What is Normal blood sugar levels for non-diabetic whilst drinking?

[asker14284]

Yesterday me and all my friends tested our blood sugar levels using my friends ( a type 1 diabetics) machine and mine came back as 12 whereas my other two friends was 7 - 8 is.
I was just wondering what is normal for a non-diabetic levels to be after drinking ciders and cocktails all day. I hadn't really eaten much at this point of the day. However it had been less than two hours since I had my last drink.
Please can anybody help as I am not very worried about my sugar levels? And does anyone have a way I can test my levels at home

 

[Rachox]

I'm no expert as I was only diagnosed Type 2 two months ago. Your random test is difficult to interpret, but it is higher than your friends' so if they were doing comparable things you could assume yours is too high. You could either buy a meter, freely available on Amazon, you could ask for a test at a pharmacy, I think Lloyds do them or you could get an appt with your GP.

 

[catapillar]

A random blood sugar of 12 is a little high. WHO guidelines on diagnostic criteria for diabetes say a randome blood sugar of > 11.1 is a cause for further tests to rule out diabetes. It is probably worth a visit to your GP to get checked out and have a hba1c test to rule out diabetes.

It may just have been an anomalous test, not clean hands etc. But worth getting checked.

You can test your levels at home with a blood sugar monitor. But there doesn't seem a lot of point in doing that if you're just going to test and worry about the numbers without a diagnosis. So first step would be get to your GP to see whether you need to be worrying about blood sugar levels.

If you are diagnosed most type 2s aren't prescribed blood sugar monitors. They can be purchased without a prescription. The costly bit isn't the monitor but the test strips. I think some type 2 members will have advice on the most economical meters if it turns out you need one. But cross that bridge if you come to it. Like I said, it could just have been an anomalous result and you have a hba1c under 42 and no diabetes, go see your GP to get it checked.

 

[Alison Campbell]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Please can you make an appointment with your doctor/nurse tomorrow for a blood test and try not to worry. Normal people can spike quite high after consuming sugar.

A one off reading using a home meter tells you nothing. Meters are not that accurate a higher numbers and did you all wash you hands after consuming sweet drinks and before testing?

Best to get the test done by health professionals so you can stop worrying.

 

[sally and james]

@asker14284 you say that you had been drinking cider and cocktails all day and hadn't eaten anything much. Despite years of practice with all manner of liquid refreshment, if I did that, I wouldn't be capable of carrying out an accurate blood test. Would your fingers have been totally uncontaminated with sugary drinks, did you wash and dry properly first? Did anyone drop the test strips on a contaminated table before use?
However, having raised the issue of diabetes and there being a possibility that you may be developing insulin resistance (ie inability to process sugars properly), you should carry out, or get a qualified person to carry out further tests, ideally following an overnight fast.
Sally

 

[leslie10152]

Yesterday me and all my friends tested our blood sugar levels using my friends ( a type 1 diabetics) machine and mine came back as 12 whereas my other two friends was 7 - 8 is.
I was just wondering what is normal for a non-diabetic levels to be after drinking ciders and cocktails all day. I hadn't really eaten much at this point of the day. However it had been less than two hours since I had my last drink.
Please can anybody help as I am not very worried about my sugar levels? And does anyone have a way I can test my levels at home

I would get tested asap, 12 is rather high and needs to be confirmed. Don't take chances with such a reading, better safe than sorry.

 

[leslie10152]

A random blood sugar of 12 is a little high. WHO guidelines on diagnostic criteria for diabetes say a randome blood sugar of > 11.1 is a cause for further tests to rule out diabetes. It is probably worth a visit to your GP to get checked out and have a hba1c test to rule out diabetes.

It may just have been an anomalous test, not clean hands etc. But worth getting checked.

You can test your levels at home with a blood sugar monitor. But there doesn't seem a lot of point in doing that if you're just going to test and worry about the numbers without a diagnosis. So first step would be get to your GP to see whether you need to be worrying about blood sugar levels.

If you are diagnosed most type 2s aren't prescribed blood sugar monitors. They can be purchased without a prescription. The costly bit isn't the monitor but the test strips. I think some type 2 members will have advice on the most economical meters if it turns out you need one. But cross that bridge if you come to it. Like I said, it could just have been an anomalous result and you have a hba1c under 42 and no diabetes, go see your GP to get it checked.

I agree, sometime prior to being diagnosed, I turned up a level of 13.6. I was tested by a friend who was t2, and she warned me to get tested asap! I ignored the warning, then woke up in hospital 2 months later. FOOL!!

 

[Mbaker]

I am not sure if it is the same in all areas (mine is Colchester), but Tesco's, Sainsbury's (one of these 2 has the Lloyd's Pharmacy) and Boots all do free Blood Glucose tests. If you are going to go tomorrow stop eating and drinking anything with sugar (to be sure just have still / tap water and no food at all) from around 20:00 this evening until you get tested (this is known as a fasted test), you might get you test there and then so you will be correctly physically prepared, and you can tell them that you fasted from the night before.

The test would check for your average reading over the last 3 months (HbA1c), you should get the results within a week, but you might want to ask for the snapshot reading of your fasting blood glucose - you should be at or below 5.5; if not do not panic, just make an appointment with your GP (if you do get a blood test from your GP ask for a FULL blood test and get a full print out of all of the results and staff either a manual or electronic dairy, this is a good idea even if you are non-diabetic, so that you can learn and reference check maybe each 6 months or year), and come back on here.

 

[DCUKMod]

I am not sure if it is the same in all areas (mine is Colchester), but Tesco's, Sainsbury's (one of these 2 has the Lloyd's Pharmacy) and Boots all do free Blood Glucose tests. If you are going to go tomorrow stop eating and drinking anything with sugar (to be sure just have still / tap water and no food at all) from around 20:00 this evening until you get tested (this is known as a fasted test), you might get you test there and then so you will be correctly physically prepared, and you can tell them that you fasted from the night before.

The test would check for your average reading over the last 3 months (HbA1c), you should get the results within a week, but you might want to ask for the snapshot reading of your fasting blood glucose - you should be at or below 5.5; if not do not panic, just make an appointment with your GP (if you do get a blood test from your GP ask for a FULL blood test and get a full print out of all of the results and staff either a manual or electronic dairy, this is a good idea even if you are non-diabetic, so that you can learn and reference check maybe each 6 months or year), and come back on here.

Mbaker - Are you suggesting that the pharmacy chains are doing HbA1cs? I thought they just did random tests with a "normal" meter, but I'd be happy to be wrong on this one.