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My Meter Readings

Bellx15 said:
Could be entertaining though ... :D

By the way, I'd appreciate an opinion on this:

I haven't done a proper GTT test but for now I thought I'd monitor my response to a light tea. It consisted of three small slices of wholemeal bread, one fried egg, butter, a substantial blob of peanut butter, two glasses of white wine.

Results (probably higher than true readings because of the machine): Before the food - 6.5, 1 hr after the food- 6.8. 1.5 hr after the food - 7.9, 2hr after the food - 7.4

What do you make of that ??? :***:
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These are good results and all within spec. There are a few of us who would not be able to eat the bread whatever it had in it. Fats slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, peanuts are low GI anyway so it looks like you could tolerate a slightly heavier tea if you felt like it.
 
Thanks - I was wondering whether the alcohol might have held the glucose level down.
 
Bellx15 said:
Thanks - I was wondering whether the alcohol might have held the glucose level down.
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In this instance I think the alcohol would have had minimal effect. Wine does have sugar in it but if the wine is strong it does not have much sugar in it.

Hangovers can cause low sugar readings by interfering with the liver function but that problem is more associated with the morning liver rush and not a 2 hour after eating test.
 
I see.

Yes, I was reading elsewhere that alcohol can lower your glucose level by inhibiting liver function temporarily. You think that would be minimal?
 
Bellx15 said:
I see.

Yes, I was reading elsewhere that alcohol can lower your glucose level by inhibiting liver function temporarily. You think that would be minimal?
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No that's not what I said. After fasting (overnight usually) the liver will provide glucose to get you going in the morning. Alcohol can interfere with this function and give you a low fasting sugar reading. In some cases Type 1's go hypo because they forget to allow for the effect of the booze.

In a non fasting test (two hours after a meal) the only problem drink should give you is from the sugar in it which would make the reading higher if anything. Much testing on my part (at great expense) suggests that wine is not to be feared and the stronger it is the less sugar it has in it.
 
OK - got it. Thanks.
 
I know this isn't exactly a reply to the question but i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 18 months ago and have been taking 500mg of metformin twice a day and have never been given testing strips or advised to test my bloods at home is this normal or does everyone test their blood glucose levels at home and buy their own testing strips. also i was told my glucose levels were tested whilst i was in hospital for an angiogram which came back at 12 an hour and half after food and 8 on my last fasting blood tests and was told hba1c was moderate on 12/10/12?????????????????
Thanks confused manchester.
 
Hi Confused -

I am no expert, but it sounds to me as if you need a lot more tests. I went through a self-imposed period of high glucose readings, which ended up with a type 2 diagnosis, but they have subsided very significantly now as a result of life-style changes. I am not sure whether I would pass a glucose tolerance test at this point, but I do have strong intuitions that the blood glucose disorder was mostly temporary. If you had those high readings, but a normal hba1c, I would want to investigate further. You might not need medication at all. You might not even be diabetic. Definitely needs further investigation, and I would suggest that your GP needs to be made aware of this.

Of course, one response might be the "well, look how effective the metformin has been. You'll obviously need to stay on it for life!"
 
kjc2012 said:
I know this isn't exactly a reply to the question but i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 18 months ago and have been taking 500mg of metformin twice a day and have never been given testing strips or advised to test my bloods at home is this normal.
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This is quite normal. The NHS does not issue meters to cases such as yours. There was a doctor posting on here who said that there was no point since there is nothing you can do about your condition anyway. They start thinking about it when you go onto medication which might result in a hypo. In fact the bit of paper that comes with one of my pills says that regular monitoring is necessary so I was given a meter.

The test strips are very expensive and the NHS does not like paying for them so in many cases they ration them and in my case it is to one a day.

The big conundrum here is that they tell you to make lifestyle changes. How can you do that if you don't know what it is you are doing wrong. Every individual needs to take a different action because no two people eat precisely the same food or do the same exercise. The only way to monitor progress is with a meter.

It is the recommendation of many people on this forum that a meter should be bought and if necessary pay for the test strips yourself if the NHS won't.
 
Yes.

I have been told by the GP's practice that I should not test too frequently at home, because what really matters is the hba1c. Take this diet leaflet, keep stuffing the refined carbs like a rat in a flour hopper, and come back when your condition has worsened. We've got just the thing for you!

On the other hand, the diabetics nurse told me I should monitor my BGs closely but no, they would only prescribe a tester for patients who are on medication ????

Re. buying the equipment: I bought an Accu-Chek Compact Plus for about £12, and the strips can be obtained on eBay for very reduced prices. You MUST test at home!
 
Bellx15 said:
I have been told by the GP's practice that I should not test too frequently at home, because what really matters is the hba1c.
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Can you spot the fallacy in that statement by your GP's practice? How are you supposed to improve the Hba1c?
 
Squire Fulwood said:
Bellx15 said:
I have been told by the GP's practice that I should not test too frequently at home, because what really matters is the hba1c.
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Can you spot the fallacy in that statement by your GP's practice? How are you supposed to improve the Hba1c?
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Yes, of course. I was quoting it to illustrate the stupidity of their approach. I think the assumption they are working with is that their recommended eatwell plate will set you on the right path, and that if it fails you will need medication.
 
thanks everyone for your reply's and advice. It seems that everyone i speak to is all for home testing as part of managing your diabetes. I'm going to go the same way so i'm not left constantly wondering and waiting for my hba1c tests.
Any more advice from anyone on the best glucose meter to use, how often when and how to test will be very much appreciated.
Thanks
 
I am going to weasel out of recommending a particular meter since everyone that does so will probably recommend the one they have. This site has a list here ....

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care ... guide.html

There are pros and cons. One of them is much cheaper to run than most but there have been issues about its accuracy etc.

You can test any time you like but the guide lines suggest that you should be lower than 8.5 two hours after eating. Many people aim for a lower reading. The two hours after eating measure is the one used when people wish to compare their result with others. Some people carry out other readings for their own purposes such as half hourly readings after eating in order to observe what is going on.

You can do a fasting test before you eat anything in the morning but this is for interest only. The "official" fasting test is specified as being done using approved equipment and does not apply to home test meters.
 
Unfortunately, that list doesn't include mine - the Accu-Chek Compact Plus (I think the Mobile comes closest to it). I have found it to be very convenient and reliable, except that as with most machines there is a degree of systematic error. Mine seems to be reading a bit higher than it should. Serves its purpose though. I take measurements at a similar time of day, just before lunch, say, and see whether there is a trend or not.
 
OK - got the reply:

The glucose content of the Accu-Chek Compact control solution is 0.12% as stated in the package insert.
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So can anyone convert this to mg/dl ? I think it's about 120, equivalent to 6.666 mmol/l. but that would render the 6.7 - 9 tolerance range incorrect.
 
Bellx15 said:
OK - got the reply:

The glucose content of the Accu-Chek Compact control solution is 0.12% as stated in the package insert.
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So can anyone convert this to mg/dl ? I think it's about 120, equivalent to 6.666 mmol/l. but that would render the 6.7 - 9 tolerance range incorrect.
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I have not received a reply other than the one that asked for my inside leg measurement, my meter number and control solution details ..... I think they are prevaricating. No, I don't know what 0.12% is in mmol/L.
 
To get from % to ppm you multiply by 10,000.

So 0.12 x 10,000 = 1,200

To get from parts per million to mg/dl you divide by ten

So 0.12% = 120 mg/dl

Equivalent mmol/l divide by 18

120/18 = 6.67mmol/l
 
I haven't received the solution yet, but that wasn't the point. I wanted to know the concentration of the control solution so that when I take readings I can see how far out my meter is. But there must be a mistake here. Regulations specify that meters should have a 90% accuracy 90% of the time, or something along those lines. That's plus and minus.
 
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