[Evergrean]

How soon should I check my blood glucose reading after a meal?
For the first time I started to check readings 15 mins after meal and it was high. I tested it after eating 6 tacos and 3 small candy bars with my first reading at 205. I thought that was a mistake and checked it again 3 minutes later it was 179. 30 mins after meal it was at 149. It then went down to 110 after 1.5 hours.
Did another test the next day around 15 minutes after eating 20 carb breakfast and got a reading at 125.

In the past month I was always testing 1 hour, 2 hour and up to 5 hours after meals.
Readings were consistently around 113 average and the problem is it stays that way for up to 5 hours depending on what I eat. My overnight 8 hour fasting is always around 95. I dont take meds and considered pre diabetes with A1C at 5.9.

Any advise on how soon to test blood after meals and I assume it should never go over 200 right after a meal?

 

[Daytona]

I change when I test based on how quickly I think I am going to spike. The point isn't to see what your blood sugar is at a certain time, but to understand how high it went total and how long it took to come back down to normal.

So if I eat something that is mostly carb (e.g. cake), I will test very early and often, usually every 15 minutes because by 1 hour it may have come down from 200 to 110. If I had just tested at 1 hour, I would have missed the highest point.

When I eat something very fatty (e.g. cheesecake), I may delay the first test until 1 hour and then test every hour for 4 hours until it's back to normal. I stop testing when it's back to normal, so however long that takes that's how much I test.

As you test more you will develop a feel for "this will spike hard and fast so I should test early and often" or "this will spike slowly but last freaking forever".

It's worth mentioning that I only do this for foods that I haven't tested before or if I think I will go too high. I don't bother if I've tested the food before and know that it won't be a problem. That way I save up my strips for when I really need to know.

 

[diabetes86]

You went to 205 because you ate a lot of carbs. Every time your BG goes over 140 you are doing damage to your body. so as Daytona said it depends on what you eat as to when the spike happens. As your diabetes progresses, that amount of carbs will drive your BG higher and for a longer time. The damage will add up, with readings like that and with enough time you will get complications.

 

[Daytona]

I forgot to mention that the first reading is always right before you eat. That way you have a baseline for how high the food made you go.

 

[Shanny]

I assume it should never go over 200 right after a meal?

200 is way too high . . . anything over 140 (7.7) is prob'ly causing damage to your kidneys/retinas/vascular system. Try to stay under 140 at all times.

 

[Evergrean]

200 is way too high . . . anything over 140 (7.7) is prob'ly causing damage to your kidneys/retinas/vascular system. Try to stay under 140 at all times.

Is it normal for blood sugar results to change 26 (205 to 179) in 3 minutes?

 

[Evergrean]

I forgot to mention that the first reading is always right before you eat. That way you have a baseline for how high the food made you go.

Okay, right after I eat means a minute or how soon should I test it right ater I eat?

 

[Miss_Blue]

Is it normal for blood sugar results to change 26 (205 to 179) in 3 minutes?

That's probably just the variation in your meter. You could have tested your blood sugar twice in 20 seconds with the same drop of blood, only to see 205 and 179.