[Penny]

I know what normal fasting numbers should be, but if Hubby is 111 after not eating anything for 16 hours, is that considered "normal"? Just wondering because he was told to check for a few days to see if low blood sugar is causing him to be light headed. Do "normal" people have lows if they go a long time without eating and if they do, then 111 might be considered a little high for 16 hours fasting???? Hubby has always had strange eating habits....doesn't eat his first meal of the day until late afternoon, then eats a lot of food until bedtime. Would testing him after meals make sense, and what numbers should I be concerned about?

[Dewey]

It's so hard to say what numbers would be more concerning, Penny, as the ADA changed the standards of what they consider "normal." In the past, it was 80-120. Now, they consider "normal" to be 70-99 or something like that (forgive me if I'm off on that).

I still go by the 80-120 rule, but have been concerned with regard to Carwy's numbers (i.e. fasting sugars of 132+, a few high numbers in the 170s, and the worst, a 300!). 111 seems ok to me, but it may be a very good idea to watch it (just to be safe).

Sorry I couldn't help more, but there just seems to be a wide variety of what folks consider normal, which only serves to confuse. Here's hoping that hubby is alright.

[BlueSky]

Normal fasting glucose is 70 - 90 mg/dl. Fasting BG of 110 - 125 indicates IFG (Impaired Fasting Glucose). So there could a problem there. I suggests testing him an hour after meals to see how high his BG is going, and testing him when he feels light-headed to see if this is caused by low BG. It could be that he has IFG and reactive hypoglycemia, in which case working on diet and exercise would be a good idea.

[Aurelius]

If it is 111, then get an A1C done as soon as possible. Not to scare you, but that was my fasting number at my diagnosis.

[Erin]

111 on a home glucose meter could be 120, and it could be 95. There is a bit of variability between one machine to another. My machine consistently reads 10 to 15 mg/dl above the one at my doctor's office. It's normal to have that variation, and I wouldn't start freaking out over a 111 on your home glucometer. My boyfriend who is very athletic and eats well and has no history of diabetes in his family ocassionally tests in the low 100's when we test for fun.

If you notice significantly higher numbers after meals, (lets say 140 or so) or he NEVER seems to go down into that 70 - 99 range then I would suspect a problem.

i'd probably spot test both fasting and post meal blood sugars for a little while. Then I would probably record the results and give them to his doctor. Or, and this might be the more accurate thing to do, I'd just ask the doctor to do an A1c.