BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Diabetes 141

I'm new to checking my blood sugar
Is a reading of 141 high
What's high what's low
Are you on medication for a reading of 141
I'm really scared of having Diabetes

Blood Sugar rises and falls over the course of daily activity.

Normally lowest in morning after a night's rest. 141 first thing in am is a bit high.

I see you posted somewhere around 3:00-3:30pm. After lunch I take it? In that circumstance 141 is acceptable.

Check your levels morning, noon, after dinner aND BEFORE BED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. RECORD ALL READINGS . (Whoops bumped key). Go and see your doctor and show readings and ask for explanation/advice.

Don't get your medical advice from the internet.

Thank you Frank

Hey Rosie, the answer to your question is 'it depends'. A normal before-you-eat or 2 hours after-you've-eaten reading is 90 to 110. But a reading of 140 isn't WAY OUT OF LINE for those time - certainly nothing to be scared of. And is an acceptable reading at other times. I was having readings over 200 before we took the next step.

I have the opposite situation of Frank. My morning readings are my highest of the day and they're generally 136-154. (And as you know I've been on meds for about 8 years.) There are 2 reasons for morning highs - Dawn Phenomenon and Somogryri Effect - you'll see why when you research them.

I'm guessing your doctor has you taking regular readings now, so just keep a record and he/she or your Diabetes Educator will understand the whys and hows. They'll be able to help you work through it. Don't be afraid of it, just learn to live with it.

I just re-read your original post and realized I didn't answer one of your questions. And it's the one that does scare me.

Your low reading will also 'depend'. It's all in relationship to your high reading. I don't know if there's a set number but I start feeling it in the 70's and have problems in the 60's. I think you might begin to feel symptoms when you are getting about 30 points below your average reading. You can recognize the symptoms and there is one easy solution - eat or drink a carb that will enter your blood quickly.

When you have a low you'll feel as if you've run out of fuel - you'll be fatigued (light-headed and tired), maybe gets the shakes, and when the cold-sweats start that's when I get scared. I've had one low that send me to the ER for a few hours of inter-venous treatment.

You just learn to live with it.

Sonia thanks a bunch or the info
This is all so new to me
This morning when i woke up it was 114
I am over whelmed with numbers
So much to learn
I welcome all the info you can give to me
How long do you wait before or after meals to test
Is there a right time or a wrong time to test
thanks agin

Our local hospital has "diabetes training" courses and then holds monthly topics on related issues.

Do you have someone who is guiding through nutrition, use of the glucose monitor, and how you should be caring for yourself?

It is important to know what you are doing in order to ensure that you are giving yourself proper care.

I write this only because my sis in law and nephew have diabetes, I have pre-diabetes after gestational diabetes.... and diligent care is important!

Lisa, I have none of that
I haven't been told by a Dr. yet that i have diabetes
I was told that i'm borderline
I asked my Dr. for a prescription for a meter and strips
Because I am scared to death of being a diabetic
So i need to test my sugar
Now i'm testing but i don't know what for

Rosie, what you are testing for may be the easiest question to answer. You're testing to find a pattern. Keep records.

In the simplest terms, diabetes is when your body can not process the glucose (you should use this word instead of sugar) found in most of the foods you eat. You use your meter to track how your body is doing. You need to keep track of when you test and what your results are. You will want to know what your reading is: 1) first thing in the morning 2) just before a meal and 3) 2 hours after a meal. {Some educators will say 1 1/2 hours after a meal. You decide when, then stick with it.} At first I think I took 3 or 4 readings of each kind each week.

The first reading of the day is for the reasons we discussed earlier.

The readings before and after meals is so that you can see how your body responds to the foods you like/eat. You'll soon find out which and how much you can process. An example is that I love mac and cheese. I soon learned that I was eating more than twice what I could process. Now I eat a lessor amount less often. Also for me whenever a meal contains rice, the vegetable will be carrots or green beans.

The before-reading is taken just a few minutes before you eat, and be sure you wash your hands. You could have glucose on your hands from the food preparation. Eat your meal at one sitting, then take the after-reading 2 hours from the time you started to eat. The reading should be what the reading was before the meal. If it's higher you will definitely need to cut the serving size.

So, the meter readings are so that you take control of your food intake. At some time your doctor will do regular A1c's. This is a test when he finds out how your control is. He'll also want to see your records to help him determine the patterns.

Hope this is helping!

Sonia, thanks for the info
I really appreciate it
I think it was 141 after i ate 4 Ring Dings lol
Will test before a meal
You have been really helpful
How's your summer going