Daily Testing Results.... What now?

[essexgary]

Hi Everyone.

OK. So, I have started testing 5 times a day (on waking and then before and after lunch and dinner).But what do I do with the results and what do they exactly mean and how do they relate to HBA1C if at all?????? Have tried looking online but it is all gobble-de-gook to me, and to be honest I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.......

Cheers Gary

 

[walnut_face]

Try http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

That gives you your 'NICE' Targets. But it is early days yet, don't look at one particular reading in isolation, you should be looking for the trend - hopefully downwards

Download your readings to a spreadsheet and run a number of graphs. I would suggest a graph of all the readings, and then separtae graphs for each time of day. So for example a graph with all your 'on waking' (FBG) readings. A year on and mine still vary in a range 5.5 to 7, what I hope is to see fewer 7's and more in the 5's

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

Congrats on getting a meter and running the tests. They will allow you to get a really good handle on how your body is dealing with the food (esp carbs) that you are eating.

Ideally, meals or snacks shouldn't raise your blood glucose by too much. Lots of us T2s on here use the rough guide that if a meal or food raises our blood glucose by more than 2 mmol/l at the 2 hour reading, then we have overloaded our body with carbs, and need to cut back.

For instance, if I take a reading before lunch and it is 6.1mmol/l, eat a sandwich and an apple for lunch, and then my two hour reading is 10.7mmol/l then the rise between readings has been 4.6mmol/l

I am aiming for less than 2mmol/l rise, so that lunch was too carby for me.
Now I get to change or reduce my portions. Lots of different options. I could swap the bread for a lower carb bread (Livlife, Lidl protein rolls, or just have half a sandwich), or swap for a salad. Also maybe swap the apple for some berries.

This is where your test meter comes in so handy, because you get to test each food combo until you have found the perfect foods and portion sizes for your body. Brilliant, eh?
I have no idea what your meter readings are, but we often find that our readings start pretty high, but after a few days/weeks of eating to your meter, we usually find that the numbers drift down, until we can stay within target.

It is a steep learning curve, and there will be some surprises on the way (always worth checking out your breakfasts as well as lunch and dinner), but the rewards are huge.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dinet]

Or use an app to log and track your results and see graphs. i m sure there lots of app choice. I use BLOOD GLUCOSE TRACKER, for my android phone, which can filter results in diff ways.