A quick question about glucose testing

cafeaulait7

I'm supposed to test my BG 4x a day until my next doctor's app't to get a log for him (but I'm not diabetic, so it's not health-critical testing). It looks pretty much like I'm pre-diabetic from my tracking so far.

It's supposed to be based on my meals, but between a couple of them, I sip on coffee with cream and might have a few bites of fruit or whatever. So it doesn't seem to make sense to call that 'after meal' or 'before meal' since it won't be 2 hrs from eating (or even an hour).

I'll still do it, of course, but how do any of you process that data? Don't you basically ignore a reading if you know your BG will be pretty high then and it is? It just doesn't sound terribly helpful, lol.

elsyoommen

it's important to give your doctor accurate info. so if you are supposed to do it 2 hrs after a meal, wait 2 hrs, take the BG reading then have your snack. it's not helpful to have readings that are not reflective of what they are looking for (i.e. what your blood sugars are doing 2 hrs after eating something). also make sure you take notes of what you eat along with the readings so that it can guide your own behaviours later - in other words this is how you figure out your own trigger foods or food combinations.

cafeaulait7

Oh! OK, I'll try that starting now. Thanks!

I did check it with just the coffee and cream today, and that one didn't seem to cause a problem at all with my BG. Thank goodness! I'd hate to not be able to sip on coffee on normal days.

MyOwnSunshine

This is a question that you may want to clarify with your doctor so you can provide him/her with the data necessary to make a good diagnosis and treatment plan for you.

With that being said, in the hospital we check blood sugars immediately before the three main meals and once before bedtime.

alexandriax03

You might have insulin resistance. I am not diabetic or pre diabetic but I have insulin resistance. I'm taking care of it now because if it goes untreated, it can lead to pre diabetes and then full blown type 2 diabetes. What are your typical numbers?

I also have reactive hypoglycemia so I test very frequently… every 30 minutes some days.

Most doctors will want you to test right before a meal/snack and then 2 hours after.

If you are insulin resistant, your doctor might suggest eliminating coffee as it impairs insulin action. Caffeine (even plain brewed coffee) can affect blood sugar a tiny bit if you have type 2.

cafeaulait7

I'd better give him a call. If he's trying to see what I usually do, then I wouldn't stop nibbling on a few berries here and there, lol. I'll get it clarified

You might have insulin resistance. I am not diabetic or pre diabetic but I have insulin resistance. I'm taking care of it now because if it goes untreated, it can lead to pre diabetes and then full blown type 2 diabetes. What are your typical numbers?

I also have reactive hypoglycemia so I test very frequently… every 30 minutes some days.

Most doctors will want you to test right before a meal/snack and then 2 hours after.

If you are insulin resistant, your doctor might suggest eliminating coffee as it impairs insulin action. Caffeine (even plain brewed coffee) can affect blood sugar a tiny bit if you have type 2.

Yeah, I have PCOS, so I think it's probably insulin resistance. My numbers are almost all above 110, and as high as 170 I think it was. I have the software for my monitor and half of my numbers are not in optimal range But they aren't disturbingly high, either, so that's very good news.

Exercise really knocks them down! I've had some numbers below 100 after that.

I think I could do decaf if I need to! It's the taste of coffee that I can't give up

sssgilber

After 3 months of WW and MFP, my blood sugar readings are normal! The doc said I can stop the at-home blood sugar testing and just come in for labs every 6 months. If I'm this much healthier after a 10% loss, I'll be Wonder Woman when I lose the rest.

Good luck on your test results. I hope your doctor is amazed.

LilRedRooster

Diabetes itself is technically (by the books) defined by your fasting blood sugar levels and glucose tolerance (i.e. after eating) levels. Usually "normal" levels are fasting = 99 or below, and glucose tolerance = 139 or below, but most officials press harder to have even non-fasting levels 120 or below. Higher levels of either one indicate a "pre-diabetic" state, which is a result of insulin resistance, and higher levels long-term can really wreak havoc on just about every system in your body.

All that "pre-diabetic" means is that you have higher levels than normal but not quite high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Whether that's from insulin resistance or pancreatic destruction, if those levels are allowed to trend upward without intervention, you will end up with diabetes. Even moderately high levels are worth keeping an eye on, since over time, insulin resistance can and does lead to pancreas fatigue (putting out more insulin to get glucose levels right is very hard on the pancreas, and it gets worn out to the point where it eventually stops working properly).

DEFINITELY take sugars when you're asked to take them, because that gives a better picture of insulin response, even if you think the numbers are obvious. And like someone else said, keep track of what foods you ate and when, and how much. Also include exercise. It may seem overkill, but early intervention on diabetes or pre-diabetes can give you MUCH better outcomes long-term.

Good luck! And definitely ask your doctor questions! Ask him what the numbers mean, what he's looking for, and what it all means for you. It's easy to get lost in the jargon, but don't be afraid to ask.

Stage14

Ask your doctor how critical the timing is. Your doctor may need very exact info at exact intervals or he may not.

H is diabetic and his log has the pre/post meal set up too, but his doctor jar wants to make sure the first reading is before ANY food or drink. She doesn't care where the other two fall in relation to eating as long as he notes when and what he last ate before the reading.

cafeaulait7

Thanks, y'all! I'll make sure to ask. My doc really just wanted to make sure that I don't get hypoglycemic after exercise and on my 'diet', so I'm very lucky he let me have the meter to track. The high readings were a bit of a surprise!

OTOH, I have PCOS, so as I age the chances go up the system could be wearing out towards diabetes. I'm just so glad I know how often they aren't optimal so that I can make more changes. I definitely don't want diabetes!

sssgilber, awesome job!

TigerBite

An A1C blood test is WAY more accurate than spot checking ...

ETA: in determining if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic ...

cafeaulait7

An A1C blood test is WAY more accurate than spot checking ...

ETA: in determining if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic ...

I'm sure he's probably run that before; at my next app't I'm sure we'll talk about it. My iron and hemoglobin levels are low now for a long while, and I'm seeing a gastro doc this week, so maybe that's why he gave me the monitor, too. A1C could be off with hemoglobin/iron issues I just read, so that would make sense.

I get the impression that he's not concerned with pre-diabetes in general. That's fine, but I'd rather watch a few things at that point so it doesn't progress I'm certainly glad it's not something I have to really worry about or anything, but not trying to improve it would just be lazy/silly on my part, imho.

michael1976_ca

no one mention this yet but wash your hand with just water before you test the soaps and fruit that you ate with your fingers will throw every thing off

andibenoit

An A1C blood test is WAY more accurate than spot checking ...

ETA: in determining if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic ...

An A1C is not necessarily more accurate for everybody. My doctor ONLY did A1C tests, and because of that I went improperly diagnosed for 4 years... It turned out that I was having huge peaks and valleys... Really high (fastings sometimes into the 200s), and then really low at other times. Both tools need to be used as recommended by the doctor.