• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Finger prick result for a “non-diabetic”?

C

chillsince1985

Member
Messages
7
Hello, hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

I’m a 34yo male, 6’0” and just over 11stone. My father, nan, 2 aunts and 2 uncles all have type-2 diabetes and my mother is prediabetic.

I ate a macaroon earlier (13g of sugar) and around 20 minutes later felt “off”, anxious and a bit lightheaded. A few minutes later I did my blood sugar on my father’s machine and it was 6.8.
Around 3 hours prior to that I had 2 slices of toast - one peanut butter and one jam. That’s all I’d eaten until the macaroon. Would that be within normal range for someone non-diabetic after eating something with 13g of sugar in it?

I don’t drink soft drinks or have a lot of sweet stuff because I want to prevent diabetes while I’m still young, considering the family history.

Appreciate any answers!
 
Definitely normal
Before I was confirmed type 1 I was finger pricking all the time and one night me and my partner decided to test our bloods at thw same time before and 2 hours after food
Before she was in the range of a non diabetic and I was a couple up.
We both ate the same food and portions very similar.
Later tested bloods and hers was like yours in the 6s and mine was in the mid 20s

A non diabetic should rise but not much and then just drop back to normal. It's the normal thing the body does whereas mine doesn't so need insulin to bring it down
 
Antje77 said:
And here's some more official information to back it up :)
Click to expand...

Cheers for the info! It’s something I’d like to have more knowledge of not only for myself (since there’s so much of it in my family) but also so I’ll understand it when I’ll be looking after my dad a bit more as the years go on.
 
MarkHaZ123 said:
Definitely normal
Before I was confirmed type 1 I was finger pricking all the time and one night me and my partner decided to test our bloods at thw same time before and 2 hours after food
Before she was in the range of a non diabetic and I was a couple up.
We both ate the same food and portions very similar.
Later tested bloods and hers was like yours in the 6s and mine was in the mid 20s

A non diabetic should rise but not much and then just drop back to normal. It's the normal thing the body does whereas mine doesn't so need insulin to bring it down
Click to expand...

Hi Mark, cheers for the reply. I didn’t eat a lot but I suppose the one thing I did eat was quite high in sugar.
****** **** mid-20s! Is type 1 something you always had or just developed it?


Post edited by moderator for language
 
Last edited by a moderator:
chillsince1985 said:
Hi Mark, cheers for the reply. I didn’t eat a lot but I suppose the one thing I did eat was quite high in sugar.
****** **** mid-20s! Is type 1 something you always had or just developed it?


Post edited by moderator for language
Click to expand...
I was only diagnosed type 1 in August 2019. For the year before then I was being seen as type 2 as I seemed to be in the honeymoon period. I must have just stopped producing my own insulin and bloods just went so high
I averaged 10-15 on a morning and 20-30 on a night
Best thing was been told I was type 1 so I could get it managed properly
 
chillsince1985 said:
Cheers for the info! It’s something I’d like to have more knowledge of not only for myself (since there’s so much of it in my family) but also so I’ll understand it when I’ll be looking after my dad a bit more as the years go on.
Click to expand...

Watch this video from 14:15 (if you don't have time for the whole thing). Dr Paul Mason explains how the important thing is knowing your insulin levels to understand how far along the insulin resistance spectrum you are towards metabolic dysfunction.
While your blood sugar post meal reading of 6.8 mmol is fine, what you can't tell from a home finger prick test is how much insulin your body needed to pump out in order to keep your blood sugar in the normal range (4 - 6 mmol). You could be completely fine, or you could be 5 years along into insulin resistance and therefore fewer years before the blood sugar levels start to rise if you continue eating high levels of carbs. If you are just waiting to see your blood sugar number go too high, you are waiting way too long to do something about avoiding it. Just know that every time you eat carbs, you are asking your body to make insulin. So that bread, those potatoes, that pasta, that banana is just as bad as any biscuit when it comes to making your blood sugar rise. Keep those things at a lower level (focusing instead on meats and vegetables, nuts and dairy) and enjoy them all for your whole life. Overdo it now and you will have problems earlier on in life.


Another comparison for you - I had a glucose tolerance test after giving birth to my 3rd child and having had gestational diabetes. I was still having some issues with glucose tolerance. My one hour spike was 12.8mmol. (Remember 4 - 6 mmol is where it should be ideally)

A cousin of mine did a glucose tolerance test during her first pregnancy and got a one hour result somewhere in the 4 mmols. She didn't move out of the 4 mmol range for the entire 2 hours! Her doctor was perplexed because most people do go a bit higher, like 5 or 6 mmol during the 1 hour post meal spike. The only explanation was that she had been avoiding gluten foods for 7 years during most of her 20s so had been eating a lower carb diet by default.

P.S. Feeling "off", more anxious and lightheaded is not something to ignore. That is most likely a reaction to the sugars (carbs). I notice a definite reduction in my anxiety while eating low carb. It's a revelation!

Good luck!
 
Hi @chillsince1985
With the family history like yours of diabetes, it may be wise to consider lowering the amount of carbohydrate you consume.
 
Cocosilk said:
Watch this video from 14:15 (if you don't have time for the whole thing). Dr Paul Mason explains how the important thing is knowing your insulin levels to understand how far along the insulin resistance spectrum you are towards metabolic dysfunction.
While your blood sugar post meal reading of 6.8 mmol is fine, what you can't tell from a home finger prick test is how much insulin your body needed to pump out in order to keep your blood sugar in the normal range (4 - 6 mmol). You could be completely fine, or you could be 5 years along into insulin resistance and therefore fewer years before the blood sugar levels start to rise if you continue eating high levels of carbs. If you are just waiting to see your blood sugar number go too high, you are waiting way too long to do something about avoiding it. Just know that every time you eat carbs, you are asking your body to make insulin. So that bread, those potatoes, that pasta, that banana is just as bad as any biscuit when it comes to making your blood sugar rise. Keep those things at a lower level (focusing instead on meats and vegetables, nuts and dairy) and enjoy them all for your whole life. Overdo it now and you will have problems earlier on in life.


Another comparison for you - I had a glucose tolerance test after giving birth to my 3rd child and having had gestational diabetes. I was still having some issues with glucose tolerance. My one hour spike was 12.8mmol. (Remember 4 - 6 mmol is where it should be ideally)

A cousin of mine did a glucose tolerance test during her first pregnancy and got a one hour result somewhere in the 4 mmols. She didn't move out of the 4 mmol range for the entire 2 hours! Her doctor was perplexed because most people do go a bit higher, like 5 or 6 mmol during the 1 hour post meal spike. The only explanation was that she had been avoiding gluten foods for 7 years during most of her 20s so had been eating a lower carb diet by default.

P.S. Feeling "off", more anxious and lightheaded is not something to ignore. That is most likely a reaction to the sugars (carbs). I notice a definite reduction in my anxiety while eating low carb. It's a revelation!

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that informative reply!

I have a lot of digestion issues and have done since just before my teens.
Noticed around 3 years ago gluten doesn’t work with me (blocked nose, stomach pain etc), not too great with a lot of dairy either. Sugar and alcohol leaves me with a blocked nose if my stomach is acting up. I’ve noticed that only when my body is having this reaction, I seem to pee a lot on just a pint of water. Doesn’t happen any other time. Afterwards, when I don’t seem to pee as much, my nose clears. It’s odd.

I made a conscious effort to keep my sugar in take to 15g per day and would occasionally deviate to 20g at most.
Didn’t really eat potatoes much until this lockdown! All pasta I’ve eaten the last 3 years is either gluten free, made out of vegetables or rice noodles.

Trouble is with my situation I’ve just moved back from the USA, and while I was there I put off the doctor’s last year as the insurance costs are high and I had just a regular job.
I came back to start getting everything ready for my wife and I over here.
Went to doctor’s first week of coming back, had blood tests, stomach scan etc scheduled then lockdown happened so postponed them.
I’m currently staying with my parents (father is 72 and type-2) so didn’t want to risk going to a hospital yet and bringing anything back.
 
Pipp said:
Hi @chillsince1985
With the family history like yours of diabetes, it may be wise to consider lowering the amount of carbohydrate you consume.
Click to expand...

Thanks Pipp. My diet the last 3 years has been gluten free, not much potatoes and I’d try and keep my sugar to 15g a day.
Would have a gluten free beer, mixed drink around once or twice a month.

With lockdown I have been eating more potatoes as I don’t want to lose weight. Mature cheese I’m fine with but milk does me dirty. Seems like when I hit 30 certain foods just stopped agreeing with me.
But I’m definitely keeping an eye on this because of the family history. Once everything has calmed down a bit with the virus I’ll resume my hospital appts I had scheduled.
Hope you’re safe and well.
 
MarkHaZ123 said:
I was only diagnosed type 1 in August 2019. For the year before then I was being seen as type 2 as I seemed to be in the honeymoon period. I must have just stopped producing my own insulin and bloods just went so high
I averaged 10-15 on a morning and 20-30 on a night
Best thing was been told I was type 1 so I could get it managed properly
Click to expand...

Scary mate! Bet that was a relief to get sorted. Hope you’re keeping safe and well.
 
chillsince1985 said:
Thanks for that informative reply!

I have a lot of digestion issues and have done since just before my teens.
Noticed around 3 years ago gluten doesn’t work with me (blocked nose, stomach pain etc), not too great with a lot of dairy either. Sugar and alcohol leaves me with a blocked nose if my stomach is acting up. I’ve noticed that only when my body is having this reaction, I seem to pee a lot on just a pint of water. Doesn’t happen any other time. Afterwards, when I don’t seem to pee as much, my nose clears. It’s odd.

I made a conscious effort to keep my sugar in take to 15g per day and would occasionally deviate to 20g at most.
Didn’t really eat potatoes much until this lockdown! All pasta I’ve eaten the last 3 years is either gluten free, made out of vegetables or rice noodles.

Trouble is with my situation I’ve just moved back from the USA, and while I was there I put off the doctor’s last year as the insurance costs are high and I had just a regular job.
I came back to start getting everything ready for my wife and I over here.
Went to doctor’s first week of coming back, had blood tests, stomach scan etc scheduled then lockdown happened so postponed them.
I’m currently staying with my parents (father is 72 and type-2) so didn’t want to risk going to a hospital yet and bringing anything back.
Click to expand...
Do you eat meat? It sounds like you are already eating lower carb than an average person. When you say your sugar intake is 15 - 20g per day, do you mean total carbs from all sources (then you are practically following a ketogenic diet) or do you mean just added white sugar?
 
Cocosilk said:
Do you eat meat? It sounds like you are already eating lower carb than an average person. When you say your sugar intake is 15 - 20g per day, do you mean total carbs from all sources (then you are practically following a ketogenic diet) or do you mean just added white sugar?
Click to expand...

Yeah I eat meat, vary between red and white but mostly white.
That’s sugar intake from added sugar but since the lockdown I have gone over that “15g” rule a few times. I’m also eating more potatoes than I have in the last 3 years. I feel like one!
 
Back
Top