How high is a high BG reading

[barb1]

I have been checking my blood glucose for the last couple of weeks as I have an upcoming yearly diabetic check.
My readings in the morning have ranged from 8.5 to 11.1 (the later only once but quite frequently in the 9.0's)
I am not on medication and am stuggling to diet.
Am I at risk of having to take medication?

 

[badcat]

Fasting BG in the 4-6 range is ideal. 9's are high and set you up for problems keeping things in the target area for the rest of the day. Are you testing to see what different types of food do to your BG levels? - its a somewhat individual issue as too which foods will cause your sugars to spike ( eg when I was first diagnosed I could eat large amounts of fruit without any spikes but put me anywhere near a potato they'd be thru the roof). If you teat, eat the food / meal and then retest 2 hours later you'll get a good idea of what foods work well / not so well for you. Anythingthat raises BG level by more than 3.5 or so I would consider avoiding

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I would suggest you don't test in the morning due to the overnight liver dump effect; test 2 hours after a main meal. Yes, your readings are a bit on the high side so persevere with a low carb diet and your GP may well decide to start you on Metformin, which most of us have, if your Hba1c test is too high. It's not a miracle drug but does help.
BTW my blood sugar was 18 this afternoon after being tempted by a piece of cheesecake! Now this is really high to put yours into some context and I try to stay less than 10 if possible. My diabetes has progressed over the years but hopefully you can slow yours right down so DO persevere with the right diet and don't have cheesecake...

 

[Anonymous]

I do like to test in the mornings, for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's the one test which I can take at the same time every day. You can get Dawn Phenomenon but I usually only get it when my levels are already a bit wobbly. Secondly, breakfast is the most sensitive time for me so I want to know how much leeway I have with breakfast.

Your target should be 7.8 or below 2hrs after eating. I think the official figure is 8.5 but most on here aim for the lower figure. In fact, many try to get that lower (I aim for below 7 now). Make sure you write the results of all your tests down because you won't remember and you need to look back at your figures over time to encourage yourself.

Stick with it. I almost never get in to double figures now and at the beginning of the year I even had a reading above 33 (which is the max my meter will show).

 

[Dougie22]

We're all different. In my case, I have convinced myself that my fasting reading was useless.
I've done this by simply taking readings at one hour intervals in the morning (without eating).
What I found was that a good reading at, say, 7.30am turned into a rubbish reading at, say, 10.00am.
So the longer I lay in bed, the higher my readings.
Now that I'm semi retired, I don't get up at the same time every day so I've stopped taking fasting readings.
When I was taking them, they were higher than I'd like at around 7.5 to 8.5 or higher, even though my HbA1c (which I consider the key indicator) has come down to a really good level for me (39).

I got far more consistent readings with the 2 hour testing regime, consistently in the high sevens.
Your doctor will almost certainly be guided by you HbA1c reading which, in rough terms, gives him a three month average reading.
You didn't say what your reading was last year, but if you haven't amended your diet and you aren't on any medication, why would you expect it to be different? I suspect that you have been more careful with your diet than you think and that will hopefully show in your result. I had many lapses in my eating regime (still have) but still managed to get my readings down. Unfortunately, it's not an exact science and no two people seem to be exactly the same.

I wish you all the best with your review.

 

[cooperman53]

high i am new to the site, it is my dad thats the diabetic. i was wondering if anyone knew of how to bring blood sugar levals down ?? found lots of info on how to bring sugar up when low but cant seem to find any help relating to what to do when high.

 

[Riversidegirl]

New myself cooperman, and would like to know the same. I'm thinking it's exercise that helps but not sure what else. Also people seem to saying about being admitted to hospital for high and low scores. When would you know it's time to call an ambulance after a test and what do they do?

 

[Sloan973]

When I get a rare high spike(anything over 9 two hours after eating) I usually find that a brisk 20 minute walk brings it right down. If the weather is too bad I use the stairs!
Eddie

 

[munchykins78]

Personally i was diagnosed after a OGTT fasting blood glucose level of 7.2 (2 hours later it was 6.4). As i understand it, from the copious amounts of research i done at the time, the NHS follow guidelines that a person is diagnosed as have Diabetes if this particular result is higher than 7. If the finger prick test done before they give you the gloopy stuff is 11 or higher they must not give you the drink but diagnose you as being diabetic.

However, i am not a medical professional. The NICE guidelines are easily accessible to the public and you should be able to find this information on the internet.

Hope all goes well