testing

[jane58]

can anyone tell me when i should check my bloods? i think my levels are a bit high in the morning but not sure... its about 10.5. how do i lower this? i am type 2 . was diagnosed a while ago but still unsure about everything. tia x

 

[Inka]

Are you on any medication @jane58 ? The usual regime is to test first thing when you wake up, just before a meal and two hours after the start time of that meal. The target ranges for Type 2 are between 4 and 7 fasting and before meals, and below 8.5 two hours after the meal.

What was your last HbA1C?

 

[Martin.A]

can anyone tell me when i should check my bloods? i think my levels are a bit high in the morning but not sure... its about 10.5. how do i lower this? i am type 2 . was diagnosed a while ago but still unsure about everything. tia x

Did you get 10.5 on waking or had you been up a while? I test within minutes of getting up, before my liver decides to give me a shot of glucose to get the day started.

 

[ChicagoSoul]

Can I piggy back on this thread please? I was diagnosed that I could be diabetic last Monday as my reading was 51 - a few weeks ago it was 46 - so I'm trying very hard to get my numbers down by diet alone. Can anyone tell me what the readings should be if you were not diabetic please?

I did my first reading yesterday before dinner and it was 6.3 and then 2 hours later after food it was 7.8. I'd like a good idea of what I need to be aiming for. Or point me to where I need to be looking as everything I've looked at seems to be a bit confusing to me.

Thank you

 

[Martin.A]

Can anyone tell me what the readings should be if you were not diabetic please?

Diabetes UK says that for non-diabetics BG should be between 4 and 5.4 fasting, between 4 and 5.9 pre-prandial and under 7.8 post-prandial (which they define as being after 90 minutes), but make the point that the pre- and post-prandial numbers are not part of NICE guidelines.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Diabetes UK says that for non-diabetics BG it should be between 4 and 5.4 fasting, between 4 and 5.9 pre-prandial and under 7.8 post-prandial (which they define as being after 90 minutes), but make the point that the pre- and post-prandial numbers are not part of NICE guidelines.

Interesting @Martin.A - and the sorts of values that seem familiar.

Though I am reminded that when healthy people without diabetes were studied wearing CGM, while these values were common, there were also excursions outside that range

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/bg-profiles-in-healthy-non-diabetics.99521/

I guess that’s one reason why fingerstick checks aren’t often used for diagnostic purposes any more. The longer-term picture of an HbA1c gives a more general picture, without the distracting wobbles from time to time.

Welcome to the forum @jane58 - it’s a great question! Early morning readings cab be a bit stubborn, and can be the last to come down, even when other results before/after meals are behaving themselves. As Martin says, this is often to do with the liver dumping glucose to fire up the burners for the day.

I did my first reading yesterday before dinner and it was 6.3 and then 2 hours later after food it was 7.8. I'd like a good idea of what I need to be aiming for. Or point me to where I need to be looking as everything I've looked at seems to be a bit confusing to me.

That looks like a very positive response for that meal @ChicagoSoul - many members like to aim for a rise of no more than 2-3 from the pre-meal reading at the 2hr mark.

In some ways, to begin with, the rise could almost be seen as more informative than the levels themselves. 10-12 might seem less than ideal, but it suggests that the body coped better with the food than a meal that gives 4.2-8.5.

Choosing meals that cause smaller and gentler rises in glucose allows the overall levels to gradually drift downwards. And aiming for reliable 2-3 rises should suggest that once a person’s levels are roighly 5s-6s before meals, they will be staying in a good range most of the time.

 

[Martin.A]

Interesting @Martin.A - and the sorts of values that seem familiar.

From here:-

Normal and Diabetic Blood Sugar Level Ranges

Normal blood sugar ranges and blood sugar ranges for adults and children with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and blood sugar ranges to determine diabetes.

www.diabetes.co.uk

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

From here:-

Normal and Diabetic Blood Sugar Level Ranges

Normal blood sugar ranges and blood sugar ranges for adults and children with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and blood sugar ranges to determine diabetes.

www.diabetes.co.uk

Ah OK, that’s diabetes co uk not Diabetes UK (it’s a frequent source of confusion!). Diabetes co uk is nothing to do with the charity - it’s a completely independent company. 🙂

They seem to be quoting the IDF stats for non diabetes values. Very helpful to have the source though, thank you.

 

[jane58]

Are you on any medication @jane58 ? The usual regime is to test first thing when you wake up, just before a meal and two hours after the start time of that meal. The target ranges for Type 2 are between 4 and 7 fasting and before meals, and below 8.5 two hours after the meal.

What was your last HbA1C?

Hi Inka..... i am not on medication, and am due to see diabetic nurse for my 6 month check up this month xx

 

[jane58]

Did you get 10.5 on waking or had you been up a while? I test within minutes of getting up, before my liver decides to give me a shot of glucose to get the day started.

hi Martin i usually check about 5-10 minutes after waking