Do these BG levels seem high?

[Davids]

I know it's early days - only on my fifth day of testing - but do these levels seem high?

waking - between 10 and 12
before food - between 8 and 9
after food - between 12 and 14

best after running or cycling - between 7 and 8

eating sensibly - lost 5 lbs in past week (bmi 29)

just started on 2 metformin yesterday (was one)

I should be more patient but want to get it right!

What do you think - thank you 🙂

 

[pav]

Your levels are slightly high, not the worst I have seen as I was in the 20's a few months ago, yours could do with knocking down a touch. NICE guidelines show that before a meal you should be between 4.0 to 7.0 and 2 hours after a meal should be under 8.5 for type 2's.

The 8.5 is the NICE guideline and many would say the limit is too high and try to achieve less than this. I myself have set my meter software to flag anything above 8.5 as out range and I try to achieve the 7.0's as its where I feel better. Not getting these results as I am still spiking up to the 12.0's some times.

Do you eat white bread as that is a common thing that sends a lot of our BS high.

It could take a while for the metformin to settle down and improve your results,

 

[AlisonM]

According to my DSN, I should try to keep my BGs between 5 and 9 through the day. Non-diabetics are apparently between 4 and 7, so yes, your numbers are rather high but hopefully the Metformin will do the trick for you. You do seem to have everything else handled.

Are you getting strips prescribed or have you been driven to buy your own?

 

[Davids]

Thanks Pav. No white bread - using whole grain - probably 3 small slices per day. Can't really think of anything to connect the high levels to

 

[Davids]

Thanks Alison

I was given 50 strips plus a few with the meter. Is there a limit to the number you can have on prescription?

 

[Northerner]

Hi Davids, welcome to the forum 🙂 It's still very early days for you, so I wouldn't stress too much about your numbers at the moment. Sounds like you've already made a great start, with your exercising and weight loss - you can see how the exercise helps to bring your levels down, both by using the glucose in your blood for energy and also by making your body more sensitive to insulin. Weight loss will also improve your sensitivity, so keep up the good work and I would expect those numbers to start coming into line more regularly as the weeks go by. I know there can be a desire to get everything right under control as soon as you can, but it will take your body some time to adapt to the 'new you'. Have patience and determination and you will get there!

I would recommend having a look at our 'Useful Links' thread for some good sources of information. In particular, I would recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - these will really put you in the picture about how to control your levels well, and what you can expect.

Test strips are a postcode lottery, unfortunately, but if you can show you are using them efficiently to improve your understanding and your control, you should be able to persuade your GP to prescrive an adequate amount. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S as a guide to testing efficiently 🙂

If you have any other questions - please ask away! 🙂

 

[Davids]

Thanks for all that advice Northerner - really helpful