But I don’t eat many carbs

[lovinglife]

I’m going to learn how different foods affect me

That’s great, it will give you a great insight into the foods you can enjoy and those that aren’t so great for you, it will help you greatly to adjust your carb intake down to a place you can tolerate

 

[Deleted member 558316]

What is the rule? It shouldn’t rise more than 2, 2 hours after eating. So don’t forget to measure before as well?

 

[lovinglife]

What is the rule? It shouldn’t rise more than 2, 2 hours after eating. So don’t forget to measure before as well?

Your right Ideally you should test before eating then 2 hours after and you should aim for a rise of no more than 2, less than 2 or back to where you were is even better. But that’s only part of it, if you are eating carbs you may spike later than 2 hours especially if you are eating fats that will slow down the rise. In the beginning I tested at 1,2 and 3 hours to get a clearer picture. Also your aim should be in acceptable numbers before eating for example start at 5 finish at 7. Starting at 12 and rising to 14 whilst still only 2 rise the numbers are not good. Many try to be no more than 7.8 at the 2hr mark as it mooted that this is the level at which damage may start.

I aim for starting in the 4s and being no higher than 6.5 (these are my personal numbers and everyone has different goals, I’m not saying these should be your goals, especially when first starting out) if I get a raise of more than 2 or more than a 6.5 I cut that food from my list or reduce the portion and continue to test to get within my acceptable levels. Doesn’t always work but we are only human

 

[EllieM]

What is the rule? It shouldn’t rise more than 2, 2 hours after eating. So don’t forget to measure before as well?

That's correct, though @lovinglife makes a good point that some food can spike you later.

I'm a dexcom user and I dearly love my dexcom but be aware that you do need to check cgms occasionally against a glucometer, as sometimes a sensor can be "off" and they don't always read accurately at high and low readings (hopefully not an issue for you as you are not on insulin and have a relatively low diabetic hba1c).

The dexcom g6 is more expensive than the libre, but they have a new dexcom one (missing some features that I think are only used by insulin users on pumps) which is comparable in price. (I'll probably switch to it if/when it becomes available in New Zealand, though only if the accuracy is as good. )

Good luck.

 

[Deleted member 558316]

Your right Ideally you should test before eating then 2 hours after and you should aim for a rise of no more than 2, less than 2 or back to where you were is even better. But that’s only part of it, if you are eating carbs you may spike later than 2 hours especially if you are eating fats that will slow down the rise. In the beginning I tested at 1,2 and 3 hours to get a clearer picture. Also your aim should be in acceptable numbers before eating for example start at 5 finish at 7. Starting at 12 and rising to 14 whilst still only 2 rise the numbers are not good. Many try to be no more than 7.8 at the 2hr mark as it mooted that this is the level at which damage may start.

I aim for starting in the 4s and being no higher than 6.5 (these are my personal numbers and everyone has different goals, I’m not saying these should be your goals, especially when first starting out) if I get a raise of more than 2 or more than a 6.5 I cut that food from my list or reduce the portion and continue to test to get within my acceptable levels. Doesn’t always work but we are only human

Extremely helpful- thanks

 

[Deleted member 558316]

That's correct, though @lovinglife makes a good point that some food can spike you later.

I'm a dexcom user and I dearly love my dexcom but be aware that you do need to check cgms occasionally against a glucometer, as sometimes a sensor can be "off" and they don't always read accurately at high and low readings (hopefully not an issue for you as you are not on insulin and have a relatively low diabetic hba1c).

The dexcom g6 is more expensive than the libre, but they have a new dexcom one (missing some features that I think are only used by insulin users on pumps) which is comparable in price. (I'll probably switch to it if/when it becomes available in New Zealand, though only if the accuracy is as good. )

Good luck.

Thanks so much. Do you need just 1 transmitter for Dexcom and can you reuse it? They are the most expensive parts

 

[EllieM]

Thanks so much. Do you need just 1 transmitter for Dexcom and can you reuse it? They are the most expensive parts

Just one transmitter but it lasts 3 months.

I'd investigate the dexcom one if I were you, as I don't think the extra g6 features are of any use to you. Maybe contact dexcom and see about any options for a trial period, as you don't know yet whether you'll want to use it long term.

 

[Deleted member 558316]

Just one transmitter but it lasts 3 months.

I'd investigate the dexcom one if I were you, as I don't think the extra g6 features are of any use to you. Maybe contact dexcom and see about any options for a trial period, as you don't know yet whether you'll want to use it long term.

Is Dex good in water? I’ve heard it’s 24 hours availability in water

 

[EllieM]

Is Dex good in water? I’ve heard it’s 24 hours availability in water

I haven't had any issues with it being damaged or coming off in water, but it won't work while you're in the water so checking your bg while swimming can be a pain. (The app only updates with your bg every 5 minutes, so if you get out of the pool to check your bg you may have to wait for 5 minutes. The libre is probably better for this?) Having said that, if you're not worried about hypos (which only happen if you're on hypo inducing drugs such as insulin), this won't be an issue.

 

[Lakeslover]

I use a libre. It’s supposed to be fine for 30 mins in water. As I frequently swim for an hour I cover it with a tegaderm dressing. I have been in water for at least an hour and a half with this on and no problems. But the libre won’t give you readings while you are in water. Once you get out and scan it it will have recorded during that time and update your chart with all the recorded and saved data.