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New to measuring bs help!

M

M4ggie

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi after advice on here I went and bought my Type 2 (?) husband a blood sugar monitor. He was a bit sceptical at first as his gp and diabetic nurse told him it was not of any use. However after much persuasion he did it an hour after dinner and had a reading of 9.6 which I think gave him a fright as he thinks he is doing all the right things with diet and metformin and isn't overweight.

This morning his bs level before breakfast was 7.4. To me if he hasn't eaten since about 7pm yesterday that seems a little high before he has even taken any food for the day?

Can someone enlighten us as to what are the best times to take measurements and what readings we should be getting to stay safe and normal.

Thanks
 
There is a thing called the "dawn phenomenon" or "liver dump" where the liver releases extra glucose into the bloodstream in the morning after not eating overnight, this is to give you an energy boost for hunting and gathering, so to speak. Having a small snack right before bed can help reduce this. There is lots of info about it in the forums if you do a search.

The best times to take measurements are before each meal and 2 hours afterwards. Also first thing in the morning (if that's not right before breakfast) and before going to bed. He won't need to to take this number of measurements every day forever, it's just mainly while he is getting to know which foods spike his sugars, and while he is getting his levels down. Some of us continue testing that much, others do fewer tests each day or just test every now and then if there is a reason.

Some suggested targets are here:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
 
2 hours after a meal you want your levels below 8.
First thing in the morning can be a bit confusing as his liver may dump some glucose into his blood stream to get him upo and running.
If you tested yourself one hour after the same meal you may also be 9.6.
You should come down around the two hour mark he might not.
I consider 8 to be causing damage to my nervous system anything below that has to be good.
If I drop below 4 though I'm going into hypo mode and getting confused and won't drive till I've upped it a little.
 
You must have posted while I was typing Cat.
 
Thanks. Will try the snack before bed. We were shocked at how high the reading was after healthy salmon and roasted veg! Gonna be interesting to see exactly what his diet is doing. He is already on 2000 metformin a day. I just want my happy healthy hubby back.
 
Ok another we question. What about before and after exercise? He is a keen runner and training for a 10k. He runs 10k approx once a wk goes to gym and plays fives.
 
Hi. I agree with JTL. Just testing 2 hours after a meal is all you really need. Adding just before the meal tells you a bit more. Morning tests tell you very little. A lot depends on your test strip budget and how food is affecting you.
 
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