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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Jul-24-08, 15:59
tammay tammay is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 538
 
Plan: Vegetarian Low GI
Stats: 188/179.8/125 Female 5'1"
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: Israel (temporarily)
Default Home Blood Glucose Tests - Safe and Accurate?

Hi Everyone,
I'm 38 and have had issues with carb addictions and binge eating since my teens (but then, who hasn't ). I've wanted to check my blood glucose levels for a while now, since I'm getting older and I've suspected I might be at risk for diabetes. My grandmother was taking medications (don't know which) for pre-diabetes (according to my mother) and my dad has to watch his blood sugar levels, so there's a bit of a history there as well. But it's mostly because even when I eat the good carbs (whole grains, fruit, beans) I can't seem to stay away from the sugary junk food.

So I've ordered a home blood glucose test off the net (don't have health insurance now and my job situation isn't very stable, so that's not really an option right now). I've never done anything like this before and am clueless about diabetes so I'm not sure what to expect. Are these tests accurate enough to at least give me some idea of where I stand and, if need be, seek out a doctor?

I should mention that I weigh 143, am 5' feet, and I'm pretty active (doing weekly cardio/resistance exercises and yoga several times a week). I know that lowers risk, but I'm just wondering what to expect.

Tam
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Jul-24-08, 16:31
CantEven's Avatar
CantEven CantEven is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 274
 
Plan: Bernstein
Stats: 285/275/135 Female 5'3"
BF:baby's got back
Progress: 7%
Location: Seattle Metro
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tammay
....... Are these tests accurate enough to at least give me some idea of where I stand and, if need be, seek out a doctor?
.....

Tam


I would say they are accurate enough to give you an idea of where you stand. They do have an error margin of +/-20 pts. Sometimes, different fingers give different results but, I would say they are accurate enough to tell you if you fall within normal range or high/low.

Edited to add: Susan made a good point. I'm speaking of a glucose meter and not a home A1c test.

~Danielle

Last edited by CantEven : Thu, Jul-24-08 at 16:50.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Jul-24-08, 16:48
lowcarbUgh's Avatar
lowcarbUgh lowcarbUgh is offline
Dazed and Confused
Posts: 2,927
 
Plan: South Beach
Stats: 170/132/135 Female 5'10
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Flip-flop, FL
Default

Do you mean an A1c or a home meter and strips?
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Jul-24-08, 18:12
RobLL RobLL is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,648
 
Plan: generalized low carb
Stats: 205/180/185 Male 67
BF:31%/14?%/12%
Progress: 125%
Location: Pacific Northwest
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There error is 'guaranteed' within 20%. normally they are within 5%. There are a whole variety of cost saving measures, and we can make sure you know about them. Good luck - Rob
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jul-25-08, 14:02
tammay tammay is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 538
 
Plan: Vegetarian Low GI
Stats: 188/179.8/125 Female 5'1"
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: Israel (temporarily)
Default

Hi Everyone,
To be honest, I'm pretty clueless about all this. I should have done more research!

Here's a link to the test that I ordered, if that helps:

http://estore.websitepros.com/homeh...s%2C/Detail.bok

Tam
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jul-25-08, 14:42
CantEven's Avatar
CantEven CantEven is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 274
 
Plan: Bernstein
Stats: 285/275/135 Female 5'3"
BF:baby's got back
Progress: 7%
Location: Seattle Metro
Default

Hi Tam,

You ordered a glucose test and not an A1c - which is fine. An A1c gives you an average of what your blood glucose has been for aprox. 3 months. A glucose meter gives you a measurement of your blood sugar (aka glucose) at the time of testing. However, what you ordered only has two tests.

I personally think a better choice would be to purchase a glucose meter. Actually, your doctor would give you one for free and then prescribe the lancets (those are the little needles) and the test trips which go in the machine to test your blood. If you don't have insurance, here is a much less expensive meter and strips:

Maxima Gucometer

I have an accucheck ultra mini meter which I got free (it costs around $15-20) and my test strips are a buck a strip w/o insurance. The strips for the glucometer I posted above are around .36 cents per strips - as you can see a much less expensive alternative.

Now, why do I think you should get a glucometer as opposed to the 2 tests? Well, if you take your blood sugar in the morning it may say 85 which would be a good number and within nondiabetic range - however, if you take your blood sugar two hours after your meal and it says 190 it would mean you may be a diabetic or insulin resistant. That wouldn't be an ideal number but, you wouldn't know that by just taking your fasting blood sugar in the morning. You'll get a better idea of how you respond to food with a glucose meter and testing frequently for a week or so.

When I first got my meter I tested my fasting blood sugar in the morning, before a meal, two hours after a meal and before bed. There were times I checked it one and three hour post meal as well. This taught me where I was getting high numbers and what I needed to do to improve. If I eat a bagel I will get high numbers after the meal. If I eat maybe 10 grams of carbs (a low carb wrap or very high fiber bread) I get normal readings. If my husband eats a bagel he still gets good readings after a meal because he is a nondiabetic - not that I think bagels are the healthy thing to eat for anyone but, it shows the difference between a diabetic and a nondiabetic. His body recovers quickly from carbs. Every person in order to lose weight needs to keeps their blood sugars stable. Diabetics just need to be particularly careful because it can eventually become life threatening.

I hope that wasn't confusing?

~Danielle
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jul-25-08, 16:55
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,843
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
Default

When you buy a meter, be sure to compare the cost of the strips with other ones. I got a meter for $12 and the strips are about 30 cents each. As far as is it safe? Sure, many diabetics do it all the time. Is it accurate? It is good enough. What you want to make sure is that your blood sugar doesn't go over 140 no matter what you eat. That's the point where harm to your body starts to happen.

I suggest reading Jenny's web site: http://bloodsugar101.com
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