Type 2 One or two hour testing after meals?

[Carolyn_Lesley]

Please can I have some opinions on testing bgl? Should I test an hour or two hours after food? When I had gestational it was two hours, on diagnosis recently the Dr told me an hour, ( but I did two hours) so recently I have alarmed myself by testing an hour after and sometimes getting high spikes which usually drop well but still a little high.

 

[himtoo]

the 2 hour post meal test is intended to catch the spike at its supposed highest as fast acting insulin has a peak of approx 90 minutes after injection. ( and injection taken 10 minutes before eating )

so for me I always test at 2 hours ( and sometimes at 1 hour depending if I am testing a new food )

if you want to try and minimise the spike that you see at 1 hour you could inject 30-60 minutes pre meal but just be aware and don't plummet before you eat

 

[CollieBoy]

@Carolyn_Lesley
Although you are T2 on Metformin (by your notes) himtoo's info is most pertinent. I measured my OGTT figures and I peaked @ ~50 minutes so for most normal foods the peak will be about 1hr, just remember that some foods can peak later esp. fatty foods so try to remeber these exceptions!

 

[IanD]

Please can I have some opinions on testing bgl? Should I test an hour or two hours after food? When I had gestational it was two hours, on diagnosis recently the Dr told me an hour, ( but I did two hours) so recently I have alarmed myself by testing an hour after and sometimes getting high spikes which usually drop well but still a little high.

Hi Carolyn, I note that you are T2 on metformin, as I am.

When I was eating the NHS/Duk high carb diet (up to 8 years ago) my 2 hour BGs were below 9, & my HbA1c around 7, so it seemed I had satisfactory control.
Complications developed, particularly crippling peripheral neuropathy.

7 years ago I change to a low carb diet & my health rapidly improved, & I was out of pain in 3 months. 2 hour testing was better, & there was a improvement in HbA1c

For test purposes I have tried testing in 1,2,3 hours after eating, carb or low carb. The 1 hour reading after a cereal (high carb) breakfast tends to mid-teens, whereas low carb is below 9.
2 hours they are about the same - 7-8
3 hours & high carb is below 5 & I'm hungry; whereas low carb is 6-7 & I'm ok.

My understanding is that the one hour spike with high carb does the damage to the body. It is worthwhile testing after 1 hour & modifying what you eat to eliminate that spike. The HbA1c is an overall average & does not pick up spikes nor lows.

Hope that helps.

 

[Nayera2003]

Hi,
If you test your blood sugar after food by one hour you are going to find it too high or too low its better to test after food by two hours or two hours and a half the insulin have worked but not completely and that's the right time to check your B.S.L
I hope you find the right answer

 

[andcol]

For me I generally test at 1 2 and 3 when eating new food types to get a profile of how rapid the peak is and how fast I return

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I would do it both 1 hour and 2 hours after eating. The 1 hour shows how high it gets and the 2 hour shows if it's gone back down or not.

This is a really good explanation on how to use self testing to get your blood glucose levels down:

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

 

[Bluetit1802]

I test at 1 hour, 2 hours and 2.5hrs, and keep going if I haven't returned to somewhere near base. I find my peaks are actually about 90 minutes, so somewhere between an hour and 2 hours, and I am usually back to base by 2.5hrs. Some of my 1 hour spikes are a bit frightening, but as long as I am down again fairly quickly, I'm happy.