Random testing

Robert,

Your readings will be different depending upon where you take them, how much physical activity you have had, what is being absorbed at any given time in your intestines and whether or not the day ends in "y". I'm not trying to be flip here, but your numbers are excellent! I know diabetics who would love to see anything under 180 two hours after a meal! You do seem a bit concerned about some great readings. You appear to be doing everything right and I would start doing less readings after meals and start checking in the early morning and before dinner. Elevated readings at those times would be more of a concern for me since those are the readings my doctor wants to see.

A question- Chinese foof-meat and vegatables -2 differnt digestive processes, right....then a more complex question-wiith 30+ feet of intestine, how long can this "stuff" produce sugar levels high enough to read??

(think about it...complex? or what?)

Hi Robert,

Jeannie is right on the money.  You are worrying to much and taking to many readings.  Your critical reading is the fasting reading and that is normal, normal, normal.  Your postprandial is also normal at 130-140.  The ONLY reason many of us who are diabetic do that postprandial reading is to see how badly we are spiking as it is the spikes that can do us damage, especially if they don't recede fairly quickly.  YOU have no such problem with those numbers. 

Enjoy life and don't worry unless those fasting numbers start to consistently be above 120.

PS - here is an illustration of why a diabetic needs to do a number of readings until they are certain they are under control.  Fasting =100   3 hours after eating = 145   BUT

heres what really happened to that diabetic.  15 mins after Lunch = 245  30 mins after lunch=220   45 mins = 215 

1hr = 210  1.5hrs = 200  2hrs=190  2.25 hrs=180   2.5hrs=160  2.75hrs=152  3hrs=145

Now that huge spike with sustained levels above 180 can hurt you.  If this person had taken only one reading 3 hours after eating and one in the morning after fasting, well, they would appear normal when actually they had a problem that should be addressed.  You on the other hand, eating chinese food with all the fat from the oil and the white rice; well that meal would have sent the BS of a diabetic skyrocketing, but obviously, your endorcrine system rallied and you produce really normal BS.  So did all that testing tell you something?  YES, as Jeannie said, stop doing so many tests and stop worrrying.  Live a healthy lifestyle but your body is telling you that you don't need to be so vigilent. 

Please also realize that if you really stress out about this stuff, it can physically affect your blood pressure and BS readings.

 Warren

 I'd call you NORMAL, not anywhere near pre-diabetic!! Im not a doctor, but those numbers are just, well, NORMAL!!

 Warren

Robert,
You mentioned something about your 'old mind'... You are understanding this blood sugar reading stuff very well so I don't know what the 'old' has to do with it.... (Some of the rest of us are 'old' too!) The one thing that you need to see is that your readings vary from finger to finger and from minute to minute. Glucose readings are something like the view on the old radar screens. You only get a 'blip' every time the needle goes over the object. You make your decisions based on some incomplete indications of what seems to be happening.

Glucose readings are tools to help us make decisions about exercise, diet and medication. They give a hazy picture of what's going on with our pancreas and how well we are handling our carbohydrate load with the insulin we have on hand. They are like snapshots and can't really tell a whole story so it's best not to be too concerned with each one, but instead to just record them and take them to the doc the next time you go. He/she will be the one to tell you what to do about them.

Hope this helps.

David Medosa in his Update newsletter discusses testing and "when to test".  To summarize his article, the prevailing belief is that post prandial testing should be 2 hours after the first bite of your meal.  However, research has shown that this should probably be 90 mins vs 2 hours.

Of course, many people routinely do a fasting blood test every morning. In addition, we have the opportunity to test before and after each meal, before and after exercise, and when going to bed. Which of these are the most important times to test? Targeting fasting plasma glucose is more beneficial when your A1C level is very high, like about 10, while targeting postprandial glucose is more effective when you have a lower A1C, say about 7.

The whole update on preprandial and postprandial testing can be found at: http://www.mendosa.com/diabetes_update_77.htm

Hope this helps with those of us who have tendencies to be "serial testers" (myself included)

Warren

Post Edited (Warren) : 11/28/2005 1:17:26 PM (GMT-7)

How much rice/or pasta did you eat?   For me, I cant eat rice or pasta AT ALL.  It will spike my blood sugar enormously high and take hours and hours to go down, even into the next day. 

You may have a bit of carbohydrate intolerance, or prediabetic, as they say, and it sounds like only the worse culprits may be affecting you.  Stay away from too much  white rice, pasta,  large amounts of milk, sugary cereals and you should never have a problem.  Its the processed, refined carbohydrates that go into your bloodstream too quickly that raise those sugars and stay with you.  If you do have them, limit your serving size to 1/2 cup.   Better carb choices are whole grains or vegetables. 

I don't think  you have to give up eating Chinese.   Just cut your rice/pasta serving down a bit.  Also, if thats all thats raising your sugars, forget about it and enjoy it.  As long as your not doing it 7 nights/week. 

It makes no difference if it's Chinese, Italian, or Whatever.....Its the carbs, baby.....!!!

Robert-chill out.  You're way too  obecessed with your blood sugars for a person with possibly only mild prediabetes.  Its not necessary to do that many tests a day. 

Whenever I change my medication, I will do more testing.  For instance, after a new med change, I'll do a fasting before every meal, a two hour post prandial and a bedtime gluc.  But I only do that until I am able to determine that the regimen is working.  After a week or so, I go back to ramdom testing, maybe a couple of times a day and at different times.  If a number comes up high, I'll test at the same time the next day to see If I have a pattern forming. 

Its good to be concerned about your blood sugars, but it sounds like its becoming the main focus of your day.  Remember, glucose meters have a range of results and a few points in either direction is not necessarily a true reading.  You cant over analyze them.  Its more of a screening tool for changes in patterns over a period of time.  It sounds like your numbers are good, overall, and you don't need to worry at this point.  . 

With an A1C of 5.2, you are doing VERY WELL.   Enjoy your good health. 

I worry too...hope we all do....protect us, right? I noticed when I eat too much my BGs go high, my

"sitting resting(5 minute) normal breathing Heart Rate(at least 3 hour after eating a small meal)"

goes from low 70's to 90 BPM (BGs above 150 mg/dl) and I get sleepy...right...recognize this. Later I feel like crap! At OA(over eaters anon.) we call this a food hang-over. This can't be good for us. I keep trying to stop.....I do it less and less(actually seldom nowdays), but ...stopping is probably the correct answer. I am not sure all people, Diabetic or not can have these issues. What do you think?