Blood Monitor

[MrsAA]

i decided to buy a monitor, so got the Gluco Navii..it arrived this afternoon and of course I had to try it out..I had eaten a bag of wotsits (don’t tell me off lol) about a hour before it arrived...done the first test and it was 8.1..my question is would that bag of wotsits had any affect on the reading? I think 8.1 is not brilliant so just wanted to know. I only have 10 strips and Ive used 3 (couldn’t get the hang of it lol) I have more coming but have to wait for them to be delivered. We will have dinner around 5.30:this evening...should I test again before I eat and again 2 hours later? Or should I just test 2 hours after and not bother with before as I’ve not long had that 8.1 reading?

 

[Ljc]

Hi . When we’re testing to see how our meals and snacks affect us , we usually test directly before eating then two hours after starting to eat.
After a fatty meal we sometimes do another test at three hrs jas fat can slow w down the absorption of carbs.
As you only have a few strips left I would only test after eating .

I like wotsits too , imo it’s likely that your BGs would have continued to rise after you tested, but I could be wrong as we are all different in what type and how many carbs affect us.

 

[MrsAA]

Hi . When we’re testing to see how our meals and snacks affect us , we usually test directly before eating then two hours after starting to eat.
After a fatty meal we sometimes do another test at three hrs jas fat can slow w down the absorption of carbs.
As you only have a few strips left I would only test after eating .

I like wotsits too , imo it’s likely that your BGs would have continued to rise after you tested, but I could be wrong as we are all different in what type and how many carbs affect us.

Thank you I will test 2 hours after dinner and see what horrors show!

 

[Ljc]

Thank you I will test 2 hours after dinner and see what horrors show!

Try not to panic if you go into low double figures, as atm you won’t know your pre meal levels , ie your test says you are 10.5 but it could be that you’ve only gone up by 3 mmol , so don’t panic ok.

 

[MrsAA]

Ok, thanks

 

[MrsAA]

Just tested again 2 hours after dinner which was a turkey burger (no roll) with some cheese on, a small baked potato and some garden peas and it was 9.3..

 

[MrsAA]

Tested this morning before having anything to eat or drink and it was 6.9...is that ok? So 9.3 2 hours after dinner and 6.9 this morning...any guidance or help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Docb]

Good morning @MrsAA. I am not going to answer your is it OK question other than saying.... it depends.

When it comes to testing I suggest you get a notebook (or start a spreadsheet if you are that way inclined) and write all the readings down, both what they were and when you took them. Also useful to keep a food diary alongside it. Then you start looking for patterns. To see the patterns you need more data than single data points

Your blood glucose varies quite a lot naturally. For some people, waking up and getting out of bed is enough to give a jump in blood glucose. For others it doesn't. Anybodies guess what your system does, you can only find out by testing.

Welcome to the world of blood glucose testing - a powerful tool once you get to understand what it can tell you. I'll say no more at the moment, but keep posting your results and we will help you make sense of them as you gather enough to see the patterns.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sounds like a great start @MrsAA, thoigh sorry you found the navii tricky to start with and burned through a few strips working out what to do!

Try not to worry about the individual numbers to start with. Initially I think it is more helpful to look for trends, and particularly to look to keep the rises from before to after meal checks to be only 2-3mmol up if possible.

Ultimately you will be looking for 4-7 before meals, and no higher than 8.5 by 2hrs after eating, but to begin with your levels may be starting higher so ‘good’ meals for you (those with a meal rise of only 2) may push you over the 8.5 if you start a bit higher.

It’s a marathon not a sprint, and the odd higher result isn’t going to do you much harm. its the overall trend which is more important 🙂

 

[Toucan]

Hello @MrsAA
Yes it does take a while to work out what foods do and don't work well for you.
We are all different in what foods make our blood sugars rise.

It could be though that it was the jacket potato that may have caused the higher reading. Baked potatoes are particularly high in carbs. Over time I have replaced potatoes with other things. With a burger I would probably have a large salad or maybe a pile of green vegetables. It takes a while to get used to, but I usually feel quite full.

I found the Carbs and Cals book very useful for working it all out. For example it has clear illustrations of baked potatoes and sizes and the amount of carbs in them.
Carbs & Cals - a guide for counting -Diabetes UK shop - Diabetes UK Shop

 

[MrsAA]

Thanks all...I really don’t do veg...it’s always been a problem for me but I’m trying to eat more...as I only have 5 strips left to last me until delivery of the new ones I’m only going to test before and after dinner today..it was planned to have pork chops, a few tinned potatoes and green beans...as a test I’m going to ditch the potatoes and have another chop instead and see what the reading is before and 2 hours after..I will probably cry if it is the potato that makes the reading higher but it is what it is..my first HbA1c was 56 so it’s not too high thankfully...my GP are still waiting for another test to confirm as my repeat test was borderline and they want another just to make sure...i have lost 24lbs in five weeks (in fairness I would have probably lost that anyway as had started to calorie count again at the beginning of the year) I still have quite a lot of weight to lose but I’ve done it before (then along came lockdown and it all went to pot) and I will do it again and keep it off this time!

 

[Maca44]

Yes the Carbs & Cals book is brilliant actually seeing portions on a plate is a good way to see what to avoid.

 

[Toucan]

as a test I’m going to ditch the potatoes

That sounds like a good plan @MrsAA
It is hard to change habits, and I also used to be very unenthusiastic about veggies, but over time I've learnt to really enjoy them. I used more of the ones I did like to start with then gradually expanded the range. I tend to add herbs and spices to help the flavour.
For potato my big substitute is cauliflower, particularly cauliflower mash with lots of added flavourings. Celeriac is good as well, although it is a bit more of a love/hate flavour.

Best wishes with it all, and it sounds as if you are doing really well with your weight loss which will in itself be a big help towards getting your blood sugar readings down.

 

[MrsAA]

That sounds like a good plan @MrsAA
It is hard to change habits, and I also used to be very unenthusiastic about veggies, but over time I've learnt to really enjoy them. I used more of the ones I did like to start with then gradually expanded the range. I tend to add herbs and spices to help the flavour.
For potato my big substitute is cauliflower, particularly cauliflower mash with lots of added flavourings. Celeriac is good as well, although it is a bit more of a love/hate flavour.

Best wishes with it all, and it sounds as if you are doing really well with your weight loss which will in itself be a big help towards getting your blood sugar readings down.

Tried celariac chips and they were revolting...and the smell of cauliflower makes me feel ill...I’m truly hopeless..I eat sprouts, green beans, runner beans and carrots along with garden peas (which I know have quite a few carbs) I will eat swede if it’s done in a casserole but don’t like it mashed...I love potatoes I will mourn them if I cant have any..I also love bread but have cut down to Nimble and only have a couple of times a week..I’ve not tested after eating that yet...when my strips come I’m going to play around a bit each day with a different food and see what happens...

 

[Loobyloo]

I have wotsits or quavers as an occasional snack and don't raise me too much maybe 1-1.5 or so but we are all different. You just have to keep testing and see what you can eat without to great an impact. I avoid potatoes, rice and pasta altogether as these raise my sugars for sure. My favourite jacket potatoes are a thing of the past now sadly. I eat nimble wholemeal or weight watchers danish 2 slices with marmite for breakfast and raises me about 1.5 - 2 so thats fine for me, you will just have to see how it affects you and hopefully ok.

 

[silentsquirrel]

If potato is a big deal for you, as it is for me, first try reducing the portion size, rather than cutting out entirely? Easy to do with boiled new potatoes (which are the lowest carb) or roasties, less easy with jackets, as a very small potato doesn't make a good jacket. I tend to cook a reasonable size jacket, then share with OH - I have 1/4 to 1/3 of it, he has the rest.
Try roasted swede, I was pleasantly surprised at how different the taste is from mashed.

 

[Loobyloo]

If potato is a big deal for you, as it is for me, first try reducing the portion size, rather than cutting out entirely? Easy to do with boiled new potatoes (which are the lowest carb) or roasties, less easy with jackets, as a very small potato doesn't make a good jacket. I tend to cook a reasonable size jacket, then share with OH - I have 1/4 to 1/3 of it, he has the rest.
Try roasted swede, I was pleasantly surprised at how different the taste is from mashed.

Even boiled small new potatoes spike me and mashed swede so i avoid altogether. Strangely though 6-8 chips with a small piece of battered fish once a week and i am fine. I suppose the odd jacket potatoe won't hurt now i have my levels down but i am trying to be good at the moment as i know if i let things go a bit it will be a slippery slope. I just find other things i like to replace these high carb items and after a while don't crave them so much.

 

[MrsAA]

The “jacket” was actually 2 half’s of ”potato skins” so there definitely wasn’t a lot of potato in it...we tend to usually have new potatoes boiled in skin and then left in fridge overnight and reheated...or a small portion of air fried chips, again pre cooked and left in fridge overnight (believe This helps in some way)..I will see what tonight brings..my carbs for today are showing as 25g, so that’s very low (2 crackerbreads for lunch instead of bread) the rest is from the veg and milk in my tea..tomorrow it’s supposed to be chicken cottage pie (very small amount of potatoes and has been frozen) so will be interesting to see what tomorrow’s shows!

Its all a learning curve and hopefully some things I think I can’t now eat I’ll be able to.

 

[MrsAA]

I’m back...how can my reading this morning be 5.9 when I had eaten nothing between 6pm last night and 6am this morning....yet my reading now (taken before dinner) is 5.0 when I have had breakfast (ham omelette) and lunch (2 cracker bread, cheese spread, ham, chicken and peanuts)? None of this makes sense to me lol

 

[rebrascora]

There are far more things than just food which affect your BG levels and they normally fluctuate throughout the day even in a non diabetic person. Fasting readings are often higher than any other time of the day. This may be down to something called Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor syndrome where the liver pumps out some glucose as the day starts and we get up, to help us start our day with plenty of energy. It is believed to be a throwback to prehistoric days when we didn't have cupboards and fridges containing food and needed energy to go out and hunt or forage for our breakfast. It can raise your levels by as much as 5-6 mmols if you are very unlucky and with some people it starts to happen in the early hours whereas with others like myself it waits until I swing my feet out of bed and stand up. If you test your BG first thing on a morning before you get out of bed, you might find you get better readings than after you get up and visit the bathroom and maybe sit down with your morning cuppa to test then. Diabetics often find that their fasting level is the last reading to respond to their dietary changes and start to come down. i find exercise will make a big difference to my overnight and fasting readings so that might be something to experiment with. Nothing desperately exertive, but a brisk daily walk if you can manage it should help.
Your muscles are actively burning up energy and sucking glucose out of your blood for fuel during the day even without formal exercise as oppose to using much less when you are in bed sleeping on a night.