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Interpreting Numbers

SockFiddler

Well-Known Member
Messages
623
Location
Bristol
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello, Community, me again with another question (sorry!).

I've had 3 readings that I can't quite understand, and they've been different according to which meter I've used. Hoping you can help me unpick them:

Friday, fasting BG (8am)
108/6.0 (Codefree)

Friday immediately after an ice-cream (itself after a low carb dinner) 8:30pm:
Codefree: 6.5
Areo: 6.6

Saturday, 12:30am (4 hours after ice cream)
Glucomen Areo: 5.0
CodeFree: 101 / 5.6

Saturday 7am (Almost 11 hours fasting)
Areo: 6.2
CodeFree: 119 / 6.6

What am I missing here? Why has my fasting number increased? Why didn't that ice-cream hit my BG like a train? And why are my meters testing inconsistently, from .1 to .6 difference?

While I know they're all good numbers - under 7 - I don't understand why they seem to be so all over the place and out of order. Anything you have in terms of insight will be gratefully received.

Notes:
- A third meter is on its way. Hopefully it will agree with one of the two and then I'll know which meter is reading inaccurately. I don't want to just guess

- All Codefree results (I brilliantly ordered the US standard units model...) have been converted using this page:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html
 
I was told that fasting numbers were the last to stabilise, that was certainly the case with mine. Mine are regulary in the 5s now. The unexpectedly high levels are called Dawn Phenomenon, something that happens in non diabetics too. It's your body preparing for the activities of the day by having your liver dump glucose into your bloodstream. It's sometimes called Liver Dump.
As for your meters reading differently they are allowed a variation of so many percent. Someone will come along with the exact percentage I'm sure. I can't remember it just now. Best times to check levels are immediately before you eat then 2 hours after that first reading. You're looking for a rise of less than 2 mmols/liter to test if a meal/food is suitable for you.
Oh and I have an SD Code Free. Have a look at the instructions, you can change it to mmols/liter in the settings.
 
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Hi @SockFiddler
Meters can have a variation of up to 15% so those readings are in fact pretty close to each other.. if you wan to waste a strip ot to you can test then retest from the same blood spot and you're quite likely to get different numbers.
As for the ice cream because it is a combination of fat and carbs the spike is sometimes flattened out by the fat content but then lasts for a longer time. What ice cream was it.. there's a pretty low carb one (about 8% called Oppo which a lot of us have as a treat).
 
It was a Feast - I looked up a few that were likely to be available in a local, small shop and picked the one with the lowest carbs - didn't even think about the fat content. Looking it up in my book now, it had 245 calories - so not a deal breaker.

Thanks for the tip about Oppo - I'll look out for it when I do my next online grocery shop.

I'm a little bit surprised about the 15% accuracy range, given that we literally live by these numbers. I wasn't expecting 100% accuracy, but 15% seems a little on the high side!

So, thinking about the "shape" of my daily energy levels, it seems I have this Liver Dump, which is why I hit the ground running most morning, then it peters off around 1pm (when I hit a real low and often can't stay awake). I eat upon waking, which perks me up, especially as that's usually my "high carb" meal, and then I slide off during the rest of the day until around midnight, when I experience my lowest levels, just before bed.

Thanks all for your replies - very helpful and reassuring!
 
bulkbiker said:
Hi @SockFiddler
Meters can have a variation of up to 15% so those readings are in fact pretty close to each other.. if you wan to waste a strip ot to you can test then retest from the same blood spot and you're quite likely to get different numbers..
Click to expand...

No kidding!

Just now:
Areo: 5.9 / 6.4
CodeFree 7.1 (127) / 7.3 (131)

All from the same drop of blood.

Rachox said:
Oh and I have an SD Code Free. Have a look at the instructions, you can change it to mmols/liter in the settings.
Click to expand...

The first time I used the meter, it gave the result in UK numbers (i.e. not in the 100's). Since setting up all the whistles and bells, it's been in the US measurement. It's not a huge inconvenience, but it'd be useful to have it in the same standard as the others. Thanks for the tip - I'll have a go.

Thanks for the reassurances, all - certainly feeling more confident!
 
Its better to keep a record and watch the trends rather than check individual figures.. My FBG was the last to come down and took about 12 months of very low carb and even now I can get slightly odd readings.. for example was about 5.1 all day yesterday but this mornings FBG was 5.4.. couple of days ago 4.6.. who knows..!
 
SockFiddler said:
While I know they're all good numbers - under 7 - I don't understand why they seem to be so all over the place and out of order. Anything you have in terms of insight will be gratefully received.
Click to expand...
I would say your levels are not all over the place it is the fact that you are using different meters and they will show different levels as none are 100% accurate so best to stick to just one meter
 
Re the icecream.
Feasts are, er... not really v high quality. So they will probably have a much higher sugar content than (for example) Haagen Daas or another posh brand.
The more rich and creamy a brand is, the slower it will take to digest, which may well mean that if you always test consistently, you will miss the blood glucose peak.
A sweet sugary item (eg fruit) will often peak very quickly, while a rich item may take much longer.
The same applies to any food, and fat, protein and fibre all slow things down. So tagging a dessert on the end of a protein/fat meal will result in a much later peak than if the dessert was eaten as a snack on its own.

I know it seems like pinning a tail on a donkey to start with.
But the best advice is to test consistently, same timings, and then if you are wanting further detail, burn a couple of extra strips (maybe at 1 hour for fast release foods) and maybe at 2.5 or 3 hours (for a big protein meal).
You will soon get the feel for it, but for consistency for your records, the 2 hr mark is a very good base measurement.
 
@SockFiddler - You've had some great information, but one thing I would really say is please decide soon which meter you're going to use and stick with it. At this stage you're looking for trends and ranges, not absolute numbers. Swapping back and forth between meters that usually read a little up or a little down is just a route to frustration.

You're doing just fine. Stick with it.
 
"All over the place"?
That is not how I would describe your numbers.
It is not only food that can affect your BG - it is also affected by exercise, stress, illness, ... as well as daily cycles such as dawn phenomenon.
I suspect (although I do not have absolutely proof), someone without diabetes will see the kind of variations you are seeing.
 
The most important thing about testing is the trends you will see over time, the individual reading is not as important as it only gives you an idea of how your blood glucose levels are now!
If you are responding to how you are feeling, that is another use.

You use the tools you have to see if the low carb reduction is affecting your insulin resistance, your fasting levels and your spikes, to track how different food or combination of foods can be used to give you a better control of your levels.
That is why a food diary is more important in the long run.

If your glucometer(s) reading is around what you want it to be, around normal levels after two hours, one or two percentage points is not that critical.

And I would recommend only using one monitor.
Confusion on top of all the advice you are getting is something you don't need!


Not bad results tho!
 
Pinkorchid said:
I would say your levels are not all over the place it is the fact that you are using different meters and they will show different levels as none are 100% accurate so best to stick to just one meter
Click to expand...

To be clear, I'm not using different meters at different times of day; I'm using both meters every time I test so I can choose between them. I realise that I've got to decide on a single one, but there's a number of factors - how much blood, how long they stay "primed" for with a strip in place, so on so forth. The "accuracy" (+/-15% - thank you ) of the meters was just one facter (Though a big one) in my decision.

I suspect (although I do not have absolutely proof), someone without diabetes will see the kind of variations you are seeing.
Click to expand...

@helensaramay : not quite sure what you're implying, or that you meant to imply what can be taken from your post. But I'm fairly confident I neither faked my way through 2 HbA1c's nor that my GP team faked the results on my behalf.

@Lamont D : My food diary is turning into both conscience and best friend and I genuinely think kids should be taught how to do this (really basic) level of consumption awareness in schools. Am now coming up with a plan on how to record (discreetly) what I eat when I'm out and about, meeting friends, on picnics, hanging out with Euan; a Summer of opportunities, birthdays and good things is at my feet and, for the first time in years, I feel well enough to consider getting stuck into it.

Finally, @Brunneria (LOVE the avatar!)


This all makes sense - thank you.

Euan, the little toad, came home with a Magnum for himself and a Feast for me. Bless his heart, though, he did what he was asked and picked the one with the least carbs! Happily, ice cream has never been a major sin of mine, but it was hot and Andy was on the brink of either losing (!!) or pulling off a major tennis turnaround and <more excuses>


I feel like the last 2 weeks - without regular testing - has been a crash course in the Theory of Diabetes. Now I've moved onto the Diabetes in Practise part of the syllabus and it's far more interesting but, yes, far harder to grapple with. I need to take a breath, chill and not expect too much too quickly. Things are moving in the right direction, and that's the important thing (thank you!).


Edit: I just woke up and wrote this with a still-fuzzy head. Apologies if I come off as grumpy!
 
For future reference Walls Mini Milk ice cream lollies are just 5.1g of carbohydrate each!
 
Sold!

@Rachox you are rapidly becoming my favourite person* And because they're called "mini", Euan won't even register that they exist when he's rummaging through the freezer. Awesome!


*alongside all my other favourite people.
 
You have received great info above, but one other thing to remember is that if you have diabetes, you are "broken" - your entire metabolic system is not functioning properly. So it is not logical to assume that everything is going to work the same way all the time. Sugars can perform in unexpected ways for reasons that you may not be able to pinpoint, especially as you are working to get them under control. As you get your blood sugars more consistently under control, they will behave more consistently, but you will still have some readings that have unexpected levels. There may be an understandable reason for it of which you are unaware, but it can just be the result of your crazy metabolic system.
 

Thank you.

And, of course, I have been looking at this in isolation - I haven't looked into what (if any) effect the mad dose of Vit D I'm on will have, nor the impact of sustained (14 months+ solving daily problems) stress will have.

I've written a note on a stick and put it on my computer monitor. It reads: "Take a breath. Step Back. You're okay."

I love this forum.
 
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