(Part 2) Best blood glucose monitors according to redditors

A fasting blood glucose level of 162 mg/dL is pretty high. This should be under 100. Did you get an HbA1c test done as well? If not, that's another good test (ideally under 6%.)

You can also get your own meter and test strips for $40 from Amazon to see what your blood glucose does after meals. Or you can wait for your doctor to prescribe one and probably get it (and more importantly the costly test strips) covered by your insurance. It's worth checking which strips your insurance covers at the lowest cost since your doctor won't know. Then he/she can simply prescribe the ones your insurance covers best.

Here's a general Type 2 Diabetes glucose monitoring plan from this subreddit's wiki:

I was just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and want more information

The overall goal for treating Type 2 diabetes is limiting your intake of carbohydrate to a level that your digestive system can handle. If you eat too many carbs too fast, the sugar gets sent to your blood faster than the rest of your body can absorb it. Extra glucose ends up floating around, which is what causes all the complications of diabetes (such as blindness and lost limbs.) The DCCT study established that if you can keep your glucose level well-controlled, you will not have diabetic complications.

Sometimes your doctor may have prescribed Metformin. Ideally he/she also prescribed a glucometer (blood sugar meter) and test strips. If you did not get a glucometer, call your doctor back and ask for one. This is going to be your new best friend in diabetes management.

So how do I keep my blood sugar levels under control?

Start writing down the following every day:

1. Blood glucose level when you first wake up.
   
2. Blood glucose level before each meal
   
3. The total carbohydrate content of your food each time you eat
   
4. Blood glucose level 1h after eating
   
5. Blood glucose level 2h after eating
   
   Adjust your carbohydrate intake so that your blood glucose levels are as low as you can get, ideally down to these levels:
   
   

• Fasting: under 100 mg/dL (5.5 mmol/L)
  
• One hour after meal: under 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L)
  
• Two hours after meal: under 120 mg/dL (6.6 mmol/L)
  
  If you get to the point where meals with under 10-20g of carbohydrates are causing you to exceed these levels, talk with your doctor. You may need a different treatment plan.
  
  

  Where can I find more details on this?
  

  
  

• Jenny Ruhl: How to Lower Your Blood Sugar
  
• Alan Shanley: Getting Started (also known as /u/alan_s)
  
• Eat to Your Meter
  

Bayer released a home A1c test several years ago. Now owned by PTS, it often sells as the "A1cNow" home test device.

​

Best price I've seen is

• Amazon 10-pack for $119,
  
• Walmart is $58 for a 2-pak,
  
• Walgreen $43 each,
  
• CVS $40/ea.
  
  ​
  
  As far as accuracy, you can see they're all the same basic design, all built on the Bayer patent and FDA approval.

https://www.amazon.com/A1CNow-SelfCheck-Analyzer-Test-Strips/dp/B07FMLTTH6 I've used these before. They're pretty cheap.

I get my GlucoCard Vital test strips, Meter and Lancing device va Amazon and save significantrly even over insurance.

Sounds like you are approaching it correctly. This is the meter I got and it's less than 6 bucks on Amazon.

Contour Next One Smart Meter, Monitoring System - 1 Each https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W53ZLTK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-rTYDb14FX9B0

No no, the Bayer contour next USB
(I got this guy from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C3MFG02?cache=b8c8af75a200c2a291e4a60da0a5e765&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1410725836&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

And an otg cable like this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GM0OZ4O?cache=b8c8af75a200c2a291e4a60da0a5e765&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1410725883&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1 (I dont use that exact one, rather an inland branded cable)

Here's my setup!
http://i.imgur.com/Uh5RKMP.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1K0Lc3D.jpg

It works great!


Edit: just noticed you said ios device, my apologies!

$20

https://www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Diabetes-Testing-Kit/dp/B07G783R7X

You're very low. As was mentioned.

1. Remove sugar and most carbs immediately
   
   
2. Buy a glucose meter (I like this one: https://www.amazon.com/BAYER-CONTOUR-GLUCOSE-MONITORING-SYSTEM/dp/B01NAEAB6Q/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_121_lp_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ERYM3C1F2AGN2PB8T39R) and test your blood to learn what different foods do to you (log what you eat along with the test results)
   a) when you wake up
   b) before every meal
   c) two hours after ever meal
   d) when you go to bed
   
   
3. Get another A1C test done in 3 months. When things are at the level you want, slowly start adding back carbs that don't impact your blood sugar as much
   
   
4. Get third A1C after another 3 months
   
   
5. Profit

If you know anyone diabetic you can borrow theirs, but they are cheap

I definitely felt depleted and woozy and awful in the mornings, but I got a blood glucose tester and tested myself in the morning. My blood glucose was actually fine, suggesting the issue was high grehlin. Grehlin is the “hunger hormone” and it makes you feel awful in similar ways as low blood sugar. My response was to start drinking water right away and maybe a protein shake. If you can expand your stomach the grehlin levels should drop. I’m talking like a quart of water, not a glass. I noticed that was less of an issue as my sleep improved, so I think a disregulated autonomic nervous system is a big factor in waking up with a chaotic hormone status. So a structured evening routine and falling asleep at the same time every night helped.

As far as eating enough without feeling bloated, I actually eat big meals. The trick is that I immediately lay down afterwards, put on an eye mask, and focus on slow deep breathing. This sends a clear signal to my parasympathetic nervous system that it should get to work digesting the food and moving it through my GI tract. My minimum is 5m after solid meals, but typically do 10-15m. It does a great job of resolving the bloated feeling. It’s partly an immediate thing, but I’m hoping that over time I can train my body to respond more appropriately.

I think I explain the bonus PSNS time in the Methods section of this doc: Methods and Resources for Hypermobility/EDS & POTS Management 1.1

I’ve modeled my eating off the suggestions in these videos from Barbell Medicine: https://youtu.be/a08W22FSGNA https://youtu.be/qg2UlG4QsSM So I eat 3-5 meals (2 are just protein shakes) with 3-5hrs in between with no snacking due to the refractory period. Each meal has 30+ grams protein (20-25 might be plenty if the quality is high) and 3g leucine to support muscle protein synthesis. If I’m trying to add calories I usually add fats like avocado or peanut butter.

I saw on Amazon they had pen needles for a two boxes of 100 for $30.

https://www.amazon.com/32G-TIP-DISPOSABLE-NEEDLES-NOVOFINE%C2%AE/dp/B00NA7E204

Probably going to order these next time I need needles unless I'm missing something and these won't work but they look correct.

There are these ketone meter kits that include the strips and digital readout device/meter.
We use this one which can use both glucose strips and ketone ones.
There are cheaper strips like the urine ones but in the beginning of the keto journey I find it more useful to do blood ketone testing for more accurate and immediate monitoring plus get a satisfying number "score".

It's a good meter.

You can buy just the meter with 10 test strips included for much cheaper

https://www.amazon.com/Bayer-Contour-Next-Glucose-Meter/dp/B009AVO7PE/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1478316039&sr=8-2&keywords=Contour%2Bnext%2Bmeter&th=1

I like the glucocard vital because you can order the strips off amazon and its very easy, cheap, effective.

https://www.amazon.com/GLUCOCARD-VITAL-METER-KIT-Size/dp/B00NIEUJM4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1486013519&sr=8-1&keywords=glucocard+vital

Sure, Wired to Eat is such a cool book, I need to reread it. It is mostly advocating for the paleo diet, but it teaches you how to use the an actual scientific process to evaluate how foods work you. Blood sugar testing is just a really good quantitative part of it. You want to eat foods which keep your blood sugar pretty level for overall health. There's an element of wanting to have high blood sugar for muscle gain purposes as insulin is a big driver of hypertrophy, but for general health purposes you want to avoid too high and too low blood sugar. I can't really comment on what Stan is having someone like Hafthor do in that regard.

So I bought this testing kit: https://www.amazon.com/iHealth-Wireless-Monitoring-Lancets-Solution/dp/B01M0PTDQ9/ref=lp_3031394011_1_5_a_it?srs=3031394011&ie=UTF8&qid=1522248547&sr=8-5

It's been a while so I don't remember the exact testng guidelines, but you basically eat a meal and test your blood sugar a few hours later to see how you responded to it. He has a ton of graphs in the book showing people's almost opposite reactions to the same foods.

In the book he shows a person having no response to ice cream but a diabetic response to white rice, similar to what I myself experienced. I fucking love sushi and white rice, but I always feel like shit and bloated after, even if I dont each that much....now I know why! I don't exactly recall but I think rice put me up near 160 mg/Dl and actual hyperglecemia is 180+, I don't go above 100 if I just eat like a poptart. It's crazy!

so ye after doing that for 4 months, this time last year, I found that all the foods I'm eating now were things that kept my blood sugar constant like all day, digestion was good, energy was good and overall just felt great, even when doing minimal calories with those foods. Even beer I swear I have a neutral blood sugar reaction to, which is kind of insane lol. But I am not complaining. Granted it's mostly wheat beer, IPA's do give me a bit more of a blood sugar reaction. I believe its the wheat vs hops, just cuz wheat products and me vibe very well.

I had some shit in my life so I fell off the diet wagon from like april-december, but since hopping back on I feel sooooo fucking great. I've tried so many diets and this is the first one that just works for me. Wired to eat tho did teach me to self-choose foods for performance, having this diet work for me has been a decade worth of learning and trying all differents types of diet strategies.

The honest answer is nobody can tell without checking your blood.

The good news is that you can get a decent test kit for less than dinner out and have an answer in a couple of seconds.

Here is the cheapest kit of a meter, lance and test strips that I could find. Get a meter and check you blood when you get up in the morning before breakfast (12 hour fast), right before you eat lunch, 30 minutes after lunch, 2 hours after lunch.

This is considered WAY overkill by most but it will give you a really good view of where you sit throughout the day and if you are getting huge spikes/drops or constant values (low, normal or high).

For the average person normal blood sugar levels are between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L (72 to 99 mg/dL) when fasting and up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating.

Several factors probably caused it. Your 90/60 blood pressure is on the lower side. So with the reduced blood volume, it can drop even more making it easy to faint. You didn't eat much and your taking Metformin. Most people taking metformin have insulin resistance and reactive hypoglycemia is also very common. Right after donating your blood sugar levels drop and your blood volume is low. Take advantage of the free carbs and water they offer as they are needed right away.

When you passed out, your were sweaty, shaky and confused. Those are three signs of the most common signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Low blood pressure, low blood volume, lower hematocrit (lower red blood cells) and hypoglycemia are the perfect mix to pass out. Since you're on metformin, your doctor thinks you have insulin resistance. For the future, I would buy a glucose tester and check your glucose regularly and make sure your glucose is in a healthy range. If you ever feel shaky, sweaty, racing pulse and confused (especially 30-150 minutes after eating) you should test your glucose to see if your having bouts of hypoglycemia or reactive hypoglycemia. Also never donate blood if your hematocrit is on the lower end. They test you every time you donate. Make sure to write the number down.

3 things every home and blood donor should have:

SpO2 meter that shows your blood oxygen and heart rate $12-30 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=spo2+meter&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Blood Glucose Testing Kit as low as $15 if you shop aroundhttps://www.amazon.com/OhCare-Blood-Monitor-Control-Solution/dp/B077BCSKFK

Blood Pressure Monitor as low as $12 if you shop around https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blood+pressure+monitor

Precision Xtra Blood Ketone Monitoring meter Kit Bundle 10 Abbott Ketone Strips + 30 Alcohol Wipes + 30 Lancets + Abbott Ketone Test Meter Ketogenic Diet Keto Diet Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BLNKWB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dTPMDbD1AXWWH. This is the one I use.

I use one of these. As for ketone testing, I bought some strips several years ago when I first started, and I'll go along with the majority opinion that they are not all that useful.

Thanks, unfortunately it’s still $25 for a usb cable...

Washinglee USB Data Cable for Abbott Glucose Diabetes Meter, Copilot Freestyle Freedom, Freestyle Lite, Freestyle Freedom lite and Freestyle Flash. Black, 3 FT. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GMDN1J2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Jwu5CbKWF7GZS