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Can anyone tell me what this means.

Not sure of the exact numbers but it means your BG levels are very high and need addressing quickly. My meter reads Hi as over 33mmol. How do you usually control your diabetes ? Also, if possible, check Ketones.
 
Means your levels are too high for the meter to read, prob in the 30s if the meter is working correctly, and bloods sample clean, washed hands. phone nhs or pop to a and e, what were your ketone levels, are u on insulin

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it means you have to urgent take action to reduce your blood sugars, personally it would mean a trip to A&E for me

or you have an unusually friendly meter
 
HI means High. Is this a blood glucose reading carried out with clean hands? If the answer is yes, it is a blood sugar reading, then you should seek medical advice tonight.
 
You are all right. It was 30.8. I went to A&E to ask for a new metre because I thought mine was broke and they took my reading with their machine and the above was the outcome.

I'm home now thankfully as it lowered down to around 20 and no ketones.

I guess the diabetes nurse is going to up my insulin on Monday hey?


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A HI reading does not mean you always should go to A&E. HI is not good by any means neither. In the past when I never paid much attention to what I ate, I regularly had such readings.
If ever you have this again, take a correction dose immediatedly, Drink a few pints of water and do some mild excercise like walking. Test every 2 hours, IF it doesnt drop after doing all the above, then do go to A&E. Sometimes when you that high, your body dehydrates then insulin does not get absorbed and ketones develop fast. Thats when you would need a drip and a sliding scale of insulin.
Id also advise you to get a Optium Xceed Ketone meter for times like this or when you are ill.

Did you have a high carb meal, or alcohol or anything like that before the test? If you werent ill or had ketones, that would be most likely be from food or drink & not having enough insulin on board. Did you feel strange?
 
If I remember correctly, it is very early days for diabeticdancer. Sounds like she did the right thing going to hospital. Glad it is being sorted.
 
Omnipod said:
A HI reading does not mean you always should go to A&E. HI is not good by any means neither. In the past when I never paid much attention to what I ate, I regularly had such readings.
If ever you have this again, take a correction dose immediatedly, Drink a few pints of water and do some mild excercise like walking. Test every 2 hours, IF it doesnt drop after doing all the above, then do go to A&E. Sometimes when you that high, your body dehydrates then insulin does not get absorbed and ketones develop fast. Thats when you would need a drip and a sliding scale of insulin.
Id also advise you to get a Optium Xceed Ketone meter for times like this or when you are ill.

Did you have a high carb meal, or alcohol or anything like that before the test? If you werent ill or had ketones, that would be most likely be from food or drink & not having enough insulin on board. Did you feel strange?
Click to expand...

It was before my evening meal and I had just done 1 hour walk to my mums house. Was drinking a lot of water and had a headache and was feeling very tired. As I was only given the monitor the day before I wasn't sure what to do.

Thanks for replying :)


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aah... makes sense. You are newly diagnosed?
In future, when you feel tired or if your legs feel heavy.... always test. As a rule of thumb, I always test if I feel tired, or if I feel a headache, nausea....etc. You will soon get to know certain 'feelings' which will tell you what your sugar levels are doing. I find that my mouth and lips get a bit dry when my blood sugar starts getting too high (for me, thats when I am usually around 12). When I feel my breathing changing, or my mouth gets a bit tingly, I know my blood sugars are dropping - usually between 3 and 4.
From a T1 since 2001 to a new diabetic..... the best advice I can offer you is: Always carry your meter & Insulin with you. Always carry glucotabs or a tiny bottle of Glucojuice incase of emergency. Try not let your blood sugar go over 10-12. (To avoid long term complications)
Never ignore highs or lows. Keep a diary if you can because that is the only way you will know what your sugars are doing and how to get a stable control. Without a diary, it is impossible to see a pattern of what your blood sugars are doing. Try stick to drinks that contain 6grams of carb per 100ml or less, opt for a low carb diet and do plenty of excercise - that way your body becomes sensitive to insulin and if ever you have those horrible hypos, your body will absorb glucose faster so your hypos will not be as intense and scary.
Lastly.... when treating a hypo, try not over treat it sending your blood sugars sky high again. When I was newly diagnosed, if I had a hypo, Id eat and eat till the feeling stopped. That created further issues for me and eventually i was like a yoyo.
Doing the DAFNE course was the best thing ever. I learnt to only drink 100ml of lucozade and eat about 15grams of carbohydrate when having a hypo and then to wait for the feeling to pass.

When I was diagnosed, nobody ever told me about all these things. They only told me the basics. Its only when I went on the DAFNE course in 2008, that i learnt how to take control.
 
Omnipod said:
aah... makes sense. You are newly diagnosed?
In future, when you feel tired or if your legs feel heavy.... always test. As a rule of thumb, I always test if I feel tired, or if I feel a headache, nausea....etc. You will soon get to know certain 'feelings' which will tell you what your sugar levels are doing. I find that my mouth and lips get a bit dry when my blood sugar starts getting too high (for me, thats when I am usually around 12). When I feel my breathing changing, or my mouth gets a bit tingly, I know my blood sugars are dropping - usually between 3 and 4.
From a T1 since 2001 to a new diabetic..... the best advice I can offer you is: Always carry your meter & Insulin with you. Always carry glucotabs or a tiny bottle of Glucojuice incase of emergency. Try not let your blood sugar go over 10-12. (To avoid long term complications)
Never ignore highs or lows. Keep a diary if you can because that is the only way you will know what your sugars are doing and how to get a stable control. Without a diary, it is impossible to see a pattern of what your blood sugars are doing. Try stick to drinks that contain 6grams of carb per 100ml or less, opt for a low carb diet and do plenty of excercise - that way your body becomes sensitive to insulin and if ever you have those horrible hypos, your body will absorb glucose faster so your hypos will not be as intense and scary.
Lastly.... when treating a hypo, try not over treat it sending your blood sugars sky high again. When I was newly diagnosed, if I had a hypo, Id eat and eat till the feeling stopped. That created further issues for me and eventually i was like a yoyo.
Doing the DAFNE course was the best thing ever. I learnt to only drink 100ml of lucozade and eat about 15grams of carbohydrate when having a hypo and then to wait for the feeling to pass.

When I was diagnosed, nobody ever told me about all these things. They only told me the basics. Its only when I went on the DAFNE course in 2008, that i learnt how to take control.
Click to expand...
What is the DAFNE course and how do I get on one?

Thanks for your advice. It's much appreciated. I will get the hang of this I'm sure :)


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DAFNE stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating. It is usually a 5 day course. Mine was done as a weeks course, some offer 1 day a week I believe. It is for T1's and teaches carb counting, adjusting your own basal/bolus, sick day rules, ketones, alcohol and exercise. It is well worth you asking your DSN if there is one near you now as the waiting list is usually quite long. Good luck. Mo
 
If you get another off scale reading, which is what 'Hi' means, just wash your hands, dry them thoroughly and then take another reading from aother finger.

They are mostly false readings. I had one when I started testing, it was due to pressing the blood drop onto the cassette strip on an accucheck mobile.
 
Hi,

I just read amongst your posts that you have been diagnosed as Type 1.

When I was diagnosed T1 it took a few weeks to get my blood sugars under control and for me to start feeling normal again. Even though I thought I knew what I was doing because of having two long term T1s in the family, I still made big mistakes like eating too much carbohydrate; over-treating unexpected hypos; forgetting to take my kit and glucose with me when away from the house.

Keep asking questions on this forum and hopefully T1s will respond with advice, but also be aware that we are all individuals with different lifestyles and follow different regimens in the quest to gain control of our condition.

Edited to remove typos!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DAFNE is a course that usually run by your diabetic clinic at a hospital. Get your GP or nurse to find out when is the next available course
 
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