Libre 2 Results

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Ian_Bham

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Hi everybody, I've recently has a suspicion about blood sugar problems and although the doctor sent me for a test to check for diabetes which was fine I decided to try the Libre2 CGM out for 14 days (free trial) so I could see for myself what was happening. Anyway, I'm finding the data to be invaluable and it seems that my BG level is generally between the recommended 3.9 and 7mmol so hopefully nothing to worry about on this front. I do seem to drop down to about 3.5 overnight before it shoots back up again soon after.

Anyway, the one thing I noticed that concerns me the that for virtually every meal I eat my level shoots up before suddently shooting down again which I assume is the insulin release; this is also happening for complex carb meals like porridge and pasta which I'd always considered shouldn't be spiking my blood sugar. Is this normal?

It's forcing me to look hard at my diet as for the last 20 years I've tried to avoid saturated fat where possible and stick with carbs but now think I might need to change that philosophy if it's putting a strain on my pancreas.
 
Ian_Bham said:
I do seem to drop down to about 3.5 overnight before it shoots back up again soon after.
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That's apparently common (in tests on people who don't have diabetes).
Ian_Bham said:
Anyway, the one thing I noticed that concerns me the that for virtually every meal I eat my level shoots up before suddently shooting down again which I assume is the insulin release; this is also happening for complex carb meals like porridge and pasta which I'd always considered shouldn't be spiking my blood sugar. Is this normal?
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Yes, that's pretty normal. You can spread the effect using fibre, protein, fat. But with such carb-dominated meals you'll get some kind of a spike.

I'm not sure that it's anything to worry about so long as the spikes are short. It's probably not optimal but I'm not sure we really know. Such spikes are seen in people without diabetes, so rather than carefully trying to adjust your meals to avoid them, maybe just change them so they're more balanced (which'll probably also reduce the spikes, but more as a side effect)?

(I worry a bit about people without diabetes who're using sensors and trying to eliminate these spikes. It feels like a misplaced concern. I'm sure we all have lots of things we ought to be improving about our diets, but I'm not sure looking at CGM graphs is a worthwhile way to do that.)
 
Thanks for the re-assurance Bruce, I'm probably just wary because of the amount of diabetic relatives I have so I know it's in the family. What I did find strange was that my BG level didn't seem to correlate much with how I was actually feeling at the time and this surprised me.

Also, as a cyclist I was able to see how that reduces/controls the level following a meal whereas weight training doesn't. Anyway, lots of info to look over and I intend to try it again at some point after making some changes to my diet.
 
Ian_Bham said:
Hi everybody, I've recently has a suspicion about blood sugar problems and although the doctor sent me for a test to check for diabetes which was fine I decided to try the Libre2 CGM out for 14 days (free trial) so I could see for myself what was happening. Anyway, I'm finding the data to be invaluable and it seems that my BG level is generally between the recommended 3.9 and 7mmol so hopefully nothing to worry about on this front. I do seem to drop down to about 3.5 overnight before it shoots back up again soon after.

Anyway, the one thing I noticed that concerns me the that for virtually every meal I eat my level shoots up before suddently shooting down again which I assume is the insulin release; this is also happening for complex carb meals like porridge and pasta which I'd always considered shouldn't be spiking my blood sugar. Is this normal?

It's forcing me to look hard at my diet as for the last 20 years I've tried to avoid saturated fat where possible and stick with carbs but now think I might need to change that philosophy if it's putting a strain on my pancreas.
Click to expand...
When you see a spike, is it when you look at the Libre after your meal, when your Blood Glucose is rising (quite naturally after a meal)? And when you look at the graph, say, at the end of the day, is the spike still there on the graph? I ask this, because the Libre has an algorithm to try and catch up the reading, because what it is reading is interstitial fluid, not blood, which lags about 15 minutes behind a blood finger prick reading. Sometimes the Libre algorithm assumes that you’ve gone on rising, whereas in fact you’ve levelled off, and when it gets it’s next reading it will adjust it, and the peak that you saw at the time will have disappeared.
Sorry if that's a bit garbled, it’s difficult to explain!
 
It’s normal for blood sugar to go up after a meal @Ian_Bham It should be back within range after two hours. It’s also normal for people without diabetes to have blood sugars of 3.5. The 3.9 you mentioned is really for people with diabetes who take insulin or other glucose-lowering drugs so that they have a safety cushion.

I agree with @Bruce Stephens about misuse of the Libre by some people (not talking about you, Ian, just generally) who pathologise perfectly normal blood sugar movement. There’s a website full of scare-mongering rubbish about this and it annoys me a lot.

Do you know what your HbA1C was?
 
You could ask for the actual result of the HbA1C (ie the number, not just ‘normal’). That would give you information about whether you were anywhere near the diabetes zone. Nothing in your results suggests you are. I just mean to get the full picture.
 
All completely normal.

I have no idea why you are worrying or wasting money on CGMs or think you are putting a strain on your pancreas.

I wish people without diabetes would do some research first before slapping on a CGM without having a clue.
 
I appreciate what you say but it hasn't cost me anything and it must be said that when people do turn diabetic the question has to be asked of whether their diet was a contributory factor. My personal reason for checking is that I get spells of fatigue and dizziness leading me to think that I had a problem with low blood sugar hence my reason for checking.

Anyway, it's good to know that people on here think that I should be fine.
 
Ian_Bham said:
I appreciate what you say but it hasn't cost me anything and it must be said that when people do turn diabetic the question has to be asked of whether their diet was a contributory factor. My personal reason for checking is that I get spells of fatigue and dizziness leading me to think that I had a problem with low blood sugar hence my reason for checking.

Anyway, it's good to know that people on here think that I should be fine.
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Low blood sugars could be an issue, but not due to diabetes.
Diabetes causes high blood sugars, not low. It is the medication for diabetes that causes low blood sugars (normally insulin).
Still, you will have learned a bit about what your blood sugars do normally, and its a good thing to keep an eye on ones health.
I'm glad alls ok
 
Ian_Bham said:
I do seem to drop down to about 3.5 overnight before it shoots back up again soon after.
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Is this a temporary drop?
If so. it could be due to a "compression low" - this is when you apply pressure to a CGM (such as Libre) it will report a false low. The most common reason for this is lying on your arm.
You can usually spot compression lows on your graphs as a sudden drop and rise when you turn over, off your arm.
 
Interesting you should say that as I did have a suspicion about that at one point. It is possible that could have happened as I am a side sleeper.
 
If your feeling fatigue are you actually fuelling your body correctly as in eating enough and drinking enough so you don't feel like it.
 
Lol, I eat four meals a day with snacks. It's only spells I go through and it may be to do with lack of sleep at times but it's inconsistent so I'm looking at various things.
 
I see you mentioned fatigue and dizziness and they can be symptoms of high blood glucose and if you say your were eating carbs then that might have been the reason. Has the use of the Libre eliminated that. Sounds as if you eat a lot with 4 meals and snacks.
What is your blood pressure like and how about thyroid issues.
 
Ian_Bham said:
Lol, I eat four meals a day with snacks. It's only spells I go through and it may be to do with lack of sleep at times but it's inconsistent so I'm looking at various things.
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Having 4 meals does not mean much it all depends what's in them 4 meals.
 
Blood pressure is normal, I don't have any documented thyroid problems.

I didn't know you get dizziness through high blood gluscose level, my level did shoot up over 9 a few times but instantly back down again. I'm often dizzy/woozy when I first get up in the morning which is why I was concerned about low blood sugar. I've had orthostatic hypotension for a long time though (get dizzy if standing up too quickly) and it might be to do with that, it affects me when I'm feeling tired these days and I seem to get light headed for periods.
 
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