Shock while comparing two meters!

[Ka-Mon]

I did a comparison test today to see if the new meter I got through the post yesterday and my old one gave the same results.

Lunch: Ham sandwich, two slices of bread was about 90grams.
Pre-meal:
Old meter = 6.3
New meter: 5.7

1 hour post meal:
Old meter: 14.0 :shock:
New meter: 12.2 :shock:

2 hours post meal:
Old meter: 4.9 :shock:
New meter: 4.5 :shock:

The difference isn't actually that much although 1 hour post-meal was 2.2.
I've never been as high as 14 on a sandwich before so why it went so high today I have no idea, that on it's own was a big shock but why the 8-9 points drop :?

Not that I am not happy that my BG went down that much at 2 hours post-meal but how and why? I didn't exercise or go for a walk. All I did was to go into the garage 1 hour after I had eaten and tidy up a little, didn't even sweat so don't think I worked it off. I did wash my hands before testing too so can't be that either.

I still can't figure it out.

 

[jopar]

Are you sure that you didn't have any rements of sandwich on you hands or perhaps a bit of soap that you hadn't quite washed off probably?

Even non-diabetics can get a hefty spike after eating a meal!

The notion why we test at 2 hours is because of this spiking that common to the non-diabetics, the assumption being that if your bg is the same, below or slightly higher than pre-meal then you wouldn't had a high spike!

The only explination I can think of as you are T2 that your body was able to adjust to bring your levels back to normal after the spike.. When you eaten at other times the same thing has happened, but because you've take medication you've always assumed that it's the medication doing the work!

I think that you will have to repeat a couple of times to see if it was a one off quirk or whether this happens all the time..

As to the meters, I've yet to have two meter's that give the same reading, so always stick to using just one for all readings, and if I get a new one that proves to be reading lower than the older meter, I put the new one back as a spare... Using the one with the higher reading means that when it comes to my HbA1c, generally I will get the truer more reflective HbA1c result..

 

[donnellysdogs]

THere has been other postings about diferent readings on different meters.


Meters are allowed to vary within certain tolerances......just like petrol pumps at a filling station.....you may or not be aware that when you buy a litre or petrol-you can be getting variances to that...petrol stations are allowed to give less or more within certain tolerances legally....the minute they go over these tolerances in either direction then Trading Standards can go down hard on the pertrol retailers....petrol pumps also wear and tear with their parts, so that is why they are tested by TStandards so regularly....


Our meters have the same sort of concept with tolerances...however, they are meant as an indication of levels....not necessarily the exact, precise levels....meters all have to come within tolerances...I too was shocked when I realised this..but now have come to accept that they are an indication...so when my levels say they are 4.1...I believe that they could possibly be lower....which would definitely be hypo....

 

[ill3st]

Likewise, I've used two meters before and the difference can be sizeable.

 

[AndyS]

I tend to try and corelate what the meter says with how I feel.

If my meter says 3.1 and I feel fine, then retest and it says 4.2 I go with the higher reading. If I feel rubbish I go with the lower.

I think you kind of need to take these in context and thing about what you have been doing and what you will be doing next. For instance if you meter says 5.1 and you feel a little hypo and are just about to eat then assume it is accurate and go with that. If on the other hand you are about to jump in the car for the 1 hour commute home then it is probably a good idea to assume it is reading high and take a small snack just to make sure you will be safe.

At least, that's how I approach it all anyway. Engineerings tollerences are just that, you just have to ask "How tollerant was the engineer?"

/A

 

[Ka-Mon]

It's not really the meter readings that i was surprised at because I am aware that every piece of equipment, mechanical or electrical, do have a tolerance rate. When I phoned to inquire about my old BG meter I was told that the tolerance was 30%, a bit too much I thought but he said that's how it is. So in reality a reading of ten could be a 7 or a 13 according to him. Not very good for diabetics, especially for T1 who have to calculate their carbs to insulin ratio.

It's the same with car speedometers, can't remember exactly but it's something like 5 or 10% tolerance so in reality you could be driving at the legal speed limit but will get flashed by the cameras because you might be driving faster than 30mph.

What shocked me was that my BG rose so high on food that I never expected especially because it never happened before. Not only that but it went down lower than what I started with before I ate it. :?

Really wished I knew why but as Jopar says I will have to test a few more times to see if it'll happen again. Will have to try and find something else to do though, gets a bit boring trying to tidy up a clean garage. :lol:

 

[Unbeliever]

Just had terrible shock testing with the new meter. I have been out today . plenty of exercise but ate at odd times , which is why I was tesing now.
I normally have reading around 5 a couple of hours after meals. I just tested at 13.5 tried again 11'2 and again (.8.
I won't blame the meter yet. My sight is so bad I might have set it incorrectly or misread the instructions but have never encountered this problem before. Still will check in daylight.
same new meter as yours Ka-Mon.

 

[donnellysdogs]

A few things jump to my mind-have any of your lots of meds changed? I only say this as I know my levels change dramatically when my meds change -but then again...mine will change all day and not just after meals....

Do you carb count or carb estimate or neither? Only reason I ask is the 2 slices of bread for me works out at 36g CHO not 90g-but unsure whether that was the weight of the bread you mentioned-or the qty of CHO you thought it was.....bread can raise postmeal levels...that's why some people use Burgen.
Did you have bread again today?

Personally, I wouldn't blame the meter- it wasn't way different to your old meter's readings on your original post with levels. I have had many, many meters over the years and can honestly say I have never had one that hasn't been within the tolerances.

Finally, like Jopar mentioned and I have experienced personally, are you 1005 sure your hands were clean. I even keep a packet of wet baby wipes in the car to ensure that my levels are 100% accurate and always wipe my hands with them prior to testing and driving. Haveing had a reading of 15+ when I was actually hypo and was testing because I felt rough,,,I can never do enough to ensure my hands are clean now...probably got OCD because of that incident!!!!

I honestly don't suspect the meter, but it could be possible I guess, just that I have had I would guestimate at 20 meters in 26 years and never had one that I would doubt...it has always been my fault!!!!

 

[Ka-Mon]

A few things jump to my mind-have any of your lots of meds changed? I only say this as I know my levels change dramatically when my meds change -but then again...mine will change all day and not just after meals....

No, I am still on same Meds, 4 x 500mg Metformin, nothing else.

Do you carb count or carb estimate or neither? Only reason I ask is the 2 slices of bread for me works out at 36g CHO not 90g-but unsure whether that was the weight of the bread you mentioned-or the qty of CHO you thought it was.....bread can raise postmeal levels...that's why some people use Burgen.
Did you have bread again today?

The 90g was the weight of the two slices of bread. What is "CHO"?

I carb counted for a while after diagnoses but just estimate now. I tried Bergen bread for about 3-4 months but changed back to the bread I used to eat before, I couldn't get used to the taste of Bergen bread.

Personally, I wouldn't blame the meter- it wasn't way different to your old meter's readings on your original post with levels. I have had many, many meters over the years and can honestly say I have never had one that hasn't been within the tolerances.

I am not blaming the meter/s, I was just shocked that my BG shot up to 14/12 whereas it (almost) never went over 8/9. And even so shocking was that it went down as low as 4.9/4.5.

I had a cheese sandwich this morning for breakfast, the slices were thinner this time, didn't weigh them but estimate around 60-70g. 1 hour after breakfast BG was 9.5 and 1 hour after that it went down to 4.9 again. So it wasn't just yesterday, same happened today. I will have to test more often now to find out if it happens again.

Finally, like Jopar mentioned and I have experienced personally, are you 1005 sure your hands were clean. I even keep a packet of wet baby wipes in the car to ensure that my levels are 100% accurate and always wipe my hands with them prior to testing and driving. Haveing had a reading of 15+ when I was actually hypo and was testing because I felt rough,,,I can never do enough to ensure my hands are clean now...probably got OCD because of that incident!!!!

I did wash my hands prior to testing so I'm pretty certain that the high reading could be down to that.

I honestly don't suspect the meter, but it could be possible I guess, just that I have had I would guestimate at 20 meters in 26 years and never had one that I would doubt...it has always been my fault!!!!

No, I don't suspect the meter either, woke up with a bit of a sore throat this morning, could be down to that maybe? Will have to keep an eye on BGs and see what happens. I may need to change a few things in my diet if the BG's stay that high.

 

[RussG]

CHO simply means carbohydrate. It's the amount of carb in something that's important when it comes to raising BG. Obviously the heavier the weight of bread, i.e. bigger slices, then generally the greater amount of carb, but all breads are different. I've found an M&S 30% seeds bread that I seem to be able to tolerate fairly well. Also, the higher the fibre content, the lower the GI should be and thus more slowly absorbed.

 

[viviennem]

Are they the same make of meter, Ka-mon? I have 2, a Bayer Contour which measures whole blood, and a Freestyle Lite which measures plasma. The whole blood meters give lower readings than the plasma ones.

Mind you, Cugila used to say (and I believe him 'co I tried it!) that you can get two different readings from the same meter using the same drop of blood :shock:

Viv 8)

 

[bowell]

Its the test strip that does all ,,The work... Maybe nothing up with your meter :roll:

Your meter is just that a voltage meter
Yes that can give odd readings due to low bat or its just had its day or damaged

Each test strip will react differently or within a set range ,its a chemical reaction also affected by heat and cold. Other chemicals on your fingers can affect the reaction and the final reading


Use three meters of same make to find the odd one out


Bob

 

[Ka-Mon]

CHO simply means carbohydrate. It's the amount of carb in something that's important when it comes to raising BG. Obviously the heavier the weight of bread, i.e. bigger slices, then generally the greater amount of carb, but all breads are different. I've found an M&S 30% seeds bread that I seem to be able to tolerate fairly well. Also, the higher the fibre content, the lower the GI should be and thus more slowly absorbed.

Thanks Russ, I know about carbs but don't remember ever seeing/readin "CHO" anywhere and didn't know what it meant.

The bread I eat was recommended to me by a diabetic friend and although it is white bread it has never raised my BG that high in the past, only yesterday and today. I'll just keep testing and see what happens in the next few days/weeks.

 

[Ka-Mon]

Are they the same make of meter, Ka-mon? I have 2, a Bayer Contour which measures whole blood, and a Freestyle Lite which measures plasma. The whole blood meters give lower readings than the plasma ones.

No viv, different makes. The "old one" is an Accu-Chec Aviva Nano only about three weeks old, Accu-Chec replaced it because the one I had before that was giving me loads of errors.

The "new one" is a CareSense I got on Tuesday so only 3 days old so both are new really but I have no idea if they measure whole blood or plasma. I haven't read the book on either of them, what for? they are only instructions. :lol:

Mind you, Cugila used to say (and I believe him 'co I tried it!) that you can get two different readings from the same meter using the same drop of blood :shock:

Viv 8)

I did a double test as well with the same drop of blood on an old AccuChec, can't remember the exact results but there was about ~2mmol difference between each strip. I phoned AccuChec and was told that their meters had 30% tolerance and that the different results I had was within range.

The difference with the meters at yesterdays test is not much and quite acceptable what I was surprised about was the fact that I hit 14/12.2mmol and 9.5mmol this morning with the same food (sandwich) that I have never gone over 8-9. What was more surprising was that my BG had fallen by ~9mmol after 1 hour, I expected it to be still high 9's or even in the double figures.

Now I am left wondering why my BG went so high and why did it come down so much ? There must be a reason for that to happen but what?

 

[donnellysdogs]

How long have you been diagnosed and been on this level of insulin meds? It may just be adjustments...our bodies all take time to adjust and can go up and down etc according to stress levels, activitys and just coming to terms with change of diet etc.......

I really wouldn't get too hung up on what meters say...I think the guidelines are actually 10 or 20% allowance, but unsure....I have always taken it to be a 10%.

 

[Ka-Mon]

How long have you been diagnosed and been on this level of insulin meds? It may just be adjustments...our bodies all take time to adjust and can go up and down etc according to stress levels, activitys and just coming to terms with change of diet etc.......

I was diagnosed just over 2 years ago and had good control till now taking Metformin from day one. I get strips from my GP and have always been testing at least twice a day and never been that high before. No stress at the moment, no more than usual anyway and I am more active now than I ever been since diagnoses. I do have other medical conditions but they are stable so don't think it has anything to do with them either.

I really wouldn't get too hung up on what meters say...I think the guidelines are actually 10 or 20% allowance, but unsure....I have always taken it to be a 10%.

I'm not worried about the meters, if there was a much bigger difference then I would have called both the manufacturers but as there is very little difference and they both read higher than my usual I just would like to know why the sudden rise in my BG. Might have to visit my GP again and see what he says.

 

[donnellysdogs]

What are your tests results pre meal?

 

[donnellysdogs]

Just a thought...if you edit the title to 'type 2-hi levels after eating' you may get a better chance of finding somebody that has a few answers.......only a thought....as at the moment...I seem to be most interested, but I am not a type 2...I'm a type 1, and I do not know how your actual meds work...for example if you take them at breakfast and eat at lunch a main meal works out best...or for example if you take meds before a meal....so I think I am at the end of being able to think what help I can possibly think of as causes....

Just one last thought though........have you tried having the same amount of carbs but with quicker acting stuff like 1 piece of bread with say a light pudding of strawberrys and minimal carb yogurt??? Just to see if there is any difference?

 

[bowell]

Id start taking lot more readings over the next week i did this and found i was having wild swings from high to low My diet nor portion size had changed

GP placed me on JANUVIA

This has leveled out BG very well

You may have come to that stage to alter your Meds

When i go to GP i alway try and take a weeks worth of readings

 

[donnellysdogs]

I thought that too, but being a type 2, I didn't like to say because of strips being such an issue in some cases.......thanks for raising it, as I believe that is the right action to take too....just I didn't want to suggest testing more to a type 2-just in case there were issues....