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I'm confused.....

A

angustia

Well-Known Member
Messages
177
Location
Canada
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I just got back from getting the glucometer. The pharmacist gave me a step-by-step lesson on how to use it.
We decided to test it on me right there and then. I got a reading of 3.9 (at approx 2 hours after eating 10 raw almonds). She said it's low, that I shouldn't let it get any lower. I asked the pharmacist if this blood test is similar to blood tests done in labs, and she said yes, although ones done at labs are more accurate.

My next doctor's appointment is on December (and my next lab test on November).

A part of me is hoping that it means the blood test that showed 7.0 (which got my doctor concerned), was due to my previous week of bingeing on cherries during my holidays (which means I was also less active), and that the problem has been rectified? Is that possible in such a short time?
 
The pharmacist is incorrect (or may have misunderstood your question) the blood test that the Dr will have diagnosed you with will have been an HbA1c test which is a clever test that measures your average blood sugar over the previous three months:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-test.html , so your different diet and exercise from your holiday will make little difference to the result.
If you aren’t on any medication, a finger prick test, which measure your blood sugar level at that moment in time only, is low at 3.9 but not anything to be concerned about unless you feel unwell.
 
Hi @angustia ,

Can I also add to the advice given by Rachox that the test results of an hbA1c test are often given as a percentage. In the UK anything above 6.5% is taken as diabetic.

The results of your instant test were most likely to be in units of milimols per litre (mmol/L) so be wary when comparing numbers.
 
Hi @angustia
The whole point of testing for a diet controlled T2 is to discover which foods you need to avoid. Your first test and you have found that a handful of almonds has no impact on your blood sugar, well done.
One thing to bear in mind is that the meters are accurate to plus or minus 15% so your actual glucose level was probably higher than 3.9.
 
I did the testing by myself - after supper (4 chicken drumstix and about 8 napa cabbage leaves in broth).
It took a while of re-trying! The result came out 6.7.
 
Hello,

Now that you have a meter and have started testing I recommend testing before every meal and 2 hrs after you start eating. This will tell you the effect the meal had on you levels. You can experiment with measuring 90 minutes after eating and some time after 2 hours if you like.

You want to get levels below 7.8.

Just be aware that stress, sleeplessness and other things can also effect the levels.

You are on the way to learning how different food effects your body. With that knowledge comes the ability to make changes.
 
I have a few questions, please.

My last meal last night was at 5:30 pm.
I had 4 chicken drums and about 8 whole leaves of Napa cabbage - with the chicken broth.
That meal was really filling because of the cabbages. Hot broth and cabbages (with meat) seems to do the trick of filling up real well (it's been part of my menu plan when I had to lose weight - so I'm sharing that with you folks). I also had unsweetened decaf coffee with cream at around 7 pm.
I still felt full when I went to bed at around 8:30 pm.

This morning, at around 4:45 am (I had nothing since waking up), I tested and the result was 6.8.
The target listed for fasting/before meals is between 4 - 7 mmol.

But the good news, I've lost half a pound!

The test result was surprising to me. Isn't 6.8 a bit high considering I had no carbs since supper last night?
It's almost to the limit!
What does that mean? Could it be the effect of the Napa cabbage (chicken doesn't have carbs)?

I'm also trying to understand the biological process why the level seems high.

Thank you for bearing with me.....
 
Last edited:

Well done for getting a meter and getting started testing straight away. Your higher reading in the morning after eating nothing overnight is a classic case of dawn phenomenon or liver dump. It’s your liver chucking out sugar in preparation for the day ahead. Please try not to let this worry you. Fasting blood sugars (on waking) are the last to settle down. Here’s an article about dawn phenomenon:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/dawn-phenomenon.html
 
Hi angustia,
I would just like to contribute this point in addition to what Rachox said about the Dawn Phenomenon:
It all depends upon the context, but an early morning (or pre-breakfast) reading of 6.8 isn't high.
It certainly isn't near even the most conservative 'limit' of 7.8, in fact even with a pre-prandial reading of 6.8 , I may risk a small amount of carbs in my meal e.g. a few Almonds, or a few Berries.
 
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