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how do i know my pre and post meal numbers are on track ?

DCUKMod said:
I think the thing about all of that is many of those values vary during the day, never mind on a day to day basis, and how do we know when we're healthy?

I do agree a fasting insulin/insulin resistance test would be incredibly valuable at the point of diagnosis.
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Have you reversed diabetes on low carb high fat or keto ?
 
Charis1213 said:
Have you reversed diabetes on low carb high fat or keto ?
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I only concentrated on reducing my blood sugars, so ate to my meter. I never even set out to eat low carb. I just ate, tested and reacted to the foods I was eating. Low carb transpired to be the way of eating my meter guided. I have never striven to go keto, although I undoubtedly will have from time to time.
 
@Brunneria I am in awe at your ability to fill 2 vials (even smallish ones) with finger prick blood. I can't even make my blood spots drip, even using the highest settings on my jabber. I just get a blob that is just about big enough to do a meter test. No way could I even do do 2 tests from the same blob.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
@Brunneria I am in awe at your ability to fill 2 vials (even smallish ones) with finger prick blood. I can't even make my blood spots drip, even using the highest settings on my jabber. I just get a blob that is just about big enough to do a meter test. No way could I even do do 2 tests from the same blob.
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I have the same problem with glucometer finger prickers.

That is why I emphasised in my post above how different the Thriva finger prickers are. Whole different ball game.

It is just a matter of physics. Make a big enough hole; get enough blood out. Very simple, really.

They also include a very helpful little set of instructions to help you to ensure an excellent blood supply to your fingers (soaking in hot water, windmilling arms) and give you extra prickers so you can try again, if your first well dries up.
 
kitedoc said:
So T2Ds, say before a meal, your BSL is 8 or 9 mmol/l, do you still eat the same number of carbs or do you modify your intake of carbs? (assuming also that you are not taking insulin).??
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I’m very low carb anyway but if I got those readings before id definitely lower the carbs if possible or skip eating and fast. Although sometimes my readings can be raised but nothing happens when I eat. I haven’t a clue what my body will do!!
 
Alexandra100 said:
Sometimes, inconveniently, it takes more than 2 hours for bg to peak and come down. If you can bear to use the strips, it is worthwhile testing at 1 hour, 2 hours, and even 3 and maybe even 4 if your bg has not settled back down at 3. In my case, I normally only start testing at 1hr30m because my bg is very slow to rise and can even fall for quite a while after meals. Once you get to know your patterns you can be more economical with strips (and time! and finger tips!)
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I am not going to keep testing that many times, going to just test up to four times a day and wait for my Ac1 result then just test mornings and after evening meals cos don't want to get too obsessive with it as I have panic disorder and anxiety and it can become habit forming for me .
 
Brunneria said:
Yes @bulkbiker
I use Thriva for my private blood tests.

Two things:

Firstly, each vial holds (I am guessing) less than 1mm of blood and I filled two vials in less than 10 mins with blood drops. No hassle.
They supply 3 stabbers, so you can use multiple stabs (as it were) and they are significantly more stabby than a glucometer’s stabber. So the drops are bigger too.
No problem at all for me, and I am confident I won’t need to get a nurse to do it in future.

Secondly,
This last set of tests Thriva offered a few optional extras. One of them was a fasting Insulin for a mere £8.
What a bargain!
Kind of makes a mockery of NHS where most docs don’t even know that fasting insulin is available, and then I have read of people being refused on the grounds of cost.

I think I will be getting the following list done for around £70 with 2-3ml of blood, through the post. Results in 48 hrs or so
Test kit arriving next week, I think.
  • B12
  • Ferritin
  • Folate
  • HbA1c
  • Lipid Profile
  • Liver Function
  • Vitamin D
  • Thyroid Profile
  • CRP
  • Fasting Insulin
Because of malabsorption issues, I am highly motivated to monitor several of those, and my bg dysregulation makes the rest v useful.

My doc doesn’t monitor any of them, since he doesn’t consider me even prediabetic nowadays.

Amazing what Low Carbing can achieve, eh?
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Just had a look at their website and can’t see that fasting insulin or insulin resistance test is an option.
 
Charis1213 said:
I am not going to keep testing that many times, going to just test up to four times a day and wait for my Ac1 result then just test mornings and after evening meals cos don't want to get too obsessive with it as I have panic disorder and anxiety and it can become habit forming for me .
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I didn't mean test that often all the time, just as an experiment to see the pattern of your bg rises and drops. Even once could be educational. I do agree, diabetes and testing can take over far too much of one's life, even without any tendency to anxiety etc. (Although who hasn't got a tendency to anxiety, especially faced with diabetes.)
 
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