Trying to get focused at last

[Flo jo]

Hi, here goes I’ve been absolutely rubbish at changing my eating habits, due to thinking there’s always tomorrow and it can’t be that bad as I feel fine, but I know diabeties won’t go away if I ignore it… when is the best time to do a finger prick test ? Did one last night my reading was 19.2 mmol/L … ( very embarrassed ) I take it this is my sugar level ? Is this terribly high ? And can anyone tell me what it should be , I’m 61 year old female … sorry for my ignorance !

 

[Sally71]

That is very high, were your hands clean though? Always make sure your fingers are clean and dry before you prick them, if there’s any trace of food residue on your finger it will affect the result.
normal levels are between 4.0 and 8.0 and shouldn’t rise more than 2-3 after eating. So the best times to test are immediately before you eat and then 2 hours later so that you can see how the food you have eaten has affected you. If it shoots up sharply then you need to look at reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the meal, if it stays fairly steady then the meal works for you.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Good to see you posting again @Flo jo

Good to hear that you’ve decided to try to focus on your diabetes a little more, and try to get it to behave a little better.

One of the tricky things about diabetes is that it can sort of creep up on you gradually. The human body os amazingly adaptable, and if your glucose levels have gradually increased over a long period you may not be getting much in the way of symptoms even though your glucose levels are way higher than ideal.

And sometimes you actually don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling until things change. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually, so you may just have convinced yourself that it’s how you ‘normally’ feel. Making a few positive changes amd reducing your glucose levels can give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook - which can make them easier to maintain 🙂

While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that are the easy targets to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean you need to avoid those things entirely, but reducing your portion sizes, and choosing the types that suit you best can have a huge impact 🙂

Good luck, and keep asking questions 🙂

 

[Leadinglights]

That is a pretty high reading to be seeing and if it is consistently that high you must be feeling pretty unwell.
Many find a low carbohydrate approach works so making sure they have no more than 130g total carbs not just sugar per day.
Getting an understanding of what food are high carb and therefore avoided or had in very small portions will help you get on the right track. This link may help you with some ideas for modifying your diet.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

Other people find that low calorie or shakes-based regime gives them a kick start but whatever you choose must be enjoyable otherwise it won't be sustainable

 

[Flo jo]

Good to see you posting again @Flo jo

Good to hear that you’ve decided to try to focus on your diabetes a little more, and try to get it to behave a little better.

One of the tricky things about diabetes is that it can sort of creep up on you gradually. The human body os amazingly adaptable, and if your glucose levels have gradually increased over a long period you may not be getting much in the way of symptoms even though your glucose levels are way higher than ideal.

And sometimes you actually don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling until things change. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually, so you may just have convinced yourself that it’s how you ‘normally’ feel. Making a few positive changes amd reducing your glucose levels can give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook - which can make them easier to maintain 🙂

While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that are the easy targets to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean you need to avoid those things entirely, but reducing your portion sizes, and choosing the types that suit you best can have a huge impact 🙂

Good luck, and keep asking questions 🙂

Thankyou for your reply The weekend was a bad weekend for me , maybe that’s why I did the prick test, knew it would be high…. It’s 2.00 snd so far Ive been very good will do another test in a couple of days , taking each hour as it comes

 

[Flo jo]

Thankyou for your reply The weekend was a bad weekend for me , maybe that’s why I did the prick test, knew it would be high…. It’s 2.00 snd so far Ive been very good will do another test in a couple of days , taking each hour as it comes

Good to see you posting again @Flo jo

Good to hear that you’ve decided to try to focus on your diabetes a little more, and try to get it to behave a little better.

One of the tricky things about diabetes is that it can sort of creep up on you gradually. The human body os amazingly adaptable, and if your glucose levels have gradually increased over a long period you may not be getting much in the way of symptoms even though your glucose levels are way higher than ideal.

And sometimes you actually don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling until things change. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually, so you may just have convinced yourself that it’s how you ‘normally’ feel. Making a few positive changes amd reducing your glucose levels can give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook - which can make them easier to maintain 🙂

While there are obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that are the easy targets to cut out straight away, you might be surprised how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. That doesn’t mean you need to avoid those things entirely, but reducing your portion sizes, and choosing the types that suit you best can have a huge impact 🙂

Good luck, and keep asking questions 🙂

Day 2 feeling mentally in a good place long may it last, Is there a best time to do the blood sugar prick test ?

 

[Leadinglights]

Day 2 feeling mentally in a good place long may it last, Is there a best time to do the blood sugar prick test ?

It rather depends on why you are testing.
To find the effect of a particular meal or food on your blood glucose then test before you eat and after 2 hours. you are looking for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase from your meal or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l after 2 hours.
If you want to get an idea of day to day, week to week progress then people test first thing in the morning often before getting out of bed to eliminate the effect of Foot on the Floor Phenomenon that some people experience where blood glucose goes up as the liver releases glucose in preparation for activity.
Obviously it is a good idea to test if you feel unwell.

 

[pace]

It rather depends on why you are testing.
To find the effect of a particular meal or food on your blood glucose then test before you eat and after 2 hours. you are looking for no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase from your meal or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l after 2 hours.
If you want to get an idea of day to day, week to week progress then people test first thing in the morning often before getting out of bed to eliminate the effect of Foot on the Floor Phenomenon that some people experience where blood glucose goes up as the liver releases glucose in preparation for activity.
Obviously it is a good idea to test if you feel unwell.

Hi , I have started washing my hands well before testing my BS levels in the morning.

Could I wash my hand very last thing at night before going to bed to remove cross contamination of food and test in bed before I get up.

Very sorry to be a pain.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi , I have started washing my hands well before testing my BS levels in the morning.

Could I wash my hand very last thing at night before going to bed to remove cross contamination of food and test in bed before I get up.

Very sorry to be a pain.

Unless you can be sure not to touch anything during the night even yourself may transfer something to your finger.
You could try discarding the first drop and use the second drop on your strip.

 

[pace]

Unless you can be sure not to touch anything during the night even yourself may transfer something to your finger.
You could try discarding the first drop and use the second drop on your strip.

Hi , thank you for your reply. Will try your suggestion next time.