Interpretation of BG prick test results

[Roy Batty]

I'm recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes having had a Hba1c result of 47. I bought a prick tester and used it for the first time today on waking, after 12 hours of fasting it was 6,5.

This afternoon I tested immediately before exercising (5k on a RowEreg) and it was 5.5 three hours after eating a sandwich. Immediately after exercise I tested again and it was 4.6.

Tomorrow I plan to test before my first meal of the day and then 2 hours later. I'll test again before my main meal and then 2 hours after that,

 

[Roy Batty]

I'm hoping that someone may be able to explain the significance of these results. Immediately before eating 6.1, two hours later 5.7. Thanks

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Your first reading is a little high, your next reading is more or less perfect.
Noting that there can be a wide variation between readings taken very close together so don't get hung up on precise values.

Bottom line - your BG has come back down to below your starting level in 2 hours which can't be bad.
It does, of course, depend on what you ate.

I can do those kind of readings if I eat zero carbohydrates in the meal.

 

[ianf0ster]

All of those figures look good. The effect of exercise probably had an effect, but you seem to consistently have a lower post meal value than pre meal.
2hrs after any meal we look for a figure less than 8.0 and also less than a rise of 2.0 mmol.

Now it's unusual to find post meal numbers lower than pre-meal unless that meal is low in carbs and/or before the meal your liver was dumping glucose into your bloodstream

 

[Roy Batty]

The meal in question where I recorded pre and post results of 6.1 and 5.7 was two toasted slices of rye and dark wheat sourdough bread, with tomato puree spread instead of butter and three fried eggs.

I can't think of any reason for my liver to have been dumping glucose, it was just a normal morning.

 

[Lamont D]

The meal in question where I recorded pre and post results of 6.1 and 5.7 was two toasted slices of rye and dark wheat sourdough bread, with tomato puree spread instead of butter and three fried eggs.

I can't think of any reason for my liver to have been dumping glucose, it was just a normal morning.

When your body needs glucose because of providing energy you need, your liver will dump enough to let you carry on. It is a normal function.
A lot of prediabetics or T2 can get what is known as dawn phenomenon, which your liver will prepare you, for getting up. This may skew a morning fasting reading if you do it too quickly.
Exercise is another reason your liver helps you maintain energy levels.
Glucogenisis will happen when your glucose levels, energy levels start to run out.

 

[Roy Batty]

When your body needs glucose because of providing energy you need, your liver will dump enough to let you carry on. It is a normal function.
A lot of prediabetics or T2 can get what is known as dawn phenomenon, which your liver will prepare you, for getting up. This may skew a morning fasting reading if you do it too quickly.
Exercise is another reason your liver helps you maintain energy levels.
Glucogenisis will happen when your glucose levels, energy levels start to run out.

Do you suggest then waiting after I get up before testing? For how long?

 

[Roy Batty]

I'd never heard of the 'dawn phenomenon' and decided to test and see if this is what's happening to me. At 3 a.m., my BG was 6.5, I got up at 8 a.m. and it was 6.1.

I normally get up at 7 a.m. so I'll test again tomorrow in case my BG had dropped this morning.

 

[Lamont D]

Do you suggest then waiting after I get up before testing? For how long?

At least half an hour, before eating or drinking. A bit of moving around, waking enough, before you test.
That is if you get it enough to skew results.

Can I say, that once you know what your average fasting result is, you don't have to keep doing it. Controlling spikes after food is more important for treatment. Especially if you want to control you prediabetes. I would suggest, pre meal and post, two hours reading. If your BG levels are over two mmols higher than pre meal reading, then something in your meal is causing it.
Then finding out which foods you are more intolerant to and either reduce the portion size or stop eating it.
A good diary can be so useful in seeing how you compare overall from now to the future. It will also help your health team understand what is going on.

Best wishes

 

[MrsA2]

@Roy Batty
BG, and the first thing in the morning tests in particular, are the most fickle things. You might drive yourself truly Batty ( ) if you try to understand every single result.
Bg is affected by over 42 factors, including:
Sleep, both quantity and quality
Illness
Medications
Exercise, duration and intensity (or lack of)
And more which I can't even remember.
Our bodies are not machines and don't work on exactly regular schedules.

You could eat the same things, Sleep, at the same times and monitor at the same times and get very different results each time

I've been doing this about 3 years now and as long as my fbg starts with a 5 or a 6 I'm happy. I'm ecstatic with a 4 but have no idea where they come from and if I see a 7 I try to moderate my food that day. That's as accurate as I've learned to be.

Having said that, to spot rough patterns and to learn which foods to definitely avoid, bg testing is very useful. There's nothing more motivating to keep away from the bread when it sends me to 15 or more!

I just say all this to hopefully put a bit of perspective and try to allay too much anxiety on trying to measure and understand the most fickle of biological processes

 

[Roy Batty]

Thanks for the replies. I don't feel any anxiety, just trying to understand what's happening with my BG.

My first meal of the day is lunch, before I ate my BG was 6.1. I ate in this order a large corn on the cob (boiled) with butter along with a large raw carrot. Then I had a portion of greek yoghurt with keto granola. Two hours later my BG was 7.7, so a rise <2.

I deliberately the high car corn first and I'm aware that eating fibre, protein and fat before carbs can dampen the BG spike.

I may repeat this for lunch tomorrow, but eat the yoghurt with granola first to see if there's any difference.

 

[Lamont D]

Thanks for the replies. I don't feel any anxiety, just trying to understand what's happening with my BG.

My first meal of the day is lunch, before I ate my BG was 6.1. I ate in this order a large corn on the cob (boiled) with butter along with a large raw carrot. Then I had a portion of greek yoghurt with keto granola. Two hours later my BG was 7.7, so a rise <2.

I deliberately the high car corn first and I'm aware that eating fibre, protein and fat before carbs can dampen the BG spike.

I may repeat this for lunch tomorrow, but eat the yoghurt with granola first to see if there's any difference.

It is all about what you can or cannot eat!
As I'm so intolerant to all carbs, the likes of corn, granola, and even too much carrot can effect my BG levels!
You could be okay just adjusting portion control. I don't believe that eating in order of fats, protein then carbs, will help as much. It never did me! But having a sensible approach to good saturated fats, will benefit your diet and your satiety.

 

[Roy Batty]

Today I ate the same lunch as yesterday, at about the same time but I ate protein first before the carbs i.e. greek yoghurt with keto granola then the corn on the cob and a raw carrot. My BG readings today were 6.4 immediately before eating and 5.2 two hours later. Another occasion on which my post meal reading has been lower then pre. I have no idea what this might signify, other than that my body seems to be able to tolerate corn on the cob without causing a BG spike and that perhaps for me the order in which I eat food groups does have an impact.