[COLC]

A few hours ago I was diagnosed as a sufferer of IGT.
To enable me to understand my situation better, I intend to purchase a Glucometer to use until I ascertain the foods that cause a "spike"
I have followed a Low GI diet for some years so the diagnosis was a surprise, I am not overweight, age 73, my only vice is a couple of glasses of red wine most evenings (only to supplement my Chromium level of course)
I am after advice as to the most appropriate meter to purchase, preferably one that can download info to my Laptop.
Cheers from a newbie

[matingara]

hey there newbie!

i bought an Abbotts Labs Optium Xceed meter.

it "partly" broke after 9 months. i called the service desk and they sent me a new one free.

i find that my meter and the lab readings correlate beautifully.

so i give this meter a thumbs up.



-- Joel.

[COLC]

Thanks Joel, Cold up there tonight?
Of all the mountains in the world would you believe that I am 300 metres below you in Emerald!!!!
Col
PS Re data transfer with your meter, does it need a 9 pin plug or USB connection

[PERKDOUG]

Originally Posted by COLC

A few hours ago I was diagnosed as a sufferer of IGT.
I am after advice as to the most appropriate meter to purchase, preferably one that can download info to my Laptop.
Cheers from a newbie

If you are rich or have good coverage for test strips don't even read the remainder of my post. I am in your situation with less than perfect glucose control. I purchased the Walgreens "el cheapo" (cost about $14 ) blood glucose monitor. The main reason I did this is that the strips are about $.50 each vs. $1.00 for the "fancy" models. The cheap strips encourage you to test often. Using this meter I have identified and eliminated the "offending foods" in my diet. My experience has been that it takes about 500 tests ($250) to examine and properly refine your diet to bring your glucose excursions down to what I deem healthy levels. You must record the tests and I find a simple written record works great.
For me, it is all about the cost of the strips as I will use the meter less frequently now but no doubt for the rest of my life. Note the tiny investment needed with this method. If you find this cheap method unsatisfactory, you can change it later being out only pocket money for the effort.

[Ronin]

Hi COLC!

I'm curious as to what the test was that got you the diagnosis of IGT -- was it an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)or simply a standard Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG). In either case what were the "offending numbers?"

The reason I ask is that those of us who have been identified as Pre-Diabetic tend to fall into the over-fifiy portion of the population when the official reason for the diagnosis was to capture teens and twenty-somethings that were on their way towards early onset Type-2 diabetes.

There are some additional tests that you should ask your MD to prescribe: first is an HbA1c that measures your BG levels over time, not just a single test. The next, is to look at your Fasting C-Peptide levels. This measures the output of your pancreas.

Is age a factor? That depends on the MD you speak to. Some claim that the same standards that apply to a 20 year old apply to a 90 year old. Others moderate the approach by recognizing that as people age their systems slow down.

Okay, let's assume that you don't assimilate glucose as rapidly as your 20 year old counterpart -- does that mean that you are going to develop Type-2 diabetes, start getting infections and have your toes removed? Given your self description in your posting, probably not.

Please get the other tests.

[COLC]

Thanks Perkdoug and Ronin,
Diagnosis was after a fasting and a tolerance test.
Numbers as follows
fasting 6
tolerance rose to 13 and faded quickly.
HBA1c test was within normal limits.

[Ronin]

Hi Colc!

Hmmm. Interesting. The FBG wasn't all that high. The question is about your statement that in the OGTT your BG went quite high and faded quickly. How fast was quickly?

[COLC]

Cannot answer that Ronin, being a newbie I did not know the correct questions to ask, will glean more info at next visit.

[Ronin]

Hi Colc!

What I'm asking is the time frame of your OGTT. Usually this takes two to three hours. The lab should have been testing you at intervals and charting your BG levels at these time periods. What I'm asking is at what test point did your BG go up to 13 and then the numbers for the fall off and where it all ended. This information is valuable to the people on this forum because we have a lot of experience with these tests and can share our advice and experience based on what your numbers were. It would be beneficial if the lab also measured your C-Peptide levels during the OGTT.

Yes, these are probably questions you will have to ask of your MD at the next visit. Please let us know when you find out.

[COLC]

In my original Post I indicated I had been diagnosed with Impaired GT, my GP suggested another visit in three months, I decided to be more proactive and purchased a monitor.
Below are the readings for the last seven days, there are only a few abnormal results, any comments from those “out in the trenches” would be appreciated.
Incidentally the reading of 9.8 was after I indulged (gutsed actually) on a meal of Olive Bread and dips.
The 9.5 reading was after a Fish Curry, with rice and coconut milk.
The 8.0 reading was taken after a meal similar to meal I had a couple of days earlier which read 6.9
The 6.3 at lunchtime was after a large Lamb Vindaloo and Rice (but included red wine)
I had exactly the same breakfast each day for the week and am puzzled by the variance in the different readings.
Another question I have is, I have seen different opinions as to when to time the two hour test, from the start of the meal or from the finish, which is correct also how punctual does it need to be?

Fasting 5.9, 6.3, 5.3, 5.3, 4.8, 5.0, 5.1
+2 hour 7.0, 6.4, 4.1, 7.2, 7.2, 5.7, 7.8
Lunch
+ 2 Hour 6.9, 6.9, 6.5, 6.3, 9.8, 8.0, 7.7
Dinner
+2 Hour 9.5, 6.7, 6.8 miss, 5.0, 5.3,5.7

[fgummett]

In my humble opinion (I'm not a Doctor) those readings are on the high-end of normal, with some excursions above normal; but something you want to be proactive about before they get any worse. While many GPs will generally take a conservative "wait and see" approach with Diabetes... wait till it gets worse before doing anything and even then only gradually ramping up the treatment... I hold to the school that early intervention is the best policy. I applaud you for taking interest in your own health and recommend a book called "Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution". I'm not suggesting that you already have full-blown Diabetes but it certainly looks as if that could be where you are heading... I wish that I had known about my D early enough to maybe slow it down or even stop it in it's tracks. I wish you well

The general rule for after-meal (postprandial) testing is 2 hours after the first bite. I don't think that to-the-minute punctuality is called fo,r but it does help to at least limit one variable.

Variance in readings is something we all see... it is not an exact science... one can eat the same food, do the same activity, be in the same phase of the Moon, wear the same clothes etc... and still have different readings. Meters are not as precise as we may think, and even the way we take the sample can make a difference... try back-to-back tests on two different fingers.

[COLC]

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It is now nearly 6 weeks since my diagnosis of IGT, in that time I have been testing at least 4 times daily: Fasting and 2 hour post prandial in an attempt to ascertain the foods that aggravate the condition.
I find it hard to get my head around the fact that some meals are perfectly acceptable on one day and give an excessive reading the next, in fact one morning my FBG was higher than when I went to bed.
Does taking an average of a weeks readings have any significance?
For instance FBG readings for the past week indicate a range of 4.9 to 5.7 with an average of 5.2
2 hour PP (breakfast) range 7.2 to 5.6 an average of 6.06
2 hour PP (lunch) 2 readings of 8.0 and 8.2 with an average of 6.8
2 hour PP (dinner) lowest 3.6 with one reading 8.2, average 5.71
Total average 5.94
Do these figures indicate that I am coasting along OK or do I need more work.
I have reduced my carb intake markedly even though I was already following a low GI regime prior to diagnosis.
I previously posted in the wrong area, is it possible to delete that post, if so how?

[matingara]

Hi Col!

i missed your original reply indicating that you are in Emerald! Amazing!

Those readings look pretty good to me. i would stay as low carb as possible (it cannot be bad for you).

keep drinking wine - it is good for BGL control.

and maybe get an A1C test ordered next time you go to the docs to see what your real long-term average is.



-- Joel.

[BrianSCohen]

Originally Posted by COLC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is now nearly 6 weeks since my diagnosis of IGT, in that time I have been testing at least 4 times daily: Fasting and 2 hour post prandial in an attempt to ascertain the foods that aggravate the condition.
I find it hard to get my head around the fact that some meals are perfectly acceptable on one day and give an excessive reading the next, in fact one morning my FBG was higher than when I went to bed.
Does taking an average of a weeks readings have any significance?
For instance FBG readings for the past week indicate a range of 4.9 to 5.7 with an average of 5.2
2 hour PP (breakfast) range 7.2 to 5.6 an average of 6.06
2 hour PP (lunch) 2 readings of 8.0 and 8.2 with an average of 6.8
2 hour PP (dinner) lowest 3.6 with one reading 8.2, average 5.71
Total average 5.94
Do these figures indicate that I am coasting along OK or do I need more work.
I have reduced my carb intake markedly even though I was already following a low GI regime prior to diagnosis.
I previously posted in the wrong area, is it possible to delete that post, if so how?

Remember that you body is a complex system. Your response to the IGT has two phases, the first phase releases stored insulin to immediately address the surge in blood sugar at a meal. In the second phase, your pancreas production kicks in. When your fasting blood sugar rises, it often can deplete your first phase response causing variances in your responses.

You have just started in this journey. You are an experiment of one, and you are pretty complicated experiment at that. Work on eating low carb, and over time you will get a better handle on how you respond to things. However, you will just need to accept that often your body will respond in unexpected ways.

Last night, I had a couple drinks with my late dinner and was at 72 mg/dl before bed, lower than normal. You would think I would wake up great. Exactly wrong. First test this morning, 141 mg/dl. I wash my hands carefully and retest. Still high, 127 mg/dl. Go figure. It is the aliens again.