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should i be worried ?

S

sue brad

Member
Messages
9
Location
manchester
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi please could you advise me, my daughter was a type 1 diabetic ,i have been feeling a little unwell and used her blood machine over the last few days my first reading 2 hours after an evening meal was 9 ,i then did two fasting tests on two differant days first one was 6.9 and this morning was 7.0 during today i have done two further test at 2pm it was 4.6 and at 5pm its now 7.0 .i have a thirst mainly during the evening and bad headaches ,and tired please advise me am i worring over nothing or should i see my gp ? i am 63 , thank you for any help ,sue
 
Hi Sue

A reading of 9.0 2 hours after a meal would be in line with suggesting 'impaired glucose tolerance'. However, during illness the body has a tendency to release hormones that also raise blood sugar.

Here's a bit more on this:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/479386-can-infection-raise-blood-sugar-levels-in-nondiabetics/

I wouldn't get too worried at this point. You may wish to re-try the test (2 hours after meals) at a time when you're not feeling ill as this may be more accurate.

For a full in depth answer, consult your doctor though.

Hope this helps a bit.
Ed
 
Dear Ed, thanks for your reply i have just taken a test 2 hours after my evening meal and it reads 9.2 is that ok ? thanks, sue.
 
Your readings to me are in diabetes territory, but as we are not doctors on this forum, we can't diagnose.

Book yourself an appointment with your GP, it will put your mind at rest either way.
 
Sue,

There are very few reasons why a non-diabetic would get the level of BG you are describing. The majority stay in very tight control around the 4.6 mark regardless of what they eat - the body regulates this. Illness can make a difference, but is still an anomoly. Basically, although it's not conclusive, your figures are indicative of diabetes. Speak to your doctor and get the tests done. Come back and tell us how you get on - at least you have some experience of diabetes, so if your fears are confirmed, you know it's not the end of the world.

Good luck

Smidge
 
Thanks smidge i will take note of what you said and make an appointment for next week if they can fit me in ,should i continue to take my blood tests untill then or should i just stop worrying ? sue.
 
Smidge - I'm not diabetic and my levels still vary from 4-8 during any given day at any given time. There is no way it stays around 4.6mmol and for all the other non diabetics I have tested most people hang around the 5-6mmol's more than anything. We probably have an hba1c in the mid/high 4's but hour to hour levels still fluctuate.
 
smidge said:
There are very few reasons why a non-diabetic would get the level of BG you are describing. The majority stay in very tight control around the 4.6 mark regardless of what they eat - the body regulates this.
Smidge
Click to expand...

Hi Smidge,

I am not diabetic myself, but my BG is NEVER that low! It is almost always around 5.2. The only time it is much higher is within an hour or so of a meal. The only time it is lower is after drinking alcohol!

Mark
 
These points are all true; non-diabetics can vary a lot from person to person. Smidge's point that Sue's readings are outside the norm is valid though and quite correct as well. A normal healthy non-diabetic 2 hours after eating should be less than 7.8, (also recommended less than 8.5 for a T2 diabetic) so a reading of 9 is too high. Can be one off reasons for that; poorly taken blood sample, innacuracy of our meters, etc; but that is why Sue needs a proper test, but it is indicative of diabetes.
To answer your query Sue, I can't see much point in continuing to take readings yourself; save that for if you're diagnosed, in my opinion, with the more accurate results the doctors can get.
 
Grazer said:
To answer your query Sue, I can't see much point in continuing to take readings yourself; save that for if you're diagnosed, in my opinion, with the more accurate results the doctors can get.
Click to expand...

Grazer,

Are the results from doctors really more accurate? What is the typical accuracy of a blood glucose meter?

Thanks

Mark
 
Hi Mark! Tests on a range of meters showed a divergence of up to 20% on true lab tests! Most aren't that bad, but even the best are no better than about 5%. they get worse at higher readings. If the doc does a finger prick test they will also have errors, but the proper test where blood is sent away is pretty much spot on unless there are delays in analysing it. There's also the potential with tests we do that we can do "bad" tests. If you squeeze near the site to get blood out you can force fluids into the mix and get a false reading. If you don't wash your hands properly you can get contaminants.
 
Hey guys!

I'm sorry, but fasting levels of 6 would have you called back for a further blood test. A second fasting test of 6 would have you categorised as pre-'diabetic with the expectation that you will become diabetic. The same is true of the post-prandial readings - whatever you've eaten you should be back down in the 5s or low 6s within 2 hours if you are metabolising glucose properly and you will probably never go above 8. The vast majority of people who metabolise glucose properly will not see a very wide range of BGs - high 3s to low 6s and mainly clustered around mid 4s to mid 5s. You would also expect your BGs to hold pretty steady in between meals and not drift up. The body regulates BGs pretty tightly. Obviously some people have a naturally higher reading and some a naturally lower reading, but overall, the normal range is pretty tight.

Smidge
 
Mark,

As Grazer says, there is a fairly high tolerance on the BG meters. The Roche Accucheck Mobile has a tolerance of +/- 15%. I rang them about this some time ago and they said that if you ever get a reading much higher or lower than you expect, they advise taking three tests one after the other and using an average. The blood tests the doctor does are more accurate I think, but they will still have some tolerance on them.

Smidge
 
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