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Tracking Blood Sugar

eric.jain.name

41–50 of 81 posts

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#41
Are there any devices that track insulin levels directly?

That’s what I’d be most interested in. Folks conjecture that it’s your insulin response that causes weight gain rather than the blood sugar increase. They’re not as correlated as you’d expect!

Source https://www.google.com/amp/s/optimisingnutrition.com/2015/05...

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#42
I tested my blood sugar with strips for a few days. One wierd thing I noticed for some meals is I’d be at 98 blood sugar or so before the meal but within 30 minutes after a moderate meal I’d be at 78 or so. Seemed really backwards.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#43
post #29

I've been using one of these for about 6 weeks, and I find it is not very accurate, but the convenience that allows checking the readings very often nearly makes up for the huge error bars. The libre freestyle 14-day is usually within 15 mg/dl when the reading is between 80 and 100, but above that range, it is usually off by 20 to 30 percent of the correct value (not 20-30 mg/dl) and mine has never read much higher t…

Are you sure that the reading were 20-30 percent off and not just delayed? Libre and other sensors measure sugar level in the extracellular fluid and it takes some time before glucose gets there from blood. The delays make the comparison difficult. Also if it gets too high or low then people react and quickly change the slope of the graph, then the sugar level in the extracellular fluid would not reach the same extre…

If the monitor problem were only a delay problem, my libre monitor would read higher than the finger stick when my glucose is heading downward, but I have never seen that.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#44

I have the Medtronic MiniMed pump, which includes its sensor that the pump uses for automated basal dosing. Accuracy is similar to what others have described.

How well does the automated bits work? I've considered a pump in the past for that reason, but was always afraid what mistakes could happen.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#45

I tested my blood sugar with strips for a few days. One wierd thing I noticed for some meals is I’d be at 98 blood sugar or so before the meal but within 30 minutes after a moderate meal I’d be at 78 or so. Seemed really backwards.

Digestion uses a surprising amount of energy, this is why people tend to feel sleepy after carb-heavy meals. And diabetics need to plan carefully.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#46

I tested my blood sugar with strips for a few days. One wierd thing I noticed for some meals is I’d be at 98 blood sugar or so before the meal but within 30 minutes after a moderate meal I’d be at 78 or so. Seemed really backwards.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expe...

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#47
post #27

I've been using one of these for about 6 weeks, and I find it is not very accurate, but the convenience that allows checking the readings very often nearly makes up for the huge error bars. The libre freestyle 14-day is usually within 15 mg/dl when the reading is between 80 and 100, but above that range, it is usually off by 20 to 30 percent of the correct value (not 20-30 mg/dl) and mine has never read much higher t…

The libre is meant for monitoring the trend of the glucose, used together with a fingerstick reader. You can calibrate the values if you use xDrip to get better accuracy. If you're interested in using a closed loop, take a look into AndroidAPS or Loop, how to build one by yourself. It's all open source and works really well. Been a user for some years now. You just need to compile it by yourself and own the right har…

> The libre is meant for monitoring the trend of the glucose, used together with a fingerstick reader.

Then it gets to be an issue with cost and convenience, as hauling around both systems with lancet device and strips and insulin and syringes and glucose tablets is a nuisance for anyone who does not carry a purse. Test strips cost around a dollar each (if one eschews the likes of Walmart), and it is very difficult to get Medicare to pay for more than 3 per day. I do not know if they will pay for any now that they are paying the higher monthly cost of the libre sensors.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#48
post #21

I wear a FreeStyle Libre every day, AMA. It's very good for T1s, of course. It's reliable enough - the biggest downfall is that it's around 15 minutes behind real-time, ie, what you can measure with blood. Sometimes it can feel 'stuck' too, and change rapidly between a short amount of time. The second model, which I am waiting to try, includes Bluetooth alerts if a trend high or low is detected. This may make it even…

Drink water if it feels to be stuck. Usually a symptom of dehydration.

Alrighty, thanks!

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#49

Are there any devices that track insulin levels directly? That’s what I’d be most interested in. Folks conjecture that it’s your insulin response that causes weight gain rather than the blood sugar increase. They’re not as correlated as you’d expect! Source https://www.google.com/amp/s/optimisingnutrition.com/2015/05...

Summary: I have no citation but my understanding is that measuring insulin levels needs to be done from a blood draw, so a Freestyle Libre-type device wouldn't work.

The Freestyle Libre and regular continuous glucose monitors measure glucose in the interstitial fluid under the skin - not blood. This is why the numbers can be wildly different to a blood glucose test done via finger-prick.

From what I've seen while researching very low carb diets, insulin levels are incredibly important and influence a lot of body chemistry. For example, someone without type 1 diabetes can have a normal blood glucose but only because they're producing an enormous amount of insulin. A large amount of insulin in the blood will cause fat to be stored, so the patient puts on weight.

Re: Tracking Blood Sugar

#50
post #3

The Freestyle Libre requires a prescription (why?) — is there another similar system that does not?

That seems a bit strange.

Here in the UK, I don't have a prescription (despite being type 1 diabetic) but occasionally self-fund the devices directly from Abbott. I get a VAT excemption so it costs ~£45 per unit, which lasts 2 weeks.

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