Is it common or uncommon for a non-diabetic (and/or pre-diabetic) to have a reading of 180 (every so often)? 1 1/2 hours after a late snack at 8:45PM (reading at 10:15PM) of 3/4 cup of All Bran, 1 cup of no-fat milk and 1/2 banana. At 10:45PM (2 hrs)= 140. And then four hours later a reading of 95? So far this only happened (2X in 2 weeks) at this time of night and after late snack of All Bran, no-fat milk. The 1 1/2 hr reading is always higher than the 2 hour reading. Fasting that morning was 93. (Can non-diabetics also get 'spikes?')
LOL
Will someone please take this mans meter away???
Warren
Thanks Warren. Yes, I know that I am overdoing the testing. I promise to do less testing. Maybe just the fasting. But, I was a bit concerned about the reading of 180 an hour and a half after only eating All Bran with fat free milk and a banana. And then noticing that after another half hour (2 hrs after beginning to eat the All Bran) it was 140. I was just startled to see the 180 pop-up. Almost all of my entire life (70 years) I have been a nervous person and it has tested the patience of a lot of my friends and family. Sorry!
Bob
(notice the All Bran contains Aspartane)
Hi Bob,
It may well be to do with portion size. I tend to get very high readings after my evening meal (although I am t1). When I discussed it with a dietician she suggested I cut down the portion size of carbs, as I often eat a large portion of pasta, rice etc.
All bran and 1/2 a banana is quite a lot of carbs so maybe trying to have a smaller snack will help? Maybe something like a low-fat fruit yoghurt (with sweeteners rather than sugar) will be better on your readings.
Claire
PS that's really interesting that all-bran has aspartame! It seems to be in everything!
Thanks so much Claire. This AM had 1/2 cup All Bran and 1/2 cup Lactaid (Lactaid Free / Fat Free milk) and 2 hrs later reading was 115. I'm finished with testing for awhile now, at least until after the holidays (which should make everyone happy).
Just an aside: I notice milk (regular, skim, lactaid free, fat free, etc.) contains quite a bit of carbs also. I know people who are on carb-free diets and those who don't eat dairy products and wonder what they use in place of milk, etc.? [Or do they just cut them out completely (no milk, etc.])? What would they do for calcium, etc.?
I think if I (and others) continued to eat a bowl of cereal and cup of milk and a banana every day for a long time, that would eventually have some influence on BS. Now, I believe I am doing better by using 1/2 cup All Bran and 1/2 milk. (I am still looking for something better than AllBran. Something which would have low points on the GI.)
Thanks again for your sharing and kindness. In case we don't talk again, Best Wishes for the holidays.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I think all-bran is a pretty healthy snack, and milk does have carbs but I don't think it's that high on the GI (but I'd have to check that). If you were to cut out dairy you can get calcium from almonds, for example (apparently they have the highhest amount of calcium for any food and have a source of mangese which means the calcium is absorbed properly). I think the trick is to balance what you eat - for instance, I was eating meals that were based on carbs but now I've changed to eat a meal that's roughly 1/3 carb, 1/3 protein and 1/3 veggies.
I would just like to say I don't see anything wrong in checking your blood sugars but then again I'm type1 so need to incase I get lows. You can fall prey, if you test TOO much, to letting this control you. But I can also see that by watching yourself so closely now you will, in the long run, remain healthy. So do what you feel comfortable with!
I'm sure we'll talk before, but I hope you have a brilliant Christmas too!
Claire x
Sorry if I'm not allowed to post this link, but I don't think it's selling anything - it's info about almonds (it meantions that they can lead to a decreased risk of diabetes)
Robert, your bedtime snack is all carbs. If you incorporated a little protein into that, it might not give you the sudden spikes. Try a square of cheese or a hard boiled egg. Anything with protein will slow absorption of the carbs and minimize the spike.
Lisa
Lisa
Thank you both (all). Best wishes for the holidays.
Bob
Why not measure you blood sugar b4 and after (say 1/2 hour and 2 hours) to see what effect these foods have on you, 
I think he is right to test like that to find out how high the spikes are after he eats something questionable. It's the spikes that hurt you.
I'm type 2 dx'd 2 years ago and I went through a phase where I tested up to 6 times a day just to find out what I could eat.
Also, I tried low carb diets and they work as long as you eat smaller portions so I eat more regularly and eat smaller portions. That works just as well. I agree with Clair who says that (portion) size matters.
I still don't eat deserts or anything sweet, only stuff made with splenda.
I'm type 2 dx'd 2 years ago and I went through a phase where I tested up to 6 times a day just to find out what I could eat.
Also, I tried low carb diets and they work as long as you eat smaller portions so I eat more regularly and eat smaller portions. That works just as well. I agree with Clair who says that (portion) size matters.
I still don't eat deserts or anything sweet, only stuff made with splenda.
GG
Hi G.G.,
Welcome to the Fourm!
Robert2 said...
Just a short add-on. I did a test this past Friday. I went to my regular juice stand and bought fresh squeezed carrot juice (with 2 stalks of celery) and took it home (I usually sit there and drink the juice). It is supposed to be a medium container (as they do not sell small), but I wanted to measure it to be sure of the size. I measured it and saw that it was 16 oz. One half (1/2) hour before drinking it, my BS was 102. One hour and a half (1 1/2) hours after drinking it, my BS was 156. Two (2) hours after drinking it = 129 and 3 (3) hours after drinking it = 102. (FYI - As you might know, I do not take any medication.)
Robert is what we teasingly call a "serial tester". He takes no meds and his numbers aren't even borderline diabetic. He drank a QUART of Carrot Juice, (albiet not really high on the GI index, he still drank a quart of it) and 90 mins later the highest spike he had was under what most doctors want to see for a 2 hour reading. TWO HOURS later he was essentially at "normal".
Now Im not a doctor, but as Jeannie said, his body is handling sugars just like any other normal person out there, and he should relax, enjoy life and put his meter in the drawer!
Warren
PS - I do agree with you that the rest of us that are diabetics owe it to ourselves to find out how high our bs spikes as that is where the real damage (if any) occurs.
Warren said...
Hi G.G.,
Welcome to the Fourm!
Robert2 said...
Just a short add-on. I did a test this past Friday. I went to my regular juice stand and bought fresh squeezed carrot juice (with 2 stalks of celery) and took it home (I usually sit there and drink the juice). It is supposed to be a medium container (as they do not sell small), but I wanted to measure it to be sure of the size. I measured it and saw that it was 16 oz. One half (1/2) hour before drinking it, my BS was 102. One hour and a half (1 1/2) hours after drinking it, my BS was 156. Two (2) hours after drinking it = 129 and 3 (3) hours after drinking it = 102. (FYI - As you might know, I do not take any medication.)
Robert is what we teasingly call a "serial tester". He takes no meds and his numbers aren't even borderline diabetic. He drank a QUART of Carrot Juice, (albiet not really high on the GI index, he still drank a quart of it) and 90 mins later the highest spike he had was under what most doctors want to see for a 2 hour reading. TWO HOURS later he was essentially at "normal".
Now Im not a doctor, but as Jeannie said, his body is handling sugars just like any other normal person out there, and he should relax, enjoy life and put his meter in the drawer!
Warren
PS - I do agree with you that the rest of us that are diabetics owe it to ourselves to find out how high our bs spikes as that is where the real damage (if any) occurs.
Warren,
Thanks! Nice group you have here and the site is huge.
Serial tester... rofl.
GG
Thanks all for the helpful inputs. Just one correction... I didn't drink a quart of carrot juice, I drank 16 ounces, which is 1/2 quart. Even that though, thinking about it now, does seem like a lot, twice a week. But I have always heard that carrot juice was a 'wonderful' drink. Think I will cut back to 8 ounces once a week, or maybe evry other week. Now where did I put that meter? Just kidding.
LOL - 16 ounces is great for you and very healthy!! don't cut back on the amount, your body can handle it!! Enjoy
Warren
(Jeannie looks on jealously at Robert as he swills carrot juice... grumbling about these 'show offs'!) I can usually drink about 1/2 cup of carrot juice about once a month! It's just too concentrated for my glucose tolerance. Better to eat the dumb carrots and chew a lot.... (sigh!)
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
Don't get me started! What I wouldn't give to be able to drink fruit smoothies every day! LOL 
Robert2 said...
Thanks all for the helpful inputs. Just one correction... I didn't drink a quart of carrot juice, I drank 16 ounces, which is 1/2 quart. Even that though, thinking about it now, does seem like a lot, twice a week. But I have always heard that carrot juice was a 'wonderful' drink. Think I will cut back to 8 ounces once a week, or maybe evry other week. Now where did I put that meter? Just kidding.
Thanks all for the helpful inputs. Just one correction... I didn't drink a quart of carrot juice, I drank 16 ounces, which is 1/2 quart. Even that though, thinking about it now, does seem like a lot, twice a week. But I have always heard that carrot juice was a 'wonderful' drink. Think I will cut back to 8 ounces once a week, or maybe evry other week. Now where did I put that meter? Just kidding.
If you drink too much of it, your skin will turn orange like that gross guy on the juicer commercials.
The smiley looks more orange than red.
GG
One more concern....try testing your resting sitting heart rate or your resting sitting blood pressure during a spike( I have actually seen this many times). We all might be surprised of the syncronous effects. Also I noticed that I get a slight head ache when my BGs go very high(160+ mg/dl). I have always believed that it doesn't matter if your Diabetic, maybe its the volume of intake. How much volume does any individual have the capacity to digest? How fast? We know...we have glucometers? Could the spike damage mechanisms be as simple as the damage produced by High Blood Pressure produced from Very High Blood Sugar spikes(bursted lood vessels somewhere...then scar tissue?)? ......just a thought,.. a random speculation....who knows! 
Wa,
Don't know about the elevated bp with spikes but in the classes I took for diabetes the nurse compared elevated blood sugar to syrup and used the corellation to show how the large glucose molecules can cause blocked blood flow to the smallest of the capilaries and hense to the nerves. This is one theory about the cause of neuropathy... Anyway, one of the things we were taught to do when our sugar was high was to drink a large amount of water to dilute the blood and help the kidneys eliminate some of that excess sugar and lighten their work load. Makes sense to me that if the blood is a bit thicker with high sugar it might be a little more difficult to pump through the body. Seems like it could raise the bp... but this is only speculation on my part... just guessing myself.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
Don't know about the elevated bp with spikes but in the classes I took for diabetes the nurse compared elevated blood sugar to syrup and used the corellation to show how the large glucose molecules can cause blocked blood flow to the smallest of the capilaries and hense to the nerves. This is one theory about the cause of neuropathy... Anyway, one of the things we were taught to do when our sugar was high was to drink a large amount of water to dilute the blood and help the kidneys eliminate some of that excess sugar and lighten their work load. Makes sense to me that if the blood is a bit thicker with high sugar it might be a little more difficult to pump through the body. Seems like it could raise the bp... but this is only speculation on my part... just guessing myself.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."