question re different hands when testing

[Guest guest]

Hi:

I am a diab II taking glucophage with A1C ranges from 4.8 to 6. I

started at 8.4.

Recently I began testing each hand to compare readings at the same

time. These are some of my readings:

left 211 right 170

190 168

184 157

132 123

112 102

100 86

Is this unusual, and I would appreciate comments.

I haven't exercised as much as I should, so I know the numbers are

in the higher range, but the contrast between sides is puzzling to

me. Thanks everyone.

Judy

[Guest guest]

Part of the difference has to do with timing, much like the

'alternate site' testing with the Freestyle (and other) meters. I, too,

notice significant differences when I check within 1 hour after

eating. Less of a difference two hours after.

SulaBlue

> In a message dated 10/26/2004 2:44:39 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

> jspaulding@a... writes:

> First, congrat's on getting your HbA1c down. Your doing great!

>

> On the " two-hands " testing thing, my experience has been that

readings are

> very comparable between the hands on the few times I've tried

that experiment.

>

> Just a thought.

>

> **

[Guest guest]

Gee, thanks SO much for all of your answers. I am using a " One Touch Ultra

Smart " and I test the left hand first, which is always the higher side.

<<Have you tried two consecutive tests on the same site & compared the

readings

doing that.>>

No I have not but will do so.

Having food residue on my hands would not be an issue as I always wash

before testing.

I have learned SO MUCH from reading the mails in this group. Although Dr's,

of course, are informed and knowledgeable, first hand advice from those who

live with diabetes every day, can be a much better source of information.

Thanks to all for your help.

Judy Spaulding

[Guest guest]

A good PCP should know that s/he needs to refer us to an endo for our diabetes

care

and, if not, we should INSIST on it or find a PCP who will. Now, that said,

there are a

few PCPs who have made it their job to stay up on what's going on in diabetes.

It seems

that some PCPs tend to specialize in some areas more than others. Still, as

Stacey

said, they are generalists.

As far as I am concerned I don't know who to bash: me or them. We both should

know

better than to allow my diabetes care to remain in the hands of a generalist.

Anne

--- staceypmartin@... wrote:

> In a message dated 10/28/04 9:32:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

> whimsy2@... writes:

> " In closing Dr. Unger reminded us that primary care physicians see 90%

> of all diabetes patients but only had 4 hours of diabetes training

> while

> in school. "

> We all seem to do our bit of doctor bashing, but when you think about it,

> primary care doctors are asked to deal with a huge variety of ills. They

can't

> possibly be trained like a specialist in all of them, or really any of them.

> What we can hope for is that a doctor, thorugh the years, will acquire two

> things after leaving medical school. First, the knowlege of experience with a

wide

> variety of patients, and second, the knowlege that comes with reading about

> various topics.

>

> One of the reasons I don't like going to young doctors is that experience

> thing. Yes, it might be true that a young recent grad will have the latest

> information at his or her disposal, I still prefer the experienced doctor who

will

> be able to see connections and will have ideas based on all that experience.

>

> So to me, the fact that primary care doctors don't get much formal training

> in diabetes isn't that big a deal. It's the doctor him or herself who

matters.

>

> Now, we all know that there are many doctors with egos that mean they won't

> listen to anything other than what they think is right, and we all know

doctors

> with no intellectual curiosity, and we all know doctors who won't admit when

> they don't know something, and we all know doctors who won't admit that they

> were wrong, but we also know doctors who are pretty good, willing to listen,

> eager to learn, and willing to think outside the box. Those are the ones I

look

> for.

>

> Stacey

>

>

>