why do BS levels take time to go down?

[Carina1962]

what causes BS levels to take a long time to go down? i've had this happen a couple of times where i've tested at 2 hours then again at 3 hours and there is not much difference from the 2 hour and then on the 4th hour there was a dramatic drop - why is this? and it wasn't a particularly high carb or sugar meal

 

[Andy HB]

I think that it is a little difficult to comment. What were the readings and were you just generally 'mooching' around for four hours? Maybe you were doing something different between the 3rd and 4th hour? Maybe your pancreas managed to throw out some insulin in response to the consistent higher bg level (which given that you are d/e controlled is possible).

Andy 🙂

 

[Northerner]

what causes BS levels to take a long time to go down? i've had this happen a couple of times where i've tested at 2 hours then again at 3 hours and there is not much difference from the 2 hour and then on the 4th hour there was a dramatic drop - why is this? and it wasn't a particularly high carb or sugar meal

It might depend on what you ate - not just carbs, but fat and protein can affect the rate at which the carb content of your meal is converted to glucose in the blood. What were your levels at during this period? Bear in mind that the human body is an incredibly complex system and there are times when our somewhat crude and simplistic (in comparison!) rules and guidelines fail to explain what will happen! If it's only once in a while, then I'd put it down to the diabetes fairy sprinkling some confusion dust over you just to keep you inquisitive and on your toes 🙂 Keep a record of what you ate, what you were doing, and what the readings were, so you might be able to spot a pattern in future.

 

[Andy HB]

It might depend on what you ate - not just carbs, but fat and protein can affect the rate at which the carb content of your meal is converted to glucose in the blood. What were your levels at during this period? Bear in mind that the human body is an incredibly complex system and there are times when our somewhat crude and simplistic (in comparison!) rules and guidelines fail to explain what will happen! If it's only once in a while, then I'd put it down to the diabetes fairy sprinkling some confusion dust over you just to keep you inquisitive and on your toes 🙂 Keep a record of what you ate, what you were doing, and what the readings were, so you might be able to spot a pattern in future.

Ah yes! The joys of biological feedback loops, or fairies if you prefer! 😛

Andy 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Plus if you've been exercising, including any physical work eg shifting heavy items, decorating, gardening etc are more likely to "take me by surprise" than more regular activities like walking, running or cycling, your metabolism can be speeded up, both in the short term and longer term. Just when you think you've got it all sussed, another factor appears. In fact, I think that's part of the reason why health care professionals advise type 2s to limit testing - in the absence of risk of hypos, either you need so many tests to cover all possibilities, or you test just a few times to get a general idea. Please note this is not my opinion, just my attempt to interpret others' actions.

 

[Carina1962]

OK, well i took my grandson to macdonalds yesterday and although i've had a macdonalds in the past before with a not so bad BS reading (ie what i mean i by bad is not in double figures, something like 8.5). Anyway i decided to have some cheese melts (you get about 4 with a sauce dip) and a mini salsa wrap (1.49) which i thought was a small meal. When i tested 2 hr post-meal my reading was 10.1 😱 so then i decided to test at 3 hrs and the reading was 9.9 (not much of a drop from 2hr) so then i tested at 4 hrs and it had dramatically dropped to 5.3. I then tested at bedtime and it was 7.0 and when i tested my fasting level this morning it was 7.1. I don't usually test this many times but i just wanted to see how quickly my levels would drop to 'normal'. I've had much worse meals before (ie higher carbs) but not had this happen before - does this mean my pancreas is not working as well?

I will now go and have a lunch of a spinach and cheese omelette and see what my 2 hr post-meal will read and let you all know.

 

[Northerner]

Carina, I suspect the fat in the cheese meant that the food was slowly digested so your levels remained higher longer. The other ingredients may also have had a greater effect on your levels than an ordinary mac that you've measured in the past. Very difficult to pin down sometimes, unfortunately. I'm normally fine with most things, but found that naan bread shot my levels up higher than they've ever been since diagnosis! Won't be eating that again in a hurry, although the carbs weren't that huge! 😱

 

[Carina1962]

After my lunch of a feta cheese, spinach and sweetcorn omelette (2 eggs) my 2 hr BS reading was 5.3 - my lowest reading ever after a 2 hr post-meal but i can't live on omelettes forever

 

[Andy HB]

After my lunch of a feta cheese, spinach and sweetcorn omelette (2 eggs) my 2 hr BS reading was 5.3 - my lowest reading ever after a 2 hr post-meal but i can't live on omelettes forever

Good heads up though! I might try that myself.

Unfortunately, I have never got the hang of omelette though, it always ends up as scambled egg! I'm going to have to get my Dad down to give me a course! It's one of his specialities (as well as green hot pot - don't ask!).

Andy 🙂

 

[Northerner]

After my lunch of a feta cheese, spinach and sweetcorn omelette (2 eggs) my 2 hr BS reading was 5.3 - my lowest reading ever after a 2 hr post-meal but i can't live on omelettes forever

That does sound rather delicious Carina 🙂 Right! Everyone round to Carina's for the next meet up! 😉

 

[Carina1962]

lol! i just made it up of ingredients i'd got, have never used feta cheese in an omelette before but it was really nice. My secret of doing an omelette is once it's cooked on the stove i then put it under the grill so that the top is cooked without having to flip it over like a pancake which would usually end up scrambled 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Omelettes are great, but must add that eggs supplied by our ducks make the best omelettes, with whatever we have to add - cheese, bacon, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, chives etc - often from our garden like the eggs. But today ducks just added entertainment value when eating outdoors with visting adult and 18 month old friends, scavenging anything dropped by humans - cheese lumps, bread crumbs, melon skins etc.

 

[Andy HB]

Omelettes are great, but must add that eggs supplied by our ducks make the best omelettes, with whatever we have to add - cheese, bacon, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, chives etc - often from our garden like the eggs. But today ducks just added entertainment value when eating outdoors with visting adult and 18 month old friends, scavenging anything dropped by humans - cheese lumps, bread crumbs, melon skins etc.

You eat ...... DUCK EGGS? 😱

Andy 😡

 

[Copepod]

Of course - that's why we keep ducks. They recycle slugs and snails (and other food) into egg shells, and protect our veggies at the same time.

 

[Andy HB]

Of course - that's why we keep ducks. They recycle slugs and snails (and other food) into egg shells, and protect our veggies at the same time.

I did miss out an 😉 from my earlier post by the way! Just in case you thought I was being serious. 🙂

Andy

 

[Copepod]

They and their water bowl and flooded sandpit kep our 18 month old visitor very happy yesterday - and 3 happy adults watching. Life's better with ducks, as I said to my slightly startled parents last weekend.🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Even with the small amount of sweetcorn, the omelette would have had very little in the way of carbs and ought to be fairly gentle on the bgs. Many t2s seem to find this sort of thing useful in the mornings when insulin resistance tends to be at its worst.

The McD's was likely to have had plenty of added sugar as well as the carbs you'd expect (in the wrap and so on) which won't have helped I guess.

Edit: sorry I realise the thread had gone on to far more interesting territory before I added my slighly dull/blindingly obvious comment 🙂

Pps Ducks are great!

 

[Copepod]

Food in general is almost as interesting as ducks.... So, back to the matter in hand, with a smile on my face.

 

[wallycorker]

what causes BS levels to take a long time to go down? i've had this happen a couple of times where i've tested at 2 hours then again at 3 hours and there is not much difference from the 2 hour and then on the 4th hour there was a dramatic drop - why is this? and it wasn't a particularly high carb or sugar meal

Hi Carina,

My testing showed that my blood glucose levels only do that after I've been eating bread, cereals, pizza or something similar - alternatively, drinking fruit juice of some type.

That's why I steer clear of those types of foods and drinks these days.

Best wishes - John