Help with glucose monitoring please

[Type1Newb]

Hi all,
I am new to all this, recently diagnosed with type 1. I have tested my BG tonight and got a reading of 8.2, but felt that was too high compared to my after dinner test. When tested again straight after it was 9.4. Does it make a difference how long you leave the strip in the blood for, I have the caresens dual and have the loading square and then countdown from 5 to 1. Would this cause a different reading whether I leave it in the blood until the countdown is finished or it doesn't matter.
Thanks.

 

[Scott-C]

and got a reading of 8.2, but felt that was too high compared to my after dinner test. When tested again straight after it was 9.4.

Hi, @Type1Newb , it takes a long time to figure out the ins and outs of bg testing.

Blood sugar is never stable, it moves around a lot, even in non-T1s, meters aren't really that accurate.

Instead of looking at it in terms of absolute numbers, I tend to think about it in terms of ranges.

Ideally, I'll be in the general 4.5 to 6.5 range, and I'll not worry too much if a strip test puts me in that broad range.

If I see an 8.2 or 9.4, I'd not be worrying to much about whether it's actually 8.2 or 9.4. I'd be saying, ok, both of those aren't in my preferred 4.5 to 6.5 range, and I'd then be thinking about how much active insulin I've still got on board, and whether that's enough to pull it back down in the last few hours of insulin action, or whether an extra 1 or 2u correction dose is needed to help it along.

You're newly dx'd, so I wouldn't worry too much about getting perfect levels. It takes time to learn the ins and outs of this. You've got a lot of leeway to make mistakes and learn from them.

Good luck!

 

[kitedoc]

Hi @Type1Newb, not as professional advice or opinion:
Glucose monitors have a 15% error rate so that needs working into the result.
Also look at the Home page and things like Type1 Diabetes and Living with Diabetes and check the ranges out.
As @Scott-C writes, the ranges are a better way to interpret one's results. Getting upset by a reading outside the' acceptable range', only causes stress and pushes blood sugar levels (BSL) up.
We all become used to (but not without the occasional angst and swear word) to ups and downs in BSLs. Sometimes we know that we ate so much of a food, or realise that such and such a food had more carbs than we allowed for, that exercise and stress affect BSLs, even the season and the weather!
Please keep posting and asking questions. We have all made enough mistakes to make suggestions to others !!!