Different meter readings

[tiffany]

Hi everyone

Iv not been on here for a while but I had a quick question about meter readings. I been on a mixture of Repaglinide and Sitagliptin for a while (at least a year, I was diagnosed in March 2010) and they seemed to be working very well. My diet hasnt changed at all and I had a very good control on my blood sugar. Very recently though I have noticed my blood sugar creeping up and it has been above 10 quite often in the past two weeks when previously it would have been a surprise to have it be over 10.

I have a Contour meter which was given to me on my diagnosis and when iv been worried about these high readings I have been testing myself on two different hands and getting two very different readings. For example one has been 3.5 and then 9.2 and another has been 15.2 then 11.5!

I suppose the question is, is it possible my meter is broken, my medication isnt working anymore or do I need to go back on my insulin? When I was initially diagnosed I used insulin then was told I didnt need it anymore but I had a strange antibody test which meant I would have to use my insulin sooner than most who had type 2. I had assumed my consultant meant alot older im only 27.

Sorry for the long message but before I make an appointment at my GP I was just wondering if anyone here had any thoughts

Thanks

 

[Northerner]

Do you test regularly Tiffany? You say the levels are gradually creeping up, but are they usually consistent readings i.e. whereas once you might have woken to 7 you now wake to 8? There is often a discrepancy when you test on different fingers as there is some margin of error with all meters, but it is not usually as great as 3.5 - 9.2. When you get such a discrepancy it is worth testing a thrid time to try and determine which of the other readings is most likely to be correct. There may be a problem with the meter - it would be worth calling the meter company's helpline to ask for some control solution which you can use to see if the meter is OK, and you could be cheeky and ask fr a replacement meter at the same time! 🙂

It may be that your medication needs reviewing. We are all different, and although some can manage on the same medications for many years, for many the medication needs changing or increasing because the person's pancreas no longer produces sufficient insulin of its own. What you say about an unusual antibody test makes me wonder if, in fact, you are a slow-onset Type 1? This is where your pancreas is failing to produce sufficient insulin for your needs because your own immune system is attacking the cells that produce it - this is something that can get worse until eventually you end up needing to inject insulin all the time, like a Type 1. It would be worth asking your doctor if you are indeed a Type 1.5 or LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) and not a Type 2 - there are many members here who have been misdiagnosed as Type 2 when in fact they were LADA.

Let us know what your doctor says, and please ask if you have any more questions 🙂

 

[Ellie Jones]

If you had an anti-body test and your consultant has already said at some point in the future you will need insulin, I very much suspect you've got T1.5 diabetes a slow on set type 1, T2 diabetes is based on insulin residence the pancreas produces insulin but the body can't use if effectively, if the had known when diabetes was first discovered T1 and T2 would have two completely different names as fundamentally they are two different diseases..

Meters...

Have you got any test solution if you haven't give the meter company a ring and ask for some (they send it free of charge) while you'll on the phone ask them if you can also have another meter, it's always handy to have a spare, they don't mind as they make their money on the test strips.. Once you've got your solution follow the test instructions to check it..

But you will find that taking several test one after the other even on the same finger will give slightly different readings... Meters work on electric current residence through the test strip, the interaction with the glucose in the blood providing the current, the more glucose the higher the residence and the higher the reading.. So various factors can alter the reading, blood evaporates very quickly so time difference between testing the same sample of blood can cause this.. Also if you've squeezed the blood droplet out, the can push the clear body fluid into the blood lowering the BG reading..

Then you got that the simple fact the blood in one finger might be newer or older than another with a slightly different glucose amount in.. And don't forget contaminates on the hand, not just sweet sticky things, but soap residue, the alcohol in hand sanitizers or even water can all effect the reading

But if you worried that your bg's are slowly creeping up, you need to have your regime reviewed to see if medications need to be altered, changed or added to..

 

[Vicsetter]

If I had those kind of readings from left and right hand I would :

A) use the control solution to test the meter/strips. You do have a control solution within date don't you? if not phone up for one.

B) I would expect up to 20% difference between readings, if it was more I would go and thoroughly wash my hands and try again.

C) you quoted a reading of 3.5. If that was accurate you should have hypo symptoms, as you didn't mention it I guess that reading was wrong. Could that hand have still been wet?

As for your readings creeping up - have you got back to a normal eating regime after Xmas?

 

[tiffany]

thanks so much for your replies, I have never heard of type 1.5 before and originally my consultant said he thought I was type 1 then he said he was leaning towards type 2 so I never officially got a diagnosis but being as I understood what I needed in terms of my treatment and didnt need insulin anymore I just assumed I was type 2 then he said he was really happy with my progress so I was being discharged from his care. The day I had a 3.5 reading I was actually shocked. Iv had a few hypos but I always know when they are coming on but this time I had no idea and felt completely fine then checked a couple of minutes later and it was up to 9 on a different finger! So Iassume it must have been a wrong reading. I think I have gotten back into my routine after Christmas I didnt much change it to be honest

Im must admit that im not great at testing myself every day but when I test myself it is usually around the same times, like first thing or before my tea etc and that is when iv noticed them creeping up. I dont remember having a control solution but Ill have a look iv still got everything they gave me when I was diagnosed in hospital.If not ill ring them on Monday and im going to make an appointment at the GP to see if I need to change my medication at all. I injected for a little while after my disgnosis so it wouldnt be too difficult to go back to that regime. When I do have two readings that are the same I test myself again and its always somewhere inbetween! Than ks for all of your help Im not sure why iv never heard of a 1.5 diagnosis before but im going to go and research it now as it does sound like a possibility for me with everything iv heard so far 🙂

 

[Northerner]

It can be very difficult to determine a Type 1.5 diagnosis. It sounds like the doctor did at least one of the tests (the antibody test) but maybe it was inconclusive. It would be worth asking your GP what the results of the tests you had at diagnosis were as it is important that you get the appropriate treatment - he/she may wish to refer you back to the hospital for more tests. 🙂