So I have to take a week of blood sugar readings in lieu of doing a glucose tolerance test this week for my gestational diabetes screen…and I’ve had a few numbers that have freaked me out. I got a 154 reading today an hour after eating a meal on one of Samson’s old meters (OneTouch Verio IQ) that we aren’t using. On a second old meter (OneTouch Ultra2), I got a reading of 132. Another reading earlier in the day, the high meter read 148 while the other meter read 116.
So I tested the higher meter with the control solution and got a reading of 137. The control solution range is 102 to 138… I guess I’m wondering if that means the meter is likely to read higher than average or is basically well calibrated? Are the results still reliable? I don’t have control solution for the second (low) meter so I can’t tell if it’s reading “low” Basically, how do I interpret this control solution data? Can I use these meters? I don’t want to use my son’s because then my BG readings will contaminate his data, but on the other hand it seems pointless to be pricking myself five times a day if the meter is off. FYI, the meters are both about 9 months to a year old…not sure how long they’re supposed to last.
A few weeks ago I tested my son’s old Dexcom transmitter and saw no numbers even within that range. Gestational diabetes can develop quickly so I know things could have changed in the last month, but even so, it’s kind of hard know whether to believe these results.
If you personally have no history of diabetes, are thin and reasonably physically active, and have a normal a1c , these numbers do not cause me any concern. One touch meters always read high in my experience, and are also quicker to show a spike than other brands (sounds bizarre but that’s been my experience). Did you see the link I posted about “what is normal glucose”. ? I’ll see if i can find it here.
Just realize home bg testing is a ridiculously crude measure of blood glucose. Control solution is a total waste of time, it tells you nothing but that the meter is functioning. It’s a precisely engineered and manufactured solution and they still can barely get +|- 15%… just imagine how crappy meters actually are in one individuals blood with their highly unique and complex chemistry vs another’s
I suspect your sons meter would show the same erratic results… and also just important to understand that those numbers are not indicative of a person with diabetes. People who don’t have diabetes have blood sugar elevations after meals too… they just have the physiological ability to bring them back down in a reasonable amount of time
I’d actually just recommend just going through the establishment screenings her doctor suggests and not using a home meter at all… there’s good reason they don’t let patients diagnose themselves with home bg monitoring… and even if she does test frequently at home and has some concerns they’re just going to require her to go through the same steps as if she hadn’t, so it’s just stress with no benefit…
But Tia is smarter than normal patients, AND having a spare meter is a good thing.
The key thing is that having a small BG spike after a meal is normal and expected. But is it back to normal a few hours later? A home BG meter can validate that for you.
I don’ think there is any down-side to knowing if your BG is 150 two hours after you’ve eaten. That’s worth discussing with the doctor. But there is a down-side to NOT knowing.
Agree with this… but generally disagree hat home bg monitoring is even good enough to determine if there’s really a concern or not. What home bg monitoring is good enough for is for day to day management of people who have major dysfunction… I don’t consider it useful in any but the most extreme cases in determining if someone actually has a noteworthy dysfunction…sure if she was seeing numbers in 250s then it’d be noteworthy, but even then her doc would just start the real evaluation protocols. that’s why there’s protocols with real and accurate testing to determine if pregnant women and their babies are at elevated risks and if early intervention is necessary or appropriate… home bg testing of someone who doesn’t have diabetes accomplishes none of that…
yeah normally I’d just take their blood test, but the issue is that last time I took a glucose tolerance test I almost passed out because my blood sugar didn’t go high at 1 hour, but went below 55 at the 3 hour-mark. I could barely drive home and it was a very unpleasant experience. So I’d really like to avoid that experience again if possible. Also, the basic glucose tolerance screen is meant to be neither sensitive nor specific – it requires a follow-up 3-hour fasting glucose tolerance test in some large percentage of women. I already had to do the followup with another pregnancy and it was a huge time suck. Since I am the only one monitoring Samson, having to be at the doctor’s office for 4 hours will be a pretty big inconvenience.
The alternative to glucose tolerance testing that our doctor’s office does is just have you check fasting bg and 1-hour after eating for 1 week.
But now that I’m seeing the wide variation in meters I’m really confused about how closely they’re looking at these numbers…I remember last time i had one fasting BG over 100 and one BG reading at 143 – and they were suspicious it was indicative of a problem. Now I’m just incredulous they could be reading these numbers as anything but rough ballparks.
well, the issue with gestational diabetes is that it’s often a marker for people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes in 15 to 20 years. On my dad’s side, something like 7 out of 10 siblings have T2, so I do have some familial risk.
Did you check out the link? Healthy people routinely, though briefly spike up to about 160…
If the concern is knowing if you’re more likely to have T2 15-20 years down the road, sounds like you already know that unfortunately you are in a higher risk group of that genetically; although I’d be willing to bet that all you’ve learned with your sons issues will likely mitigate other aspects of that risk profile…
But regarding meters, yeah they’re absolutely way off between different brands. I’ve frequently seen results as far off as 60 vs 160 with back to back tests between different brand meters… whatever regulatory standards they’re supposed to meet-- I can assure you, they don’t. Maybe they do with precisely engineered control solution, but with human blood… not even close
yeah, true. And gestational diabetes screening now is really only designed to protect the baby – they know that women who have it are at highest risk of T2D but they don’t actually do anything post-pregnancy to help them head off that risk.
I guess for now I’ll just avoid the Verio because its numbers seem so off.
Absolutely agree about protect the baby. After my pregnancy, FYI, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, initially, the endocrinologists practice at the time, simply dismissed me. Maybe they had more urgent cases; but whatever it may have been, they were no longer interested in me as a patient. No instructions for follow up. Nothing.
It was suggested somewhere else that you can bring your meter on the day that you have your bloodwork. Test your BG using your meter. Compare the result against the lab numbers. They usually draw blood for A1C, “instantaneous BG”, metabolic panel…etc. As Sam mentioned, home BG meters do have their limitations, as useful and helpful as they are. If my meter is within the lab numbers by 10 to 15 mg/dl, (10-15% margin or error) I’d be pretty happy. It’s what we have to work with. It sure beats the old compare the color meters of the late 80’s early 90’s. LOL.
I guess I just assumed this was reactive hypoglycemia. At least, that’s what my Googling produced. I’ve felt like this plenty of times over my entire life, but it’s a fairly rare occurrence overall. It mostly happens if I eat something with simple sugar – candy, for instance – on an empty stomach. From what I understand if it’s not a persistent thing, it can sometimes be a sign of future diabetes risk but there’s no “treatment” per se and it’s pretty easy for me to avoid by simply not eating sugary things like that without some “real food” in my stomach. In general I avoid those kinds of foods.
Absolutely agree about protect the baby. After my pregnancy, FYI, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, initially, the endocrinologists practice at the time, simply dismissed me. Maybe they had more urgent cases; but whatever it may have been, they were no longer interested in me as a patient. No instructions for follow up. Nothing.
This whole medical model drives me nuts. It’s not only poor care for the mom, it’s short-sighted, because it totally neglects that mom is going to be one of the child’s primary sources of well-being for a very long time.
