing music. She said this was ok and blood pressure was perfect so I will be doing this at future visits.
Regards Senga