New Time to Test Glucose Levels

A recommendation to test 74 minutes after beginning a meal instead of two hours could lead many to overcorrect high postprandial blood glucose readings. For me the way to control the 74 minutte glucose is to push dosing of rapid acting insulin to an hour or more before a meal. In such a situation hypoglycemia before eating becomes a real possiblity. Waiting to bolus at mealtime will almost invariably lead to blood glucose above 180 unless there is significant endogenous insulin. As a person with type 1 diabetes for almost 48 years endogenous insulin is not usually present.

I thought the purpose of waiting 2 hours was to test when you should be back to normal? I admit, knowing your peak is important, especially if you've eaten more than usual, but that's not what I was told the 2 hour test was for.

What about those on Byetta? I have noticed that my 3-4 hour numbers are higher than my 2 hour numbers due to the delayed stomach emptying. Wouldn't when you peak also be dependent upon how much fat was in the meal? David's Response: Those are great questions, Deb. My guess is that you are absolutely right. But I don't know of any studies proving it yet.

When I test at mealtime, which I only do about once a week, I test immediatly before eating, then one hour after and two hours after. This gives me a good picture of what the meal has done to my glucose levels. Some of the results are very surprising!