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2hrs from when?

D

Duchess of Farr

Member
Messages
13
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Diagnosed T2 at end of September. Had my first appointment with the DN on Friday where I was given a meter and strips! Good start indeed. However, I have a question: for the post-prandial BG test, is that 2hrs from when I started to eat, or 2hrs after I stopped? Forgive me for being dim if there's an obvious answer!

Also, DN says to aim for a fasting BG of less than 6.2. That means the first test before breakfast, right? i.e. not the PP one.

Thanks all, in advance.

The Duchess
 
Hello

I usually count the two hours beginning from when I finished my meal.

The Fasting test is the one in the morning, before you eat or drink anything.
Great that you got strips and a meter!!

Cath
 
Hi Duchess, Just an additional point to add to Cathy's post.

Don't get too bothered by your fasting test results as sometimes these are the slowest to get sorted. There is a thing called the Dawn phenomenon where our bodies release a supply of glucose to help us start the day but for us Diabetics that extra glucose just makes our readings first thing in the morning a lot higher than we would like. If you are reducing the results during the day then your fasting results will eventually come down.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html

Jo
 
I do two hours after I finish. Yes your DN means your wake up level. A very enlightened DN by the sounds of it if she's recommending 6.2 You may find it difficult to get near that at the start but you should hopefully see things get gradually better day by day. Many of us would also initially recommend testing before and 2 hours after eating (at least with your main meal) to begin with but of course that depends on how many strips the doc is willing to prescribe. If you can do it then judge the success of meal if your levels are roughly the same before starting and at two hours. If you do that you should see them gradually come down day by day along with your morning fasting level but this can all take many weeks. Remember you are aiming to end up being below 8 after two hours. When you can do that the 6.2 in the morning fasting level should easily be achievable. Sure you've read already the knack is to restrict your sugar and starchy carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, creals and other flour based things)
 

There was a long thread on this just after I joined but I can't find it. Various links to sites that said before and after and some that said 90 minutes from the middle I think! Think the consensus at the time was to do whatever way you want but do it consistently.
 
If you think about this logically if you have a quick lunch for instance all gone in 5 or 10 mins or you have along meal with friends maybe 2 or 3 courses lasting over maybe an hour ,if you tested 2 hours after starting the meals you would get vastly different results
CAROL
 
Cor, I love this site! Everyone is so helpful and wise. Thanks all.

My fasting BG this morning was 8.6 - yikes. So a long way off the target of 6.2. Went to bed on a 6.1, so definitely need to educate myself on the DP. So much testing to be done, and I'm still squeamish about the whole pricking/blood thing, it makes me giddy! What a wimp.

The Duchess
 

8.6 is pretty good and is loads lower than a lot of us started out as. The first couple of weeks after being diagnosed I was waking up in the teens as have many others. So getting down to 6.2 may not be as hard as you think Just remember the knack is to cut the carbs ...
 


Good point Carol and one to keep in mind
 
The reason for the 2 hour test is that by then you BG will have returned to normal & "they" (DUK & the HPs) do not want you to see the 1 hour spike caused by your "healthy" cereal b'fst.

I got up to 14 one hour after cereal but it was down to 5.1 after 2 hours. (not an experiment I am likely to repeat.)

After my low carb almond porridge it only rose to 7 after one hour & down to 5.7 after 2 hours.

A two hour test is misleading when you are testing specific foods.
 
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