lesson in blood glucose reading: site key to accuracy
Posted Aug 20 2011 1:08am
After all that work this week to lower my blood glucose levels, I bombed out today at the imaging lab before my scheduled CT/PET scan. This morning I was probably (more than probably) more hyper than usual. It’s like thinking about the qualifying routine for a competition: you know you need to do well to get to the real event. My blood glucose levels totally wiped me out of the running today.
My waking reading was 140. On the way I tested myself again and got 143. After going to the infusion center to access my PowerPort, I went to the imaging center where the tech took a glucose reading right away to see how I was doing per our conversation yesterday. It was 177. He left me for a while to try to relax and to drink some water before returning to take another reading: 171. Sheesh. I was devastated. Not that I love PET scans so much. I just know I need to get this done to find out why my tumor markers are rising.
Here is where it gets interesting. After getting in the car to return to the infusion center, I took another reading. 134. How could that be. My husband and the oncology nurses said, Calibrate your tester. So, I did. All was fine.
After searching online for an answer, I finally found an article from the Mayo Clinic that seemed to explain my meandering readings. It appears that sometimes the alternate sites for taking readings (outside of forearm, thigh) can be problematic and yield inaccurate results. Fingertip readings are the hands-down recommendation for readings when you suspect your readings might be off. The proof for me was my readings this evening: forearm 134; fingertip 149 (one hour postprandial).
That shows that my readings may have been off, but it still does not explain the huge elevation in my reading at the lab this morning. We suspect it might have been the stress. If my readings otherwise are fine, we will try again next week after determining what time of day my glucose readings are the lowest. To determine that, between now and Monday I will be monitoring morning and early afternoon readings.
As far as the stress, I will have to handle that with some added attention on the morning of the scan. The tech did not concur with my suggestion of a shot of Grand Marnier. I guess it will be my singing bowl, instead.
After all that work this week to lower my blood glucose levels, I bombed out today at the imaging lab before my scheduled CT/PET scan. This morning I was probably (more than probably) more hyper than usual. It’s like thinking about the qualifying routine for a competition: you know you need to do well to get to the real event. My blood glucose levels totally wiped me out of the running today.
My waking reading was 140. On the way I tested myself again and got 143. After going to the infusion center to access my PowerPort, I went to the imaging center where the tech took a glucose reading right away to see how I was doing per our conversation yesterday. It was 177. He left me for a while to try to relax and to drink some water before returning to take another reading: 171. Sheesh. I was devastated. Not that I love PET scans so much. I just know I need to get this done to find out why my tumor markers are rising.
Here is where it gets interesting. After getting in the car to return to the infusion center, I took another reading. 134. How could that be. My husband and the oncology nurses said, Calibrate your tester. So, I did. All was fine.
After searching online for an answer, I finally found an article from the Mayo Clinic that seemed to explain my meandering readings. It appears that sometimes the alternate sites for taking readings (outside of forearm, thigh) can be problematic and yield inaccurate results. Fingertip readings are the hands-down recommendation for readings when you suspect your readings might be off. The proof for me was my readings this evening: forearm 134; fingertip 149 (one hour postprandial).
That shows that my readings may have been off, but it still does not explain the huge elevation in my reading at the lab this morning. We suspect it might have been the stress. If my readings otherwise are fine, we will try again next week after determining what time of day my glucose readings are the lowest. To determine that, between now and Monday I will be monitoring morning and early afternoon readings.
As far as the stress, I will have to handle that with some added attention on the morning of the scan. The tech did not concur with my suggestion of a shot of Grand Marnier. I guess it will be my singing bowl, instead.
5 6 7 8
© 2004–2011 Donna Peach. All rights reserved.