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so what does the finger test mean ?

WackyJacky64

WackyJacky64

Well-Known Member
I have around 130 carbs a day , my pre and post meal readings are all normal highest has been 8.9 but been ill with a cold and cough, but normally wake to 5.4 or 5.7 occasionally it is higher but still in normal range.

Will the carbs raise my A1c or do these numbers on the meter show i am doing okay ?

Thanks .
 
You use it to measure your blood glucose before your meal and two hours after the first bite. You are looking for a rise of no more than 2. I would not be happy with 8.9. Having said that, if you are unwell it will raise your blood glucose and all you can do is ride it out.
 
I wasn't happy with 8.9 , it only happens when i am unwell. So does normal finger prick tests are a kind of indication of what the a1c is ?
 
If you download the mysugr app and record your numbers, after a few days it will give you an estimated hba1c. It took me around 6 days, testing 6 times a day. It is unlikely to be exact with the lab test but if you enter data over a period of time, I found it close enough, and highly motivating.
 
You need to test several times a day for the 6 to 8 weeks prior to an HbA1c test to get any value from using the finger pricks to estimate the HbA1c, and even then it is unreliable. If you test when you wake up and before each meal, plus 1 and 2 or even 3 hours after a meal and before bed you may have a better chance. You have no idea what is happening between finger prick tests, so the more you test the better idea you will have. It isn't just food that affects our blood sugar, it is also activities such as exercise, plus stress hormones play a big part, other medications, and illness.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
You have no idea what is happening between finger prick tests
Click to expand...
Yes, particularly while asleep at night, unless one invests in a CGM. Even then, there is always a doubt - was I sleeping on the arm with the sensor stuck to it? IMO the A1c is not the ultimate arbitrator, just one more unreliable test to add to the unreliable finger pricks, unreliable CGMs, unreliable food labels that bedevil us.
 
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