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Cutting back on BG testing?

Emma_369 said:
Thanks for the eBay tip - although now concerned to hear the meter tests low. You would think something doing such an important job would be relatively accurate. I too am weighing everything that passes my lips. Logging every detail on the low carb program site so can see full breakdown although like you, it’s basically meat + veg with a little cheese occasionally. My first morning I stupidly tried 1 piece of toast and got a 9.2 reading 2 hrs later which hit home majorly carbs had to go!
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I wouldn't worry about me finding it low-ish if I were you. Its a highly rated meter.
I got it based on this review which gave it their highest rating in 2018.
https://bestreviews.com/best-glucometers
A bit of background as to why I prefer my high-ish meter.
When I had my HbA1c done it was clear to me the Glucomen Lx2 gave me higher values than the lab results.
Due to the fact that I want to be on normal blood glucose values I prefer the Glucomen Lx2 so that I'll err on the side of caution.
(Maybe I am also a masochist...most days life will be all well and good if I went with the Accu-chek performa nano
 
The codefree strips are going to make the most sense for anyone who doesnt get strips funded.
I myself test 4 times a day. Fasting, before lunch, lunch +2hrs, and before bed. I think that gives me a good average. If I eat what I shouldnt, it will show in those tests.
The testing 0, +1, +2, +3. Is really an educational thing. I bought a libre and sensor. So much I found out about my BG that I wouldnt never have known. Eg a potato at lunch would put my BG over 10 for a number of hours. Also it only took 20 mins for that to happen. I have accepted the fact that carbs are a problem.
Now, I try to stick to a number of carbs meal/day. And see where the averages are heading. I dont necessarily subscribe to the idea “ I am ok with porridge, but bananas spike me”, but each to their own.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
 
Resurgam said:
I don't understand the reasoning behind the advice to test more frequently - if you are getting readings under 6 at two hours you could not really get much better.
Stick to the diet and test two hours after having a meal with a food you have not yet tested for being 'safe' and you should be fine.
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Yesterday after lunch my bg did not peak until 4 hours afterwards. At 2 hours after it was still at 4.9 - exactly the same as just before eating. Using your method I would have known nothing of the rise. I am not suggesting people test at 4 hours every day, but that people new to this test initially until they can see a rise and drop so as to establish their bg patterns, and then proceed to test according to what they have observed. It is also useful to find out how long the peak bg takes to fall again to pre-meal levels. In my case, I know that if I see eg a 6 on my meter after a meal, I will probably see that 6 for the next few hours. This IMO makes it more important for me to keep my after meal bgs as low as possible.
 
brassyblonde900 said:
It depends on one's goals regarding BG levels.
If I ate anything and got a 6 at any point, that food is a no no for me.
I strongly believe that, I was born Insulin resistant, plus I don't know how long I have been merrily skipping about my daily biz, with elevated BG levels.
I therefore believe that to ward off or halt any damage that may have already occurred, I should stay at non diabetic BG levels.

My biggest headache most days is to figure out which of my meters to believe.
Oh well its a journey I suppose.
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Hello @brassyblonde900, we are very much on the same wavelength. Except that I would love to go with your policy, "If I ate anything and got a 6 at any point, that food is a no no for me", but, sadly, in my case that would mean I could eat no carb-containing foods whatever, even 50g of raw spinach can sometimes (but not always) lead to a 6 for me. Rather than putting this down to insulin resistance, I think it may be due to my feeble insulin production. I am just hoping that strict low-carbing can spare my remaining beta cells, and at any rate every hour of reasonably low bg may postpone serious complications that bit longer.
 
Emma_369 said:
I guess it’s the naive side of me hoping that what I’m doing is right because The idea of the next HBA1C reading not being an improvement literally keeps me awake at night! I thought I was being over cautious with 6 tests a day. So a little disheartened to realise I should be doing more. All a giant learning curve I guess
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I have just had my first HbA1c result since diagnosis three months ago. Huge learning curve. I cut out sugar and carbs as much as was possible. Hard years as they say. Found xylitol which helped me make a few things I like. Exercise, mostly walking. Gone from 89 to 34. Never expected that much of an improvement but it happened. Not an easy 3months but I made it. Try to just make changes but not swear it too much.
 
Really?? For a predictive test error! I really can’t believe that.
 
My apologies...I have had a few moments with mods -way in the past - on another site so my (well developed) sense of humour didn’t kick in. I grovel
 
rosco 2 said:
My apologies...I have had a few moments with mods -way in the past - on another site so my (well developed) sense of humour didn’t kick in. I grovel
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No no, it was my fault. I should have put a smiley, but I'm a bit old for that, they don't come naturally to me.
 
I personally stopped testing after 2 months of just about eating everything I normally ate I
Felt that was more than enough I had tried everything at least twice found out what was good and what wasn’t I now only do the morning fasting figures or when I have something different
 
I still test several times a day after 4 and a half years. I have a rest from time to time, but mostly when I'm wearing a Libre. I do this because I have zero faith in my HbA1c tests.
 
I test at 1 hour and 2 hours sometimes 3 hours. at 1 hour nearly always my reading will be at its highest and I personally like to know what my peak reading is and 2 hours to see if it is gone back down to pre eating reading some time at 3 hours to see if not back down to normal at 2 hours how long it is staying higher than I would like. If I tested at 2 hours only and it was say in the eights or higher in fact if it was any higher than 6.8 I would fret about how high it had been and not having an idea of what it was at 1 hour.

Having got rid of my retinopathy I don't want it back.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I still test several times a day after 4 and a half years. I have a rest from time to time, but mostly when I'm wearing a Libre. I do this because I have zero faith in my HbA1c tests.
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Dr Bernstein tells a story of being puzzled and dismayed by sudden unexplained high bgs. After this had occurred on several days, he finally tracked down the culprit. He had bought a whole crate of diet drinks and it turned out that a bottle of normal soft drink containing of course lots of sugar had been included in the batch. Had he been relying on his previous experience of these drinks and not testing, he would not have picked up on his soaring bgs.
 
Alexandra100 said:
Hello @brassyblonde900, we are very much on the same wavelength. Except that I would love to go with your policy, "If I ate anything and got a 6 at any point, that food is a no no for me", but, sadly, in my case that would mean I could eat no carb-containing foods whatever, even 50g of raw spinach can sometimes (but not always) lead to a 6 for me. Rather than putting this down to insulin resistance, I think it may be due to my feeble insulin production. I am just hoping that strict low-carbing can spare my remaining beta cells, and at any rate every hour of reasonably low bg may postpone serious complications that bit longer.
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Hi @Alexandra100, I get you. T2DM has me constantly scratching my head. Everybody appears to experience it differently. Your take on sparing Beta cells is why I try to be in Ketosis as often as is possible. That way I will be damping down on the oxidative stress that goes with this condition and at the same time spare my beta cells further flogging. I shudder to think how long I have been IR.
My odyssey in the IR world could very well be over 25yrs, even though I am only 4yrs post diagnosis for T2DM.
I believe so because, my BG did not get to the threshold of a definitive diagnosis of T2DM until 2014. However I remember having a fasting BG test that had me at 102mg/dl 19yrs ago in Atlanta GA where I then lived, and being told I was not diabetic.
Knowing what I know now, and with my strong family history of the condition, of course all was not well. I heard what pleased me, I continued coasting along believing all was OK with my health.
 
@brassyblonde900, I hope you don't mind me asking you directly, but I am very interested in the 'SIRD' category of T2D (Severe Insulin Resistance Diabetes), as I figure I am in that category myself, and I notice that you identify as being strong IR. (I also am 4 years post diagnosis, and know I had IR off and on for decades before that.) I'm not quite sure if you say you were IR from birth as a joke or you are being serious. If so, what makes you think that? (For me, my history knowledge comes from having had PCOS/ovary probs.)

If I was able to be BGs 6 and under all the time I would be ecstatic :). And you have non-diabetic HBA1cs now don't you? Are you on medication, or is it all diet/ and exercise ? Be great to know.
 
AloeSvea said:
@brassyblonde900, I hope you don't mind me asking you directly, but I am very interested in the 'SIRD' category of T2D (Severe Insulin Resistance Diabetes), as I figure I am in that category myself, and I notice that you identify as being strong IR. (I also am 4 years post diagnosis, and know I had IR off and on for decades before that.) I'm not quite sure if you say you were IR from birth as a joke or you are being serious. If so, what makes you think that? (For me, my history knowledge comes from having had PCOS/ovary probs.)

If I was able to be BGs 6 and under all the time I would be ecstatic :). And you have non-diabetic HBA1cs now don't you? Are you on medication, or is it all diet/ and exercise ? Be great to know.
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Hi, sorry for my late reply, I have not had a definitive diagnosis for SIRD, (I had no Idea until I saw your post, that there was such a condition, I had to look it up)I must learn to stop my tendency to hyperbole, with regards to my health. I reckon I must have an element of hypochondria in my psyche, straining to burst out:angelic:.
I struggled with my weight for so long, not until the diagnosis of T2DM, and my effort to stay drugs and complication free, by going low carb, (and adopting Dr Richard Bernstein's protocol for Diabetes control) did I finally get a grip on my weight, especially my tendency to upper body adiposity.
I'm quite lucky, In so far as I have found my body, to be quite responsive to my carb cutting effort. I have achieved good control without drugs. I have even come off BP medicine, because, not being as IR, as I used to be before cutting carbs, my kidneys no longer hold unto water, which made the Indapamide 2.5mg, I was taking, an overkill.
I was no longer holding unto water, and the med was making me lose so much water, I became Pottassium deficient. Thus far I have only needed diet, and exercise. Touch wood.

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Emma_369 said:
been testing BG when I wake up and then before and after every meal
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That's more than I ever did.

Personally I have no interest in continually pricking my fingers, nor for experimenting on myself. I've never quite got my head around why anyone would want to eat something that they know is bad for them, just to test their reaction, especially when they repeat the same thing over and over :banghead:

My aim all along was to forget that I've got T2D, and on the whole I've managed that and day to day I don't think about it or worry about what I'm eating.

Now, if I could just lose my addiction to this forum I might manage to forget Diabetes altogether :bag:
 
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