Hi all..Im new here .Im 54 in good health overall. My most recent blood work july/2/11 came back with a fasting # of 107 and a A1C of 6.1. I do have a history of D on my fathers side .My Dr. says I need to watch my diet ,excersie etc ,,all the normal stuff for a Pre-D to do..My question is when I do my finger test my numbers dont match from left to right hand and can be off as little as a low of 3 points to a high of 20-30 pts off, one hand will be 169 the other hand 141 at 2hrs after a meal,,in the am after 8-9 hrs it runs from 95-109 and depending if I take a second test on other hand it can be off by 5-10 higher and sometimes its real close just a couple of numbers off .Its the higher differences that throw me off,,if i get a high # I check the other hand and it comes in most of the time somewhat lower,,if I get a low # (between 88-108 fasting or <130 2hrs after a meal) I dont check the other hand.My Dr said to only check twice a day AM & PM but sometimes I can check up to 6 times cause if the number is high it can be somewhat lower on the other hand.Well as I stated Im new at this and I am really making a effort to get it dialed in with change of diet ect.. Ive only been at it a couple of weeks but have noticed that I dont go to the bathroom at night as much as before and not as thirsty .I have cut way back on bad sweets and drink alot of water and eat smaller higher fiber meals and good snacks .Im at 166lbs and 5ft8" and dont want to lose weight.Well thanks for looking sorry if its alittle long winded. TCB Mario
some questions
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Hi Mario. Your meter will jump around a little. I always kid I get lower numbers on one finger. Usually pick the one that bleeds the easiest. I am 6'1" 167 lbs and lost 20 lbs. in 6 months and not into losing anymore weight either. I am no expert but there are some here which are more ahead of the game than I am. I would kill the sweets entirely and be looking to up your protein intake and start eating nuts Almonds Walnuts etc. Anyways good luck and I am sure others wiser than me will comment.mario said:
Hello & welcome, Mario. Long-winded is good - many of us here can get really windy! 
Since you've been designated as "pre" diabetic, and you're thin, I think if I were you I'd request your doc order a GAD antibodies test. There's a chance you could be type 1.5 which is known as LADA.
And as HBS has mentioned, meters are not accurate to that degree, any more than our blood is absolutely static. Even testing from the same drop of blood will yield different readings; I've done it myself. I definitely recommend testing more often than twice a day, but don't waste strips trying to get a match.
Tell us more about what your diet consists of. If you are scaling back more carbs, you should see a huge change in your symptoms - the best foods for us are protein & fats. What carbs you do consume should be from high fiber vegetables. What do you use for snacking?
Since you've been designated as "pre" diabetic, and you're thin, I think if I were you I'd request your doc order a GAD antibodies test. There's a chance you could be type 1.5 which is known as LADA.
And as HBS has mentioned, meters are not accurate to that degree, any more than our blood is absolutely static. Even testing from the same drop of blood will yield different readings; I've done it myself. I definitely recommend testing more often than twice a day, but don't waste strips trying to get a match.
Tell us more about what your diet consists of. If you are scaling back more carbs, you should see a huge change in your symptoms - the best foods for us are protein & fats. What carbs you do consume should be from high fiber vegetables. What do you use for snacking?
Meters are not accurate, it is very frustrating. Some seem to be more accurate than others. When I used a One Touch meter I got lots of wierd readings. Now I use a Bayer Contour and the readings seem to be closer. I tend to only use my left hand for readings because it is easier. Unless I get something really high or really low I don't retest. Most doctors think Type 2's test too much. My doctor told me as a full blown D to test 2 x per week. I did not follow that advice. When you test make it count. Test at times you can use the information to improve bgs. If you need to save strips try to alternate fasting and after meal testing. I tend to be highest in the morning, so that is when I test the most.
what is LADA? My snacks inculde Yeggie brand potatoe chips made with tomato puree and spinach powder has 1g sugar. Planters Nut-rition (peanuts) energy mix packs 6g sugars.Sugar free iced tea as well as Crystal Lite fruit punch mix 0 sugars and other sugar free drinks...I dont snack alot at home mostly at work...I have changed all cereal to whole grain type as well as bread and rice and pastas,,salads with olive oil.I eat less portions of meats etc...I eat more fresh fruit plums,oranges,banannas(not too ripe)...BTW I see some use coconut oil as a suppliment, what is that good for?? Thanks Mario TCB.....
BloodSugar101 gives a quite easy-to-understand explanation of LADA (<- click link), and upon scrolling down, you'll find this little nugget:
You might be giving yourself higher BG by reducing your protein & increasing fruits etc. This is where you let your meter be your guide, and test before meals, as well as 1-hour and 2-hour intervals after the meal. The goal is to keep your blood glucose (BG) under 140 at all times. Many of us set a lower level than 140, but it's a good place for you to start out.
By testing before you eat, you have a picture of where you started. By testing one hour after your first bite, you get an idea of how much that food spiked you, and you want to keep it under 140. Test again two hours after your first bite & you should be dropping back down to where you began. Whatever foods cause significant elevation of your BG should be tested again a time or two, but if the spike persists every time you eat it, you might then consider restricting or removing that food from your menus.
Many of the things dietitians & diabetes educators insist are good for us and MUST be included in our diets, are, in reality, very unhealthy for us, and only serve to increase the amount of medication required to attain healthy low blood glucose. I can't think of any good reason we would follow that advice if it only means buying and using higher & higher doses of meds or insulin.
At any rate, start testing the foods you eat, but don't be surprised if you get spikes from the whole grain foods, the oranges/bananas/plums, and the Veggie potato chips too.
As diabetics, we need to build our meals/menus around protein & fats; what little carbs we eat can come from high fiber vegetables. Processed foods and anything labeled low-fat or fat-free—these are the villains. Any time the food industry removes the fats from normal healthy products, it is replaced with carbs. When you're reading the labels, it isn't the "sugars" you look for, it's total carbohydrate. If it also lists the dietary fiber, you may deduct those grams from the carbohydrate grams if you wish, but not everybody does.
Here is the label for the Veggie chips: Calories in Whole Foods 365 Veggie Chips - Calories and Nutrition Facts. You've been checking the sugars when it's the carbs you gotta watch. Carbs turn into sugar as soon as you start chewing, and these chips have 19g in one ounce of product . . . that is a big load of carbs. The label for the Nutrition energy mix shows the 6g of sugars you mentioned, but they have 13g of carbs. Nuts ARE great for diabetics though, and if you avoid packaged mixes & just buy the raw nuts, you'll be way ahead of the game. Roasted/lightly salted aren't too bad either.
Sorry for the essay . . . I'll shut up now & let somebody else talk!
Hi, Mario -- you still are eating quite a few carb snacks.
As a LADA, I agree with Shanny -- you might want GAD-65 antibody testing. It took me a good bit of effort to get it, and I really was deceptive in my good blood sugars, from low-carbing.
As to weight loss -- I cannot advise you to necessarily eat fewer carbs, and more fat ,as many people lose weight on that -- but I am stable eating 50g of carb or less per day, and all the fat I want to satiate myself. But sometimes manipulating macronutrient ratios (carbs, protein, fat) is helpful in stabilizing weight. As might insulin be, if you need it.
Good luck.
That Blood Sugar 101 website, by the way, saved my life. I pressed for antibody testing, and was able to really understand diabetes and diet there, first.
As a LADA, I agree with Shanny -- you might want GAD-65 antibody testing. It took me a good bit of effort to get it, and I really was deceptive in my good blood sugars, from low-carbing.
As to weight loss -- I cannot advise you to necessarily eat fewer carbs, and more fat ,as many people lose weight on that -- but I am stable eating 50g of carb or less per day, and all the fat I want to satiate myself. But sometimes manipulating macronutrient ratios (carbs, protein, fat) is helpful in stabilizing weight. As might insulin be, if you need it.
Good luck.
That Blood Sugar 101 website, by the way, saved my life. I pressed for antibody testing, and was able to really understand diabetes and diet there, first.
Wow thanks I need that kind of information.As you well know getting a grip on the Pre-D or D condition could be overwhelming at first.There is soooo much to learn and to do.That is why I looked up this forum.Its very helpfull to message with folks that have"Been there,Done that"and to read the things that others are experienceing....Im going to do my best without stressing too much over it.....I have a app. today with a heart spec. DR to discuss haveing a stress test or MRI to see if a branch artery which showed a slight blockage 3 years ago is still ok or blocked further which would need a stent placed.My Dr did a EKG 7-22-11 and said it was good but he wants to have it checked with heart spec....Im at the age where all the things I used to hear the "older guys"talk about (prostate,heart ect ect) now happening to me...Isnt getting older grand ?.LOL .Im going to do all I can to be around for a while longer and see what else comes up or as long as my Health Insurance last.LOL... Thanks Mario TCB....
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