Morning testing

[Zenedge]

Hi all,

I'm very new to this and not quite sure how to go about my morning testing routine.

I've read that I should test first thing as soon as I get up in the morning,

I've also read that I should test before eating and 1&2 hours after meals.

Breakfast for me is usually 30mins to an hour after I get up because of the kids routines so my tests could be up to an hour before breakfast and 2 hours after eating which would could make my tests up to 3 hours apart, is this ok or should I test first thing then again before breakfast???

Also, should my 2 hour after meal test be 2 hours after starting or finishing eating or is it not that time critical??? We were 30 mins at the dinner table last night which is why I'm asking.

Thanks,

G

 

[jason134]

Good question which I would to know the answer too as well I would of thought 2 hours after you finish

 

[Sooze]

I test 2 hours after my first mouthful of food

 

[Allan93]

First job of the day is usually a blood test for me. I find that first fasting figure a good indication of how I'm going.

The two hours after food is good for seeing how you're dealing with what you've eaten. BG should be coming back down to more normal levels after a couple of hours. My other common test is when I get to work as that's normal 2 to 2.5 hours after breakfast. I'd normally expect it to be approaching 6 but it can vary.

If you're on Insulin or a tablet that forces insulin production like Gliclazide then you should be testing before driving and every two hours while driving to make sure you aren't at risk of a hypo. My usual third test of the day is before leaving work for the commute home as I take Gliclaazide.

I sometimes do more frequent testing after food useful to see what effect different foods have.Also while exercising I've gone through a test every 30 minutes to get a profile of what happens and when I may need to look at snacking. These aren't normal routine things though.

For me it's one of the odd bits about diabetes, it's a strict habit to test but the results are more of a trend rather than absolute results. I don't worry if I test 2 or 2 hours 15 minutes, I don't worry if it's from the start of the meal or end of the meal. If I get an 8 or 9 two hours after food it won't bother me and if I miss a test I won't usually worry too much - the driving thing is the really critical one as you don't want to be having low BG behind the wheel.

It's the general trend and frequency of odd results I'm looking for.

A notebook, spreadsheet or software is useful so you can add notes if you have a cold or tried something new.

 

[DeejayR]

Your fasting test first thing should be before you do anything, before your liver wakes up and dumps glucose into your system, known as the Dawn Dump. I don't usually test again before breakfast. The consensus here is to test 2 hours after the first bite of a meal, although sometimes if you're unsure and you've got time, you can do it more frequently. Obviously the only way to tell exactly what's going on is to have a continuous monitor but that's not on the agenda for you & me.
You're doing fine so far and will soon get the hang of it. So how's the old blood sugar behaving?

 

[Zenedge]

Well, I woke up at 08:30 went downstairs, washed hands and tested... 11.5. Got kids ready for school and Mrs Z took them to school while I made brekkie of 2 slices of unsalted bacon, 3 cherry tomatoes (bacon and toms grilled), 6 mushrooms cooked in a teaspoon of butter and 2 poached eggs.

Test again at 11:30 showed 14.0

I'm not going to test at lunch because that's only an hour after my post brekkie test, so I plan on testing this meal another day but I had good handful of leafy lettuce with another 1 cherry tom, a good few slices of cucumber and grilled chocked breast with a tablespoon of Mayo and a drizzle of lemon juice.

For me that's a proper healthy lunch, lol but I'll wait to see what the numbers say another day.

Anything you would suggest changing there???

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Sounds like you have the right approach and an excellent diet. Looks like you need to have some medication and if you are not overweight then I would ask the GP for the two tests for Late onset T1 (LADA) and not assume T2. What is that state of your diagnosis and what has the GP said about medication?

 

[Zenedge]

Daibell, today is the first day I've managed to stick to something that resembles a proper diet. Understanding packaging labels and knowing what's in everything is a bit alien to me and I ended up with fish cakes for dinner last night (flour and potato?) it didn't seem to spike me too much but I had a pre meal reading of 18.0 and post 20.3

I'm not over weight but I'm a big lad, 6 feet tall and always been fairly well built so I've always eaten a lot. I said in my post in the welcome page that my diet was horrific before my symptoms started.

I've spoken to the doc who has not diagnosed me yet but I have an appointment with the DSN on Monday who will probably be breaking bad news I reckon.

I will ask about tests for both types, thanks for the advice.