what levels?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bev

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent
Hi all,

Just having a blonde moment - so bare with me!

I know that you are allowed to be 2mmols higher than your pre meal reading - 2 hours after a meal.
But, if you are 12mmols for example pre meal, then correct and check 2 hours later, what figure are you supposed to be? :confused: Bev
 
I think it depends on other factors as well, such as what you have eaten, how long acting the carbs were if you had any, how much insulin you took and whether you did any exercise. I don't tend to work on the basis that I should be x mmols at x time - I just try and stay within the guidelines, or at least in single figures, as much as I can. I find that for me micromanaging my blood sugars is counterproductive. I don't like terms like should or allowed - I don't think of blood sugars that way since to me that makes them into 'good' and 'bad' and then if I have a 'bad' blood sugar I feel guilty and am more likely to chuck the towel in and rebel. To me, my blood sugar is what it is, high or low, and sometimes action needs to be taken if it is too far one way or the other. It is useful information and no more.

I would aim to use a bolus insulin dose and reduce my blood sugar after lunch if it was 12 before. But blood sugars are not an exact science as I am sure you know.
 
Simply put you should be at the level you corrected for.
IE., if you were 12 and had 60 carbs for lunch injected for 60 and also what ever else for the correction factor to bring you down to six then 6 is the target 2 hrs later.
 
Type1_Sue said:
Simply put you should be at the level you corrected for.
IE., if you were 12 and had 60 carbs for lunch injected for 60 and also what ever else for the correction factor to bring you down to six then 6 is the target 2 hrs later.
Click to expand...

Not at 2 hours, surely? For example, today I was 7.0 before lunch which is a bit high for me pre-meal. I injected for my lunch and also a correction to bring me down to my mid-level of 5.5. I tested at 2 hours and I was 11.5, but I didn't expect to be 5.5 then - only at my next pre-meal check when all my bolus insulin had dissipated. As it turns out, I was 4.0 before my evening meal, probably because the Sun came out and I went out to do a bit of unscheduled gardening!

I don't think the two-hour point is something to worry about - it can only be approximate as there are so many variables at play when you have insulin in your system: absorption rates from injection site, type of food eaten and how quickly it's digested...and a myriad of other things. For me, the improtant readings are the pre-meal and fasting ones. It can be helpful if you suspect that certain foods are 'spiking' in which case you might need to adjust injection timing or even split injections.
 
The two hours test is a tricky one, as Northerner said there are so many factors in play. If you've taken a corrective dose and want to check if it was right I'd say you'd probably not want to assess it until about 4 hours post dose, when the majority of the insulin has done its stuff. Of course you may also want to check earlier if you're concerned the correction may have dropped you down too low.
 
Ok now i'm gonna act like a dumb blonde but isn't your bs 2 hours after a meal at it's highest??? So why would it be down by half of your pre meal reading? My pre meal for instance is 6 tonight and 2 hours later it is 14.7, should i be only 3??
 
angel30eyes said:
Ok now i'm gonna act like a dumb blonde but isn't your bs 2 hours after a meal at it's highest??? So why would it be down by half of your pre meal reading? My pre meal for instance is 6 tonight and 2 hours later it is 14.7, should i be only 3??
Click to expand...

I think the recommendation is for your two hour reading to be 10 mmol or less, ideally, meaning that the food you eat and its conversion to glucose in the blood is matching the peak and profile of the insulin you have injected. That's in an ideal world, of course!🙄 Hence all the talk about low GI and injecting after certain types of food so you can lower the glucose peaks and get them to coincide more closely with the insulin. But - it's all trial and error!

I'd say your 6 was fine, your 14.5 a little high and would be hoping for 5.5 - 6.0 after 4 hours - certainly not 3 after 2 hours!
 
Last edited:
I'd say your 6 was fine, your 14.5 a little high and would be hoping for 5.5 - 6.0 after 4 hours - certainly not 3 after 2 hours![/QUOTE]

Well I did have sweet n sour chicken so it was slightly higher than normal, i just meant in respect to type-sue message about 12 before hand so 2 hours later should be 6 so was a tad confused 😱
 
Generally I'm happy with readings two hours after meals being under 15 mmol/L. I eat meals that are rather carb heavy due to me being generally quite active. That and not being able to carb count yet. That will change in the summer! I'm going to be learning how to do that :D :D
 
hi i've had this conversation today with my dn i've been on the pump now just over a week and my bg 2hrs after meal is not 2mmols higher but more, sometimes 15mmols depending on what i've eaten and what exercise i've been doing although my pump has now been programed in to correct my bg and work out my bolus on how many carbs i've had each meal things for me should be alot better in the next few days. this pump is really supprising me in what it can do. I have found that my bg have been working out as normal after 4hrs. so i agree with aymes re 4hrs post dose.
 
Thanks Aymes - so it seems you shouldnt be over 9mmols 2 hours after a meal! Bev
 
bev said:
Thanks Aymes - so it seems you shouldnt be over 9mmols 2 hours after a meal! Bev
Click to expand...

Possibly, but Id be cautious about taking targets off websites, a rough guide maybe but best to go with what is agreed with your DSN/consultant as everyone is different, and reacts differently, and I'd imagine this is particularly true when it comes to targets for children.
 
Well if you divide it by 18 we should be waking to 4.4ish, well that's a tad too low for me, i go funny if i'm under 6 in the mornings and if i went to bed on a 7 as i drop so low over night i'd be well an truely buggered lol
 
Your right - we have been told by the consultant to correct for anything over 7 and so in theory Alex shouldnt be over 9 x 2 hours after a meal - but i know that this is in an 'ideal' world! The numbers seem drastically different to what he was like a few weeks ago when anything under 15 was unusual! Now he is rarely over 9! Bev
 
aymes said:
Possibly, but Id be cautious about taking targets off websites, a rough guide maybe but best to go with what is agreed with your DSN/consultant as everyone is different, and reacts differently, and I'd imagine this is particularly true when it comes to targets for children.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with that - everybody's different! For me, it's a bit like when they say your BMI (Body Mass Index) should be x.x or you're under/overweight - it should really be taken only as a guide. I think I read that these figures are what you would expect in a non-diabetic person, and that is what we are aiming to achieve. However, the fully-functioning pancreas is considerably better at fine-tuning insulin and glucagon production than the crude methods we use to try and mimic it.
 
bev said:
The numbers seem drastically different to what he was like a few weeks ago when anything under 15 was unusual! Now he is rarely over 9! Bev
Click to expand...

Well he's definately going in the right direct so it sounds like you're both doing fine, rarely being over 9 is great!
 
Noreen60 said:
hi i've had this conversation today with my dn i've been on the pump now just over a week and my bg 2hrs after meal is not 2mmols higher but more, sometimes 15mmols depending on what i've eaten and what exercise i've been doing although my pump has now been programed in to correct my bg and work out my bolus on how many carbs i've had each meal things for me should be alot better in the next few days. this pump is really supprising me in what it can do. I have found that my bg have been working out as normal after 4hrs. so i agree with aymes re 4hrs post dose.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to say well done to you with your first week on the pump Noreen - glad to hear that it's a success! Another pumper! You can hardly move for them round here!😱:D
 
The target blood glucose ranges below are indicated as a guide.

Children with Type 1 diabetes (NICE 2004)
* Before meals: 4-8mmols/L
* Two hours after meals: less than 10mmols/L

Adults with Type 1 diabetes (NICE 2004)

* Before meals: 4- 7mmols/L
* 2 hours after meals: less than 9mmols/L

Type 2 diabetes (NICE 2008)

* Before meals: 4-7mmol/L
* Two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmols/L



these are the DiabetesUK guidelines.
For me I don't think that novorapid works for 4 hours for me, I think at 2 it's not far from finished, so for me if I am 5-7 after a meal then I am pretty confident on most occasions that I wont end up hypo.

If people are high at 2 hours (above 10) but in range at 4 then they might wnat to look into pre-bolusing, it might help match the insulin profile to the food better
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top