How to interpret trends using the lancet daily glucose meter

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LoriKG

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Type 2
I am a newly diagnosed Type 2. I have been doing twice daily tests with a lancet glucose meter. My fasting readings over the past 3 months average between 125-140 (they should be 130 or less), and my 2 hours post-evening meal readings are rarely over 140-150. How do I interpret these readings? TIA
 
LoriKG said:
I am a newly diagnosed Type 2. I have been doing twice daily tests with a lancet glucose meter. My fasting readings over the past 3 months average between 125-140 (they should be 130 or less), and my 2 hours post-evening meal readings are rarely over 140-150. How do I interpret these readings? TIA
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I assume these are in mg/dl as in the UK the monitors are giving readings in mmol/l so it may take a while for people to convert to numbers they are familiar with.
 
People use their monitor to get an idea of progress by testing fasting morning blood glucose levels but also to check that the meals they are having are being tolerated. This they would do by testing just before they eat and after 2 hours and depending on the increase would be able to adjust their meal.
The readings you get from your monitor are essentially a spot test which tells you your level at that moment in time. The test used for diagnosis is the HbA1C test which in the UK is in mmol/mol and over 48mmol/mol would give you a diabetes diagnosis.
 
Welcome 🙂These are the Type 2 targets @LoriKG

If you have Type 2 diabetes​

  • before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
  • two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/l

To convert to mg/dl, you need to multiply by 18. This is a U.K. site so you’ll see all our measurements in mmol.
 
Leadinglights said:
I assume these are in mg/dl as in the UK the monitors are giving readings in mmol/l so it may take a while for people to convert to numbers they are familiar with.
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In case people don't know - Just divide by 18.
 
Hi @LoriKG and welcome to the forum. Can I suggest that you take the battery out of your meter, put it back, and go through the setting up procedure again? At some point you should be given the option of either displaying the results in mmol/l or mg/dl. Since you are, I think, in the UK you should choose the mmol/l option. Your meter would then give readings in the units most commonly used in the UK and which we are all familiar with. This would make sure that any responses were sensible and stop us having to convert units (and sometimes getting the conversion wrong!)
 
Sorry @LoriKG i had assumed you were in the US. If you’re in the U.K., you should just be able to use mmols as said above, and that will be a lot easier for you.
 
LoriKG said:
I am a newly diagnosed Type 2. I have been doing twice daily tests with a lancet glucose meter. My fasting readings over the past 3 months average between 125-140 (they should be 130 or less), and my 2 hours post-evening meal readings are rarely over 140-150. How do I interpret these readings? TIA
Click to expand...

Thank you all so much for the help. I did not word my question correctly. If my morning readings are high, ( 7.4 average over a 6 week period) and my 2 hour post evening meal readings are averaging 7.8, am I to understand that I am making good food choices during the day? Not too much sugar or carbs? And if I am making good food choices, why can't I get that morning reading down? Again, thank you-I do not have another doctors appointment until March and this is driving me nuts, trying to figure out how it all works.
 
Inka said:
Sorry @LoriKG i had assumed you were in the US. If you’re in the U.K., you should just be able to use mmols as said above, and that will be a lot easier for you.
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Hi Inka, thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I am from the US, just not living there now. I had worded my question incorrectly-trying again to explain!
 
H
Docb said:
Hi @LoriKG and welcome to the forum. Can I suggest that you take the battery out of your meter, put it back, and go through the setting up procedure again? At some point you should be given the option of either displaying the results in mmol/l or mg/dl. Since you are, I think, in the UK you should choose the mmol/l option. Your meter would then give readings in the units most commonly used in the UK and which we are all familiar with. This would make sure that any responses were sensible and stop us having to convert units (and sometimes getting the conversion wrong!)
Click to expand...
Hi Docb, thank you so much for your advice. I am now using mmol/l for this forum.
 
Leadinglights said:
People use their monitor to get an idea of progress by testing fasting morning blood glucose levels but also to check that the meals they are having are being tolerated. This they would do by testing just before they eat and after 2 hours and depending on the increase would be able to adjust their meal.
The readings you get from your monitor are essentially a spot test which tells you your level at that moment in time. The test used for diagnosis is the HbA1C test which in the UK is in mmol/mol and over 48mmol/mol would give you a diabetes diagnosis.
Click to expand...
Leadinglights, thank you so much for your time in responding. I appreciate your insight.
 
Averages are used as in the HbA1C test used for diagnostic purposes as that gives an average over 3 months. However spot readings from a glucose monitor when averaged out can hide high or low readings as the low cancels out the high and it is the high levels which can be damaging as that is when you are going to have excess glucose in your system.
Morning readings can remain higher even though day time reading can be within a good range. It can depend on when you do the test as some people experience what is referred to as Foot on the Floor syndrome when blood glucose can go up as the liver releases glucose to give people energy to go hunt for breakfast so testing before you get out of bed may give you a lower reading.
 
Hi @LoriKG Both your morning pre-breakfast and your evening 2hrs post dinner readings are OK, but have room for improvement. Your 7.4 pre breakfast reading doesn't allow a lot of leeway if you have any carbohydrates (such as cereal or granola) for breakfast though it's OK is your have an zero / ultra low carb breakfast, because if you can you want to keep your 2hrs post meal readings no higher than 8.0 mmol (some target 8.5 mmol at first so as not to reduce Blood Glucose too quickly).
It sounds like you have only been doing this for 3 months, in which case its likely that over time (it may even take years as in my case) your Foot on the Floor or Dawn Phenomenon will get milder and so your morning levels will slowly reduce, but until then concentrate on your pre-meal to 2hrs post meal differences (keeping them down to 2.0 mmol or lower) because that's the main thing you can actually control.
Also note that illness, infection, injury, stress, lack of sleep, too vigorous or too little exercise and various medications can also raise Blood Glucose though many of those you have absolutely no control over.
 
ianf0ster said:
Hi @LoriKG Both your morning pre-breakfast and your evening 2hrs post dinner readings are OK, but have room for improvement. Your 7.4 pre breakfast reading doesn't allow a lot of leeway if you have any carbohydrates (such as cereal or granola) for breakfast though it's OK is your have an zero / ultra low carb breakfast, because if you can you want to keep your 2hrs post meal readings no higher than 8.0 mmol (some target 8.5 mmol at first so as not to reduce Blood Glucose too quickly).
It sounds like you have only been doing this for 3 months, in which case its likely that over time (it may even take years as in my case) your Foot on the Floor or Dawn Phenomenon will get milder and so your morning levels will slowly reduce, but until then concentrate on your pre-meal to 2hrs post meal differences (keeping them down to 2.0 mmol or lower) because that's the main thing you can actually control.
Also note that illness, infection, injury, stress, lack of sleep, too vigorous or too little exercise and various medications can also raise Blood Glucose though many of those you have absolutely no control over.
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IanfOster, thank you so much for your input. You have given me a lot of information, and i appreciate the advice.
 
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