A question about timing of glucose testing

[Bamboo]

Hello-- I've been lurking here a bit and you seem like a helpful and friendly bunch, so I thought I'd post a question. I'm giving some background in case it matters to the big picture, so please bear with me.

I've been testing my blood glucose with a meter for about a year. My A1C was creeping up and at 6.5 my doctor sent me to the diabetes educator. I'm very happy about that as my 85-year-old mother has significant problems from poorly monitored diabetes. With diet and exercise I was able to get it down to 6.1. Great, right?

In October I had a kidney removed- on a fluke they discovered a cancerous cyst on my kidney. It was completely encapsulated, so removing it with the organ did the trick. Am I lucky, or what??!

A few months later I started having symptoms of what was eventually diagnosed as a non-specific autoimmune disorder. I was started on prednisone and Plaquenil. As you know, prednisone pushes your blood sugar up, so I was given 1 mg. of Amaryl. All of those medications are working just fine for me. I will have to stay on Amaryl as long as I'm on prednisone, which my rheumatologist says will be "forever". I'm currently at 9 mg. of prednisone because of a flareup, but he thinks I'll be able to stay at 5 mg. as my usual dose (plus the Plaquenil).

I have been told to test four times daily: on rising; before lunch and dinner; and at bedtime. Lately I've been forgetting to test my sugar before I begin the meal. How much of a cushion of time do I have to do the test after I've started eating? How much time before my meal hits my bloodstream?

Thanks in advance for your insights. I hope to visit here often.

Ann

[Coravh]

Good questions. I am a T1 on a pump, so I test all the time. If you aren't going my route (occasional sore fingers) then you should vary the time you test. Fasting and before bed are good times because then you can see where you start before you go to sleep and then see the net effect of what happened overnight. As for the other 2 tests, by all means test before meals. But you should also test 2 hours after the start of a meal to see how your body reacts to the food you've eaten. Especially since you are on prednisone (the bane of every diabetics existance) you may find that you are much higher than you like after you eat carbs. So switch it around. Test sometimes after breakfast and lunch, and sometimes after dinner.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Cora

[emililu28]

You have about 10-15 minutes before it'll hit your blood stream.

[Coravh]

Originally Posted by emililu28

You have about 10-15 minutes before it'll hit your blood stream.

Technically true, but it depends on what you are eating. Simple sugars can be absorbed through the mouth, so you get an almost instantaneous "hit". That's why nitroglycerin tablets for angina are kept and dissolved under the tongue.

Cora

[Bamboo]

Thank you for your replies!

But you should also test 2 hours after the start of a meal to see how your body reacts to the food you've eaten.

Interesting that you mentioned this practice. When I started testing (before the other health complications), I was told to test on rising and two hours after lunch. I had been given a menu plan with a max of 150 daily carbs, which worked nicely with the South Beach diet I was already on. (My doctor has been eating that way for two years.) Since SB really goes a long way toward meeting the way of eating my diabetes educator prescribed, it was easy to do. My blood sugars without any blood sugar-controlling medications were always between 90 and 140 (usually a high of 120), we were pleased with that result.

(FYI- South Beach is an eating plan emphasizing good carbs, good fats, lean proteins and portion control. It's not a low-carb diet, although the first two weeks are lower in carbs than at any other time.)

After I started on prednisone I was told to test at the times I noted. Every so often I'm curious about sensations I'm having or about the effects of certain meals or foods, so I sometimes check an extra time- that's usually mid-afternoon, 2-3 hours after lunch.