Blood Glucose? 161

Sometimes i find myself shaky, it seems more if some time has gone since i last ate.    its not the shakiness from sugar (dumping).
So on TV an ad was for a FREE Glucose Meter , today i tested and it said 161.


Does anyone know what that means? is it good or bad?                I think the booklet says its alittle high but I am not even sure what the test is testing for?           I know diabetics test their bood.

Any one with some insight?

I drink alot of skim milk, prob half gallon a day in protein shakes since i do not tolerate food well.     should i go to 2% to get some of the fat, I heard that that could help if milk is the culprit.

I thought i was having reactive hypoglycemia but I read that is low blood sugar so I am having what then?          

A blood sugar of 161 is a little high.  Was this after a meal?  I would test first thing in the monring, before a meal and again 2 hours after the meal.  Do this for several days and keep a record.  Then get an appointment with your doc.  This will help him determine if it is a problem.  He can also take an A1C which tests your blood sugar over the last 3 months.  When you start getting shaky test your blood sugar as well.  I hope things get better for you.

161 is high...if this was within 2 hours of eating, then it is not really telling about what is going on. Blood sugar normally rises after we eat and then goes back down to normal levels for non-diabetics. Keep a journal with fasting sugar readings in the morning and then 2 hours after meals and make an appointment with your doctor. May be nothing....may be diabtes. Are you having any other symptoms such as frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme fatigue, long lasting infection? Those are also signs that go with diabetes. Hang in there.

The advice given by the previous posters is accurate.  It depends on how recently you had eaten.  Fasting blood sugar is the most common gauge for measuring your well being.  So test it at first waking, before anything by food or mouth.  Try to do that several day sin a row near the same time of day.

One of the realities of the shaky feeling is everyone can experience it if the sugar spikes or drops by a significant amount.  I am an insulin dependent diabetic (four years post op, well controlled).  If my food create a spike or drop of more than fifty points, I will feel it physically.  Other people could probably have a wider spread but since my glucose is so controlled a mere fifty points make me woozy.

It is a fact of life.  I monitor it very well but I know I will always need to be aware.

Take care of yourself!

Do you drink a lot of caffeine or have carb-forward meals?

Both can cause insulin levels to spike which can make you feel hypoglycemic even if your sugars aren't particularly low.

I learned this by experience.  On days I have coffee... I have episodes.  When I do not have coffee but everything else is the same... no episodes.

I'm pre-op.