BG testing is there a how to?

[amcfad]

So I got myself a monitor after being told I don't need one by my Dr, from reading on here it looks very much a worthwhile addition to track how you are doing. What is the best way and times of using these? Once a day, twice a day, before meals after meals?
After searching the internet I just end up confused by the amount of varying information.

Also I noticed someone mentioned their BG being high at early hours 3 am- 4 am, could this be why I wake at these times on a regular basis?



Any links for further reading would be appreciated.

 

[MarkMunday]

... After searching the internet I just end up confused by the amount of varying information. ...

Not looking at anything by people who have Type 1 immediately narrows it down. Testing before and two hours after meals will probably give you as much info as you need. Testing an hour after eating shows the size of the spike.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

So I got myself a monitor after being told I don't need one by my Dr, from reading on here it looks very much a worthwhile addition to track how you are doing. What is the best way and times of using these? Once a day, twice a day, before meals after meals?
After searching the internet I just end up confused by the amount of varying information.

Also I noticed someone mentioned their BG being high at early hours 3 am- 4 am, could this be why I wake at these times on a regular basis?



Any links for further reading would be appreciated.

If you test before a meal, and two hours after the first bite, you'll know whether your body responds adequately to what you've put in. You're aiming of a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l. @MarkMunday is right, if you want to see how high you go, you test after 1 hour too. If strips are dear though, and they often are, you might not want to do that too often. I spent a thousand euro's testing that first year of diagnosis, because I didn't know how to do it effectively, so good on you for checking.

As for the nightly rise, that's usually part of dawn phenomenon. Your liver dumping glucose to help you start the day when you wake. It seems to think sometimes a day should start in the middle of the night though. My dawn phenomenon'd often kick in when I'd have a little loo visit in the middle of the night, or a nightmare woke me. So it's a bit of a chicken and egg thing. Did high blood sugars wake you, or did your BG rise because you woke? No idea. Either way.... Get your blood sugars under control and those nightly high numbers should come down too. Fasting BG's are the last to respond to a low carb diet, but eventually, they will. (The liver takes a long time to get clued in. It's an overeager one to help, but slow on the uptake.)

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi there @amcfad - Well done on sorting out a meter for yourself. In my view, this is one of the most important tools a T2 can have, in terms of learning about their own body and how to manage their condition.

Of course, like everything, there is a lot of information out there on what to do and so on, and like so many things we each have to learn our own ways.

This link has a lot of other links to useful information, hosted by this site, and with links out to other areas. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/diabetes_and_blood_glucose.html

Hopefully you will find some of them useful.

People with different types of diabetes have different targets for their blood sugars, so best to keep an eye on whether someone commenting is T1, T2 or whatever, else it can get a bit confusing.

Keep asking questions. There are lots of people here who started out exactly where you are now, who all asked their own questions, so there's plenty of experience out there.