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What is your general B G readings
- Thread starter Lilliepop
- Start Date
Yorksman
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't use a home meter to diagnose either prediabetes or diabetes. Firstly the meters are not accurate enough and are required only to be within a 20% range of the actual value and secondly, the quality of the blood sample by finger pricking is variable because you get other tissue fluids in the sample. Better is a venous sample, ie from a vein with a syringe and either, fasting blood levels over a period, ie from the blood plasma or better still a hba1c which gives a sort of 12 week average from the red blood cells. A single reading of 9 on a home meter really has no meaning. If you had them regularly, it's worth getting one of the other tests done.
Home meters are good as 'relative devices' ie they show you what foods do and do not work for you and with repeated testing show you if your average is going up or down. How true that average really is doesn't matter that much. I took my own fasting meter reading before I went for a venous test at the hospital. My result was 8.8 mmol/L. When I got back, I did it again and it was 8.0 mmol/L. The actual test at the hospital showed 7.6mmol/L.
All those weeks ago I got many readings in the 8s and 9s but they have come down slowly and now I am mostly in the 4s, 5s and 6s. Very occasionally, I get something in the 7s. I do watch what I eat however. I avoid sweets, buns, biscuits, chocolate bars etc but also white bread, white rice and mashed potatoes. I do however eat brown rice, wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta and boiled new potatoes but am losing weight and doing exercise. So the drop in levels is through control, it hasn't disappeared.
But I did go for a walk on Morecambe promenade yesterday and treated myself to an ice cream. I remained in the 5s, but that's as much as I will push my luck for the time being.
Home meters are good as 'relative devices' ie they show you what foods do and do not work for you and with repeated testing show you if your average is going up or down. How true that average really is doesn't matter that much. I took my own fasting meter reading before I went for a venous test at the hospital. My result was 8.8 mmol/L. When I got back, I did it again and it was 8.0 mmol/L. The actual test at the hospital showed 7.6mmol/L.
All those weeks ago I got many readings in the 8s and 9s but they have come down slowly and now I am mostly in the 4s, 5s and 6s. Very occasionally, I get something in the 7s. I do watch what I eat however. I avoid sweets, buns, biscuits, chocolate bars etc but also white bread, white rice and mashed potatoes. I do however eat brown rice, wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta and boiled new potatoes but am losing weight and doing exercise. So the drop in levels is through control, it hasn't disappeared.
But I did go for a walk on Morecambe promenade yesterday and treated myself to an ice cream. I remained in the 5s, but that's as much as I will push my luck for the time being.
comparing the 2 isn't a good idea either as poorly controlled pre diabetics can have higher numbers than a well controlled T2. For instance my readings are usually in the middle to high 4's before a meal and about 6 two hours after hardly ever above 7 - haven't seen a 9 for over 3 years I am well controlled but I know if I slackened off on that control I would be soon see double figures.
LittleWolf
Well-Known Member
My 2 hour after meal readings are anywhere between 7.5 and the highest has been around 15 but most often 8ish.
Still trying to get tested for diabetes though, GP won't do it.
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Still trying to get tested for diabetes though, GP won't do it.
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I have been told I am borderline diabetic so pre diabetic really. I am still getting used to what I can eat. At the moment I can't eat bread, pasta or rice. I get very tired if I eat any of these, wholemeal or not. My morning bg is about 6.4 and the other day I had a chicken salad wrap and my bg after 2 hours was 11.2 Even tried gluten and wheat free but still cause a rise. I think it is a matter of trying different foods and see what your body can tolerate.
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destiny0321
Well-Known Member
Try burgen bread which you can get from most supermarkets, I saw people on here talking about it so I bought some it releases sugars slowly.also a lot of people rate it with peanut butter it is guite nice hope it helps from a type 2
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LittleWolf
Well-Known Member
Had a 15.6 @_@ Errm.. I think I will go to that walk in clinic...
Yorksman
Well-Known Member
thecrazy1 said:
The problem with lots of supermarket breads which are labelled 'wholemeal' is that they can contain very little wholemeal. One survey by the Real Bread Campaign showed that in one instance, a loaf labelled wholemeal contained as little as 6%. As you say, you have to test.
Two products that I have found to be reliable are Morrisons Brown Long Grain Rice (Easy Cook) and Buitoni Wholegrain Pasta. When it comes to wraps, tortillas, chappatis etc, they all need testing. Doesn't matter if it says wholemeal or whole grain, some work some don't.
One comment I liked in the Real Bread Campaign's 'A Wholegrain of Truth', http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=266 was that if you wanted to be sure about your wholegrain bread, bake it yourself with flour from a trusted mill.
lukkymik
Well-Known Member
Littlewolf... Yes go to the walk in clinic but whilst your there as who you should report your GP to as they are, in effect, endangering your life if your readings are as bad as you describe. Whether this is through lack of knowledge or incompetance is immaterial!!! If they do this to diabetics what about all the other problems people see them about???
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LittleWolf
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't know who to report really as I see a different doctor every time according to availability or I'll be waiting weeks for appointments. I think half the problem is no one doctor has a complete picture of my medical history or the numerous risk factors (hereditary, having PCOS etc) The long list of symptoms that seem like they are caused by diabetes goes completely forgotten. I have to remind them of what I've been treated for before (be it a string of nasty infections or whatever) They have no record of the amount of emergency hospital visits I've had at all.
Every time I ring the practice and ask to book an appointment (and I have directly asked for a fasting/HbAc1/GTT) they look at my age, height and weight and say 'no way.' I can't really pin this on any individual, rather a lack of communication.
I'm also scared of telling someone I have a glucometer if I haven't already been diagnosed because only hypochondriacs do that
Just was at my wit's end having hypo/hyper feelings and not knowing *** was going on.
I don't know about 'how can they do this to a diabetic' if because no one has explicitly said so, I am not diabetic to anyone's knowledge. It is kind of awkward every time an ambulance picks me up and asks if I'm diabetic. Um, well...
I doubt they would test for my massive 1 hour spikes that do come back down to 7 at 2 hours for some foods. For some reason pizza in particular keeps me in double figures for like 6 hours. Something abut the combination of bread, cheese and tomato @_@ Much more than any of those foods on their own. I'm not so sure how 'bad' 15.6 is because I hear so much contradictory information about how high nondiabetic sugar levels will go, whether spikes matter as long as they DO go down eventually and I hear so crazy-ass numbers on this site. My friend is diagnosed T1 and I feel like a pest asking him if those kinds of numbers are ok when he likely goes much higher and doesn't have any problems or just deals with them. Am I being a whiny ***** because those sort of levels make me puke uncontrollably, when others don't and the poor guy has been hospitalized with DKA many times?
But right now I am in my pajamas in the library having been up all night doing coursework as I have deadlines all this week and work next week. Got to find the time to go into the city. I'm pretty nervous though. Do I just walk in and be like 'Hey I think I might be diabetic/prediabetic, am I just paranoid?!' *reels off symptoms*
rantrantrant
Every time I ring the practice and ask to book an appointment (and I have directly asked for a fasting/HbAc1/GTT) they look at my age, height and weight and say 'no way.' I can't really pin this on any individual, rather a lack of communication.
I'm also scared of telling someone I have a glucometer if I haven't already been diagnosed because only hypochondriacs do that
Just was at my wit's end having hypo/hyper feelings and not knowing *** was going on.
I don't know about 'how can they do this to a diabetic' if because no one has explicitly said so, I am not diabetic to anyone's knowledge. It is kind of awkward every time an ambulance picks me up and asks if I'm diabetic. Um, well...
I doubt they would test for my massive 1 hour spikes that do come back down to 7 at 2 hours for some foods. For some reason pizza in particular keeps me in double figures for like 6 hours. Something abut the combination of bread, cheese and tomato @_@ Much more than any of those foods on their own. I'm not so sure how 'bad' 15.6 is because I hear so much contradictory information about how high nondiabetic sugar levels will go, whether spikes matter as long as they DO go down eventually and I hear so crazy-ass numbers on this site. My friend is diagnosed T1 and I feel like a pest asking him if those kinds of numbers are ok when he likely goes much higher and doesn't have any problems or just deals with them. Am I being a whiny ***** because those sort of levels make me puke uncontrollably, when others don't and the poor guy has been hospitalized with DKA many times?
But right now I am in my pajamas in the library having been up all night doing coursework as I have deadlines all this week and work next week. Got to find the time to go into the city. I'm pretty nervous though. Do I just walk in and be like 'Hey I think I might be diabetic/prediabetic, am I just paranoid?!' *reels off symptoms*
rantrantrant
pav
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you would be better off going to a walk in clinic, if you have the data cable for your meter do a print off of the numbers. Normally we mostly test pre and 2 hours post meals to see what our numbers are as they can spike after about an hour.
Unfortunately you are not alone in the feeling that one is not listened to by some doctors, my place used to operate on the same principle and if you wanted to see a specific doc you had to wait ages, loosing any consistency. Now all done by diagnoses by phone.
Its not always type 2's are overweight as can been seen on here.
Unfortunately you are not alone in the feeling that one is not listened to by some doctors, my place used to operate on the same principle and if you wanted to see a specific doc you had to wait ages, loosing any consistency. Now all done by diagnoses by phone.
Its not always type 2's are overweight as can been seen on here.
LittleWolf
Well-Known Member
Thanks, I'll look into getting a cable. It will be useful for them to see the numbers instead of taking my word for it because I can have the occasional really nasty hypo too. I think NotaCommonLoon explained the insulin resistance in T2s hypo thing in a way I understand but my T1 friend was like 'how are you having pp numbers like that AND hypoing?' :shock:
I test first thing in the morning 2 hours after breakfast, (often skip lunch) before dinner, 2 hours after dinner. I just started checking 1 hour after seeing 8s, 9s, 10s creeping up in frequency and wondering *** must have been going on in those two hours. I lose so much time falling asleep on the couch after meals. Or on public transport. However superficial it sounds I worry about drooling and snoring when I nod off too...
Sorry to hear that, Pav... but I trust you've found a better surgery now? Hope so. It's kind of dangerous that information isn't being shared, especially for people with really bad conditions/complications/allergies and things. After so many admissions in a couple months you'd think someone would put it in my notes that opiates make my insides bleed :shock:
I test first thing in the morning 2 hours after breakfast, (often skip lunch) before dinner, 2 hours after dinner. I just started checking 1 hour after seeing 8s, 9s, 10s creeping up in frequency and wondering *** must have been going on in those two hours. I lose so much time falling asleep on the couch after meals. Or on public transport. However superficial it sounds I worry about drooling and snoring when I nod off too...
Sorry to hear that, Pav... but I trust you've found a better surgery now? Hope so. It's kind of dangerous that information isn't being shared, especially for people with really bad conditions/complications/allergies and things. After so many admissions in a couple months you'd think someone would put it in my notes that opiates make my insides bleed :shock:
jennyleach
Member
Hi Littlewolf...there is a brilliant site called Glucose Graph and it allows you to enter all your BG with the time and medication....and it then shows you a graph of the inputted BGs. It is also a printable graph and separate reports which you will be able to show your Drs ...hope this helps and best of luck with them.
