From 171 to 111 in 30 minutes - is that possible?

Hi,

I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
reading last night).

Thanks for any insight!

From not having GD, but knowing how natural and injected
insulin work, yes it's very possible. Being a T2 or having GD
mostly means having an impaired insulin response and that
your natural insulin is somewhat delayed. You saw this
first hand in the 171 to 111. I would suggest if you continue
to go to 171 that you talk to your doctor about adding insulin
until you have the baby

--
Reisa, T1
dx-5/00 asd-7/00
Animas IR1250 pumper
Daily CHO: 150-200gm
TDD: 36-38u
Last A1C: Rising! oPPs!
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penelope@rescueteam.com> wrote in message
news:1170093941.075150.86620@v45g2000cwv.googlegro ups.com...
: Hi,
:
: I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
: Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
: glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
: restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
: 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
: beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
: test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
: of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
: otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
: reading last night).
:
: Thanks for any insight!
:

In article <1170093941.075150.86620@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups. com>,
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penelope@rescueteam.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> reading last night).
>

It's not normal, but it happens. Especially in a restaurant meal, where
there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more carbohydrate than you
think. Another possibility is that there was some carb residue on your
finger. A third is that your meter took this particular opportunity to
teach you humility.

--
"and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of the matter

On Jan 29, 1:05 pm, "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward"
<penel...@rescueteam.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> reading last night).

I go up and down like that unless I try very very hard to keep my
postprandials under control. Even when I'm trying very hard it
happens.

And I've moved up and down 300 in an hour too. Not all that often, I
hate the rollercoaster, but I've been on some pretty scary
rollercoaster rides over the past 25 years with this damned disease.

Tim.

On Jan 29, 1:17 pm, Alice Faber <afa...@panix.com> wrote:
> In article <1170093941.075150.86...@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups. com>,
> "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penel...@rescueteam.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> > Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> > glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> > restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> > 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> > beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> > test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> > of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> > otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> > reading last night).It's not normal, but it happens. Especially in a restaurant meal, where
> there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more carbohydrate than you
> think. Another possibility is that there was some carb residue on your
> finger. A third is that your meter took this particular opportunity to
> teach you humility.
>
> --
> "and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
> ---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of the matter

Could a dirty finger really cause this result? I'm thinking this is a
possiblity because I don't recall washing my hands prior to testing
and I've never had such huge jumps so late after a meal (I'd
understand if this were within the hour after eating).

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:05:41 -0800, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> reading last night).
>
> Thanks for any insight!

I have no idea about gestational, but - I'm a T2. Last summer (on Father's
Day) I treated myself to a little dessert after church at a Father's Day
reception. After we got home, I checked and I was at about 180. I jumped
on my bicycle - did 20 miles and after returning it was down to around 100.

In article <1170097199.885179.66900@k78g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penelope@rescueteam.com> wrote:

> On Jan 29, 1:17 pm, Alice Faber <afa...@panix.com> wrote:
> > In article <1170093941.075150.86...@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups. com>,
> > "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penel...@rescueteam.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi,
> >
> > > I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> > > Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> > > glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> > > restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> > > 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> > > beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> > > test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> > > of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> > > otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> > > reading last night).It's not normal, but it happens. Especially in a
> > > restaurant meal, where
> > there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more carbohydrate than you
> > think. Another possibility is that there was some carb residue on your
> > finger. A third is that your meter took this particular opportunity to
> > teach you humility.
> >
> > --
> > "and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
> > ---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of the matter
>
> Could a dirty finger really cause this result? I'm thinking this is a
> possiblity because I don't recall washing my hands prior to testing
> and I've never had such huge jumps so late after a meal (I'd
> understand if this were within the hour after eating).

If you had anything carby on your finger at all, sure. For instance, if
you'd been cutting up an orange for a kid, the juice could affect your
reading. I once had an abnormally high fasting reading because my travel
soap was a fruit-scented body wash. That's why one of the
recommendations when you have an unexpectedly high reading is to wash
your hands and try again. Sometimes, of course, your BG really *is* that
high, but equally often (at least), the second reading is more in line
with what you expected.

--
"and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of the matter

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penelope@rescueteam.com> wrote in message
news:1170093941.075150.86620@v45g2000cwv.googlegro ups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
> Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
> glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
> restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
> 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
> beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
> test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
> of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
> otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
> reading last night).
>
> Thanks for any insight!

Yep. Normal. For a diabetic anyway...

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:
> On Jan 29, 1:17 pm, Alice Faber <afa...@panix.com> wrote:
>> In article
<1170093941.075150.86...@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups. com>,
>> "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penel...@rescueteam.com>
wrote:
>>
>> > Hi,
>>
>> > I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with
diet.
>> > Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow,
and my blood
>> > glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had
dinner at a
>> > restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and
was showing
>> > 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told
not to go
>> > beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour
after that
>> > first
>> > test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know
what to
>> > make
>> > of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be
working fine
>> > otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after
than odd
>> > reading last night).It's not normal, but it happens.
Especially in
>> > a restaurant meal, where
>> there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more
carbohydrate than
>> you think. Another possibility is that there was some
carb residue
>> on your finger. A third is that your meter took this
particular
>> opportunity to teach you humility.
>>
>> --
>> "and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
>> ---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of
the matter
>
> Could a dirty finger really cause this result? I'm
thinking this is a
> possiblity because I don't recall washing my hands prior
to testing
> and I've never had such huge jumps so late after a meal
(I'd
> understand if this were within the hour after eating).

A dirty finger can but as you have already pointed out that
you did have a little dietary indiscretion it is more likely
a reactive hypoglycemic episode. You ate more carbs than
usual, it upped the bg's and then your natural insulin
kicked in and went on working after it was needed (common
occurrence with "defective" pancreases").

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward <penelope@rescueteam.com> wrote:

> On Jan 29, 1:17 pm, Alice Faber <afa...@panix.com> wrote:
>> In article <1170093941.075150.86...@v45g2000cwv.googlegroups. com>,
>> "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penel...@rescueteam.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Hi,
>>
>> > I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with diet.
>> > Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow, and my blood
>> > glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had dinner at a
>> > restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and was showing
>> > 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told not to go
>> > beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour after that first
>> > test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know what to make
>> > of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be working fine
>> > otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after than odd
>> > reading last night).It's not normal, but it happens. Especially in a restaurant meal, where
>> there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more carbohydrate than you
>> think. Another possibility is that there was some carb residue on your
>> finger. A third is that your meter took this particular opportunity to
>> teach you humility.
>>
>> --
>> "and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
>> ---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of the matter

> Could a dirty finger really cause this result? I'm thinking this is a
> possiblity because I don't recall washing my hands prior to testing
> and I've never had such huge jumps so late after a meal (I'd
> understand if this were within the hour after eating).

It certainly could, if you'd been handling anything sweet such as
chocolate or fruit. The tiniest speck can do the trick. You could pick
it up by wiping your mouth. I long ago learned to clean my finger and
test again if I ever got an unexpectedly high reading. At least 90% of
the time the high reading was spurious.

--
Chris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

On Jan 29, 5:17 pm, "Ozgirl" <are_we_there_...@maccas.com> wrote:
> Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote:
> > On Jan 29, 1:17 pm, Alice Faber <afa...@panix.com> wrote:
> >> In article<1170093941.075150.86...@v45g2000cwv.google groups.com>,
>
>
>
>
>
> >> "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward" <penel...@rescueteam.com>
> wrote:
>
> >> > Hi,
>
> >> > I have gestational diabetes which I'm controlling with
> diet.
> >> > Occasionally I deviate from the straight and narrow,
> and my blood
> >> > glucose goes up. This happened last night when we had
> dinner at a
> >> > restaurant. When we came home, I tested my levels, and
> was showing
> >> > 171 at one and a half hours post prandial. I was told
> not to go
> >> > beyond 140 at one hour, and 120 at two. Half an hour
> after that
> >> > first
> >> > test, I tried again and my BG was at 111. I don't know
> what to
> >> > make
> >> > of this. Is it normal at all? My monitor seems to be
> working fine
> >> > otherwise. This morning my fasting BG was at 75 (after
> than odd
> >> > reading last night).It's not normal, but it happens.
> Especially in
> >> > a restaurant meal, where
> >> there can be hidden carbs, so you're eating more
> carbohydrate than
> >> you think. Another possibility is that there was some
> carb residue
> >> on your finger. A third is that your meter took this
> particular
> >> opportunity to teach you humility.
>
> >> --
> >> "and the snark alert level has reached "fuschia""
> >> ---zig zigalo homes in on the meat of
> the matter
>
> > Could a dirty finger really cause this result? I'm
> thinking this is a
> > possiblity because I don't recall washing my hands prior
> to testing
> > and I've never had such huge jumps so late after a meal
> (I'd
> > understand if this were within the hour after eating). A dirty finger can but as you have already pointed out that
> you did have a little dietary indiscretion it is more likely
> a reactive hypoglycemic episode. You ate more carbs than
> usual, it upped the bg's and then your natural insulin
> kicked in and went on working after it was needed (common
> occurrence with "defective" pancreases").- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

All of that makes a lot of sense, too. After the meal we went
shopping for about 45 minutes where I did a bit of walking (nothing
vigorous though, as I'm rather heavily pregnant by now), so the BGs
might have gone down just from the exercise. I guess it'll remain a
mystery, but I've learnt now to test twice when in doubt.

Thanks for all the replies, people on this group are always so
knowledgeable!