Kind of silly question about testing

[lalaleroux]

I have googled but can't seem to find answer. If you are testing two hours after a meal, what happens if you miss the two hour window by say...10 minutes or 15 minutes? Should you test anyway? Skip testing? Is there a big difference between the numbers between that two hours and two hours and fifteen minutes?

 

[bulkbiker]

You could always test and find out!
But seriously I doubt that 10 -15 minutes will make a huge amount of difference unless you do something like take a walk or energetic exercise in that period.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Test consistently but personally I would not fret about 10-15 minutes out. If you do it over a number of days you will see a pattern and variations are likely to be due to what you ate rather than extra minutes.....

 

[JohnEGreen]

Happens with me regularly I don't bother about it and just test anyway a few minutes here or there won't make much difference.

 

[HSSS]

Agree with all the above

 

[KK123]

I agree with the others, it's hardly a precise process anyway, more of an indication as to what your levels are doing. 15 minutes either side (or even more) is only a snapshot anyway.

 

[HSSS]

And no such thing as a silly question- only ones you don’t know the answer to.

 

[millenium]

I have googled but can't seem to find answer. If you are testing two hours after a meal, what happens if you miss the two hour window by say...10 minutes or 15 minutes? Should you test anyway? Skip testing? Is there a big difference between the numbers between that two hours and two hours and fifteen minutes?

Test and record as 2.25hrs. the data will still be useful.

 

[Mr_Pot]

I have googled but can't seem to find answer. If you are testing two hours after a meal, what happens if you miss the two hour window by say...10 minutes or 15 minutes? Should you test anyway? Skip testing? Is there a big difference between the numbers between that two hours and two hours and fifteen minutes?

Testing on its own does nothing, it's what you do with the results that counts. If it is a new meal or ingredient you are testing then a bit late will still give you a useful result. If you are just testing to get a general idea of your progress then a bit late or not at all doesn't matter, test again the next day. At the beginning I had a big spreadsheet with lots of testing, four years later I only test occasionally because there is nothing new to learn from the results.

 

[ianf0ster]

I agree with all of the above.

 

[lalaleroux]

So a follow up question: I am testing to learn about how different foods effect me-more like learning trends I guess. I will sometimes eat something a couple/three times to see how it averages. One thing though, I got numbers from the dietitian about what the upper numbers should be, but not the low numbers. I am going under the assumption that lower is better, but not sure how low is too low. If, for example after the same meal the trend is around 105-115, but one of the three or four is 140, what does that tell me?

 

[Listlad]

If I were to test to see what impacts my blood sugar levels, on a food by food basis then I would use a Libre. That way all detail would be captured.

 

[HSSS]

So a follow up question: I am testing to learn about how different foods effect me-more like learning trends I guess. I will sometimes eat something a couple/three times to see how it averages. One thing though, I got numbers from the dietitian about what the upper numbers should be, but not the low numbers. I am going under the assumption that lower is better, but not sure how low is too low. If, for example after the same meal the trend is around 105-115, but one of the three or four is 140, what does that tell me?

When I test I look for food at has me as close to the pre meal reading as possible after 2 hrs. Occasionally I find I am actually a bit lower than I started. Often this is in the morning when I am also experiencing foot on floor (or dawn) phenomenon. Those on insulin are told below 4mmol (72) is a hypo and they cannot drive. Though those healthy individuals not diabetic can and do often walk around quite safely and happily in the 3’s as their bodies naturally will bring them back up as required, something those on insulin may not be able to do.

to know how the meal affected you you do have to know where you started. It may have been higher before eating that time. It may have been other factors like stress, illness or lack of sleep the previous night.

 

[JohnEGreen]

Though those healthy individuals not diabetic can and do often walk around quite safely

Non diabetics sometimes can have hypoglycemia and with it the effects of low blood sugars.

The rules for driving cannot be tailored to the individual so a level has to be set that covers most cases

Non diabetics may walk around and drive with very low blood sugars as to whether it's safe to do so is another matter.

"
Low blood sugar without diabetes
Low blood sugar is uncommon in people who do not have diabetes.
Possible causes include:
eating large carbohydrate-based meals – this is called reactive hypoglycaemia
binge drinking
fasting or malnutrition
having a gastric bypass, a type of weight loss surgery
other medical conditions – including Addison's disease; a non-cancerous growth in the pancreas (insulinoma); or a problem with the liver, kidneys or heart
some medicines, including quinine (taken for malaria)
See a GP if you think you keep getting low blood sugar. They can arrange some simple tests to check if your blood sugar level is low and try to find out what's causing it."

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/low-blood-sugar-hypoglycaemia/#low-blood-sugar-without-diabetes

 

[HSSS]

I do not disagree with any of your points - they do not contradict mine if you read my qualifiers. You do add further details to less common scenarios.

 

[JohnEGreen]

they do not contradict mine if you read my qualifiers.

I never intended them to. Was just trying to clarify that though uncommon it does happen I had a friend well work colleague for whom it was not a regular occurrence but did happen from time to time and when it did I would definitely not travel in a car driven him until he had had something to eat.

I personally though not on blood sugar lowering medication would not drive when at 4 mmol/mol or lower as I do get occasional hypos once or twice down to 2.2 mmol/mol so I try to be careful.