to waverider

[anxious09]

hi,

i questioned you few days ago regarding my fasting level of glucose which was 103 on
a routine blood test. i was concerned since  my father is a "recovering" diabetic.

anyhow, i asked him today to check me out with his monitor and
first reading was 74!!!!.fasting. however 2 mins later he checked it again
and it was 100. so what's going on ? should i be worried or not.

tks .

[WaveRider]

"should i be worried or not."
Sounds as if you already are or you wouldn't be posting. In your first thread I mentioned that the FDA set manufacturing guidelines for home glucose meters at ± [plus/minus] 20%. This means your 70 mg/dl reading could be 70 mg/dl or it could be as low as 56 mg/dl or as high as 84 mg/dl. Home meters give an approximation not a true reading of glucose levels. Since your 100 mg/dl reading two minutes later falls out of this range, the questions remaining are:

1. How old is your father's meter?
2. Do the test strips have an expiration date?
3. Does the meter require calibration with the test strip?
4. Were your hands clean - no soap or alcohol residue?
5. How do you really know your father's meter is accurate when you have no second meter to measure against?

Couple of years back Consumer Reports tested home glucose meters and found only one that provide consistent "accurate" results. This meter was the Johnson & Johnson Ultra Mini. Search online as J&J was giving these away for free with a 15 day supply of strips. Wait time is 5-6 weeks. I got two.

Bottom line, if in doubt go to your doctor and get an A1c test. This is the gold standard in determining whether you are normal, prediabetic, or become diabetic.

Hope this answers your concerns.

[WaveRider]

Correction to - This is the gold standard in determining whether you are normal, prediabetic, or become diabetic.

It should read "This is the gold standard in helping doctors determine whether you are normal, prediabetic, or become diabetic."