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jane58

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Type 2
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
 
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?
 
jane58 said:
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
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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.
 
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
 
ChicagoSoul said:
Can anyone tell me what the readings should be if you were not diabetic please?
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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.
 
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Martin.A said:
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.
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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


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.

ChicagoSoul said:
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.
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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 said:
From here:-

www.diabetes.co.uk

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 www.diabetes.co.uk
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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.
 
Inka said:
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?
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Hi Inka..... i am not on medication, and am due to see diabetic nurse for my 6 month check up this month xx
 
Martin.A said:
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.
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hi Martin i usually check about 5-10 minutes after waking
 
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