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Testing after meal

R

redrickshaw

Active Member
Messages
31
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Ive just been told Im prediabetic. Ive been testing blood sugar 2hrs after meal. Now just read a post by Diabetic Living in US where they say you should test 2 hrs after you start eating. Which is best?
 
redrickshaw said:
Ive just been told Im prediabetic. Ive been testing blood sugar 2hrs after meal. Now just read a post by Diabetic Living in US where they say you should test 2 hrs after you start eating. Which is best?
Click to expand...

And while Im here - what do people consider best blood sugar meter in UK? Thank you
 
Test just before your first bite of food then again two hours after your first bite.

I use the SD Codefree meter but there are many on the market. The cost of replacement strips is a big factor in which model to choose.
 
Consistency is what is needed. The same timescale after every meal. You aren't looking for peaks but for trends. Peaks can happen at any time from around an hour to 3 hours or later depending on the contents of the meal.

Personally I test 2 hours after first bite, and I believe you will find most of us do that.
 
Cost of strips is the biggest issue for most if you are going to be testing a lot, are you in the UK?
 
Thanks everyone for the information. Will test after first bite from tomorrow. Ive got the SD blood sugar monitor. Yes the strips are expensive aren’t they! How do you know the machines are testing correctly?
 
redrickshaw said:
How do you know the machines are testing correctly?
Click to expand...
I have never had a problem with any of my meters. But if you do, you can purchase a control solution or ask for a free one which contains a liquid that should test within a certain range.
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-control-solution-low-and-high-parameters/

Please understand that meters are not as accurate as hospital lab blood tests, there is a lot of good information on the website attached to the forum about meter. Scroll down the page to see the current 2013 standards which came into force in 2016 here
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose-meters/blood-glucose-meter-accuracy.html
 
I use contour next bg tester I'm in Ireland so all is free as diabetes is a recognised long term illness
 
Last edited:
achike said:
Postprandial test for blood sugar is 2hrs after end of meal.

Sent from my E6683 using DCUK Forum mobile app
Click to expand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postprandial_glucose_test

A postprandial glucose test is a blood glucose test that determines the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in the blood after a meal. ... A 2-hour postprandial blood glucose test ("2 hour p.c. blood glucose test", etc.) measures blood glucose exactly 2 hours after eating a meal, timed from the start of the meal.
 
I test premeal and was given specific times of day to test when discharged from hosp. I'm on insulin so not sure if that makes a difference. Use jazz machine given free on discharge, was paying for meds but doctor has since sorted out exemption so all meds are now free.
 
First off, good work for doing post meal testing. I think this is one of the most useful things you can do.

I believe the standard is 2 hrs after as well described here.

I have a different approach which seems to work for me. I test to get direct readings from my own metabolism about which foods and which combos produce a "bump" and which ones don't so I can adjust what I eat and don't eat accordingly. I have found 30 min and one hour gives me the most info and that, for me anyway, the bump show is pretty much over at 2 hrs for most things I test now.
 
redrickshaw said:
Thanks everyone for the information. Will test after first bite from tomorrow. Ive got the SD blood sugar monitor. Yes the strips are expensive aren’t they! How do you know the machines are testing correctly?
Click to expand...

I use a Code Free too, I order the strips from Homehealth, here’s the link to them:
https://homehealth-uk.com/my-account/
And here’s some discount codes if you buy in bulk:
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
You can use them time and again.
 
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