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NONDIABETIC..Testing my blood sugar..why would my meter say 122 one minute and 141 the next minute..

(3 posts)

  1. jeremy
    Member

    Wash your hands with warm water and soap and re-test. The blood could have been contaminated with something on your hands (happens fairly frequently if you don't wash before testing).

    Also, meters are only required to be accurate within 20% of the true number, so essentially, those two numbers are the same.

    Home meters are more meant to be a guideline than an exact measurement.

    Also, stress, junk food (sugar and carbohydrates, including fruit, bread, rice, potatoes, etc) all raise blood sugar. So does caffeine.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  2. dingding
    Member

    Unfortunately BG meters are only required to be accurate within a margin of error of 20%. That's a lot! I just read an article that they are pushing the FDA to make meter manufacturers tighten that range, but that's a ways off. Also, keep in mind that any kind of residue on the fingers (such as lotion) can distort your numbers. Your fingers don't have to be sterile when you test, but it's a good idea to at least wash them frequently to avoid distorted numbers.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  3. Noccie
    Member

    You'll get different numbers is you test on different fingers even if you test five seconds later - that's why there's absolutely no reason to test again within one minute. The meter's margin of erro accounts for those differences. If you are worried about diabetes - why are you eating junk food before bed? You shouldn't eat junk food at all and before bed is even worse!
    Forget the finger sticks - that data is not accurate for diagnosis. Get an A1c blood test at your doctor. The result will provide you with your average blood sugar level for the previous 90 days. Happily, you don't even have to bother fasting for the test. It's the gold starndard of diagnosing diabetes.

    Posted 2 years ago #

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