Confused about after meal testing results

C

Clover

Active Member
Messages
42
I saw my doctor yesterday and she is very happy with my progress and is accepting of my approach (low carbing) because it is working :)

But I am confused about after meal testing.

The advice given on this forum is generally to test after 2 hrs. But my highest readings are usually at 1 hour, by 2 hours they are usually well within guidelines. When I told my doctor that 1 ripe banana gave me a reading 1 hour later of 9.3 she said not to worry and that a reading of 20 would be acceptable an hour later, as long as it came down again to near normal. She said this is why she uses the HbA1C test to confirm diabetes.

Can anyone give me any advice on how high is acceptable at the highest reading after eating? I have been trying to always stay below 7mmol.

If testing wasn't so uncomfortable and expensive I would test loads more times...........

Thanks

Moya
 
Grazer

Grazer

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,115
The truth is somewhere in between. If you DID have a reading of 20 at one hour, I'd be concerned! BUT' we aren't trying to measure the peak level when we test. We measure at 2 hours because by then our BG should be back down to safe levels. THAT tells us what we can and can't eat. So providing we are below, say, 7.8 (preferably better) at two hours, our meal was ok. There is evidence that high peaks also cause damage, which is why 20 wouldn't be good, but in reality if you were at 20 at one hour, you wouldn't be back to safe levels at 2 hours anyway.
For this reason, unless you have unlimited strips, it's best to keep your testing to the 2 hour mark to identify a good eating plan for yourself. Once you've done that, you don't really need to keep checking the same meal, so you can reduce your testing and only do it when you eat something new or now and again to make sure your diabetes isn't changing.
 
P

paragliderpete

Well-Known Member
Messages
179
Hi I agree with you, trying to keep your bm's below 7 mmol. It is generally accepted that the threshold for damage to start is 6.8mmol. It therefore makes sense to keep your levels below this as much as possible.
As a pre diabetic, you are in the best posistion to prevent progression to full diabetes. It makes total sense to keep your bm's in the normal range all of the time if at all possible.
If you have enough strips, its best to test before, 1 & 2 hrs after eating. testing before will give you a base level, At one hour you will have the maximum level, and will therfore know how much that meal raises your blood sugar. You will only need to do this a couple of times and you will know the affects of that meal. For example it raises your bm's by say 2mmol. Everytime you have that meal you will know what the affect will be.
The reason for testing at 2 hrs, over and above checking you are back to normal. You will find that some foods will raise your bm's for over two hours. You need to check for this. For example wholemeal pasta used to raise my bm's for about 3 hrs. I don't eat it any more.

I hope this makes some sense to you. It's a bit costly on strips to start with, but within a short space of time , you will have a log of all your normal meals and thier affects. You will only then need to test if you have something new.

Best of luck, keep up the good work, It's nice to see a pre diabetic realising the potential problems that could be developing.
 
Etty

Etty

Well-Known Member
Messages
367
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
It's up to you how much "spiking" you are willing to tolerate. I'm pre-diabetic, trying to prevent a diagnosis, so when I test, I test at 1 hour to catch the highest reading. I don't like to see numbers over 6, so I wouldn't put up with your 9.
 
Top Bottom