Target Range?

JBurt said:

Now that I have gotten my hands on a glucose meter I’m wondering if there is a target range that we should consider healthy?

A T1 friend shared her target range with me so I have something to input to my device (4.0-10.0). Would this still be a good range to aim for in a non-diabetic person or person with RH?

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For a non diabetic with normal glycaemic/ insulin control, there should be no need for a range, because there is nothing to be wary of!
A T1 should be in the range of what you have said.

My range is not any of the above two examples.
I want to keep my range somewhere within normal range or just above normal levels which is between 4-7mmols at the spikes after food.
The reason is to prevent the trigger for the reaction.
My trigger is just over 7mmols, you're may be little higher.
The object and target is to stop the hypos. This is how you do it.
If you don't spike high, you don't trigger the reaction. The hyper spike causes the overshoot of insulin, this then causes a sugar crash and because you crash so much, your body's ability to stop it doesn't work and you go hypoglycaemic.
No spike, no hyper, no overshoot, no hypo!

To use the monitor efficiently, you may have to use it around meals to find out which foods spike you higher than the target you feel comfortable with and not ending in a hypo. You test pre meal and two hours after first bite. And if your post meal reading is over the limit you have set or 2mmols higher than pre reading. Something in that meal is causing it, usually the carbs or sugars.
You may have to test your fasting levels to see if you are anywhere close to prediabetic or diabetic levels.
And you may want to find your time of spike, mine after testing and the eOGTTs have me around 45-50 minutes.
My hypo occurs between 3 hours 15minutes and 3 hrs 45 minutes.

I did a lot of experimentation, that is how I discovered that my intolerance levels to carbs is so low.
It is easier for me to avoid them, then mess about with portion size.
And I avoid the hypos, by not eating carbs.

I hope that helps. But keep asking, anything you are not certain of. Happy testing!
Oh I nearly forgot!
Keep a food diary, record everything you deem important.

Best wishes.

JBurt said:

It certainly does. Thanks again for the guidance! Since I started monitoring, all my levels have been "normal" though the swing is pretty drastic, sometimes going from 4s pre-meal to almost 9 post-meal and back down again. I haven't had any hypo symptoms these past couple of days while monitoring but have felt very sluggish and tired which is typical for me.

I think I'll slow down on the data collection after today and try to conserve test strips for meals that are more likely to cause issue and when I feel those telltale symptoms. At this point all I've gathered would have a doctor saying my levels are normal and I don't want to waste all of my strips on that when I'm paying out of pocket.

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Thanks.
It is the swing, that is abnormal, and any endo worth his degree will recognise this.
You may be similar to me, where your spike only has only one peak, 'normal ' has two, a small slight dip before the actual spike.
You only have to repeat testing on the same meal, once you know that there is important details in your control and you want more information about that meal. And ensuring your BG levels are ok.

Keep asking, let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

JBurt said:

I believe you're right based on what I am seeing. I also seem to spike on the earlier side if my meal isn't as well balanced (around 30 mins) and then down it goes. I would love to have the attention of an endo. Hopefully arming myself with my own data + the tests my physician will conduct will get me there. In Canada we must get a referral, so it's a bit challenging.

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It is a lot challenging in the U.K.
The waiting times to see a specialist in some parts of the NHS, is horrendously long.
And we also need a referral.
But you seem to have a grasp of what you need to do. And the more information to help your doctor the better.

If your spike is around thirty minutes, that may be classed as, glucose dumping or dumping syndrome.
Do you know if you have had, stomach or gut biome issues? Or intolerance issues when young?
Just curious!

Best wishes!

JBurt said:

It sounds like our systems are very similar! Incredibly long waits for any specialist are common here too, unfortunately.

I haven't heard of glucose dumping, so I'll do some more reading. Thanks for mentioning that,

I was never diagnosed with any stomach issues however have suspected a few times there may be something going on there. My mother has Celiac, though I've been tested for that and it was ruled out at the time.

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One of the main proposed reasons or causes for RH, is the bacterium helicobactor pylori in the gut.
Even after it is treated, the body has altered. And even tho the bacterium has gone, the bodies imbalance is still there.
Including myself and a few others have this in common.

Best wishes