Fasting Bloods

Messages
6,108
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Yes you can drink water but that's all.

As to how long you fast. There was a discussion on here once about that. Some said 8 hrs, some said 12 hrs but my surgery says 14 hours. Take your pick.
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
I'm on a pump.. But when I fast I still drink coffees as normal. The reason being is that I drink coffee day in day out all day. I never bolus for my coffees.
If I was to fast to set my basal rates there is no way they would be right when I went back and then included my background supplies of coffee and milk on a daily basis. There's no way I would want to bolus for my coffees...
 

Sketcher

Well-Known Member
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110
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Other people's cats in my garden
Hello Lea. Sometimes you are asked to fast before a blood test that your doctor or nurse will take, in which case they'll tell you how long to fast (probably 8 to 12 hours). However, we tend to refer to our first-thing-in-morning test at home as a fasting test: it just means that we do it not long after getting up, and before we have anything to eat or drink (apart from water); most of us don't bother restricting what we eat the night before, just because we're going to test ourselves the following morning. In fact, based on the results, you might want to adjust what you eat in the evenings.

I test every morning, but that's just me: I like to check the effects of the food & drink I have had the previous day. You sometimes get odd results, but shouldn't worry about an odd one.

One thing that you might see is the dawn phenomenon (DP): this is when your liver decides that it should get you ready for the day ahead by producing more blood glucose and - because you're diabetic - your body can't use it up quickly (a bit of a simplification). The result is that you can find your morning BG is higher than it was when you went to bed the previous evening; I find this a very irritating habit of my liver! I manage it by having some breakfast (with minimal carbs) as soon as I practically can. Once again, that's just me: we all react differently.

The fasting test is interesting, but it's probably more important to do some tests before and 2 hours after you eat: that way you can gauge the effects of different foods, and make adjustments accordingly.

Good luck, and keep coming back here to chat.


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Lea76

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Thanks for the informative reply :) I only got diagnosed with type two a couple of weeks ago. My fasting blood was 7.8 and hb1ac(?) was 62. I bought a nano and have been checking before and after each meal and also in a morning. The morning one varies between 5-7.9. However all my before/after meals vary between 4-7 so it would appear its the morning one causing the problems? Could this be due to what I have eaten in the day even if my levels seem ok after eating? Sorry for all the questions I'm trying to get used to it all :)


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