Blood glucose monitors - don't understand them

[Anonymousemouses]

My dad and my younger siblings all have/had type 2 diabetes.

My brother was in his late teens when he got it, my sister in her 20s and dad late 30s.

I'm nearly 56, and despite eating nothing but carbs, have never had high blood sugar, even when pregnant at nearly 42.

I had a blood test a few weeks ago. It showed several problems. One of which was HBA1c - which was 42 exactly.

This shocked me enough to immediately ditch the sugar, now I'm trying to avoid all carbs/limit as much as possible. I actually feel a bit better, despite living on carbs and having a very sweet tooth.

I didn't eat until dinner today and had roast chicken, some pieces of courgette, a couple of pigs in blankets (I checked they were low carb) and some cauliflower mash. I couldn't eat it all as I was full quickly.

I got a blood glucose monitor. I'm used to using these, so was fine doing and I know there was enough blood as the machine, lancet holder and other hand were covered in blood.

The glucose machine said it had enough blood, but the machine beeped saying "lo". It worked for other family members, so I'm just wondering what I did wrong. I feel fine, a bit dizzy, but I do all the time and have before the carb cutting.

The other wrong bloods were high platelets, low MCV and MCH, high ALP (but other liver markers were fine) and raised protein.

Is it user error?

You have had a low blood glucose reading, you need to eat/drink something with carbs op.

Lo usually means batteries are running low. Type 2 rarely gives genuinely low readings it is about bringing the high blood sugar level down either with diet/exercise or medication.

I haven't got type 2. The doctor said I was only just into prediabetes, but he thought if I lost a bit of weight I wouldn't develop type 2

The hospital did a blood monitor test when I was there for a pre-op a week after the bloods (as I said I was dizzy and faint a lot) and it was 4.8 - which I didn't believe was high?

I realise that you are not t2. 42 is not high anyway, even as prediabetic. 4.8 is on the lower side of normal range so whatever you are doing is fine and you probably do not need to worry.

Ermm well first thing first this line if a little concerning “I got a blood glucose monitor. I'm used to using these, so was fine doing and I know there was enough blood as the machine, lancet holder and other hand were covered in blood”

Im T2 and have taken my readings thousands of times now, it should be one drop of blood onto the test strip only and there’s never enough bleeding to get it on the machine and my other hand.

It might be worth getting a dexcom or freestyle Libre. I used a Libre for the first few months after my diagnosis and now just use them when I’m going on holiday or my eating routine will be significantly disrupted.

Theyre about £50 each and each sensor gives you 2 weeks of readings I find them very useful for watching the effects of different foods, activities and medications so I can understand the patterns and know what to eliminate, cut down or combine with something else in my diet, For example I can have small amounts of basmati rice, long grain sends my sugar higher and takes longer to come down. Potatoes are just a no for me, it doesn’t matter how they’re cooked or how small the portion or what I have with them they send my sugars sky high and it takes hours and hours to get back in range.

With a CGM, you buy the sensor, download a free app and sign up for an account, then you attach the sensor to the back of your arm. It has a small very fine needle but it’s so fine you don’t feel it, it stays stuck in your arm for 2 weeks and connects to the app on your phone so you have constant visibility of your sugar levels.

Aww thank you, I didn't really know just that I was high risk due to family.

I've stopped the statins (I'm sure I didn't need them anyway, for some reason they had I had atherosclerosis in my legs, which I didn't, it was a mistake), but I still carried on taking them. Funnily enough the HBA1c went from 37 last year to 42 this year and they put me on statins after the first, so the raise in blood sugar directly correlates with being on statins.

Were your hands wet or damp? That can give a low blood sugar reading.

Are you sure it wasn’t a ketone test strip?

@InfoSecInTheCity yes I also read the "covered in blood" bit in total horror

@Anonymousemouses what is going on?! Was that an AutoCorrect for something?

Lo usually means sugars below the lowest readable level. This varies depending on the meter - the instructions will usually specify how low this is. Not surprised it showed this when you had so little to eat and barely any carbs. Feeling dizzy is a symptom of low glucose levels

I'd suggest speaking to a medical professional on how to adapt your diet rather than blindly cutting out food groups and not eating. Low sugars can cause you to pass out which can put you and others at danger (for example it is illegal to knowingly drive with blood sugars below a certain level if you are a type 1).