My pre-lunch BG reading on Tuesday was my highest reading ever, 445. I was one part freak out and one part puzzled because I thought I was on the straight and narrow when it came to eating.
Let me back up a bit. Tuesday was an unusual day for me. I'm three weeks into a new job, and I wanted to see whether it made sense for me to take the bus. As a result, I was up an hour earlier.
At 10 a.m., I wanted a midmorning snack. I had packed about a half cup of blueberries that took the edge off my hunger. But by 11, I was ravenous for a real lunch. That was a pretty good sign my blood sugar should be low. Instead, I recorded that 445.
I did what any other 21st century office worker would do in a time like this: I hit Google. First, I double-checked the carbs on the blueberries. A cup is 21 grams. I doubted that could be the culprit.
Then I googled "unexpected high blood sugar." I got a lot of advice you probably already know. Caffeine? Yes, because I was up early, I had an extra cup of coffee that morning. But I often have extra cups and never see numbers like this.
Exercise? Yes, I got off the bus one stop early and walked the rest of the way. That was more of a reason to get more steps in than to work up a sweat. Couldn't be it.
And I got a lot of information that just wasn't relevant. Menstrual cycle? Um, no. Artificial sweeteners? Never use them. Dehydration? Nah. New meds? I'm on plenty but I've never had a crazy reading like this before. Lack of sleep? I always could use more sleep, but I've never had these issues. Weather? It has been awfully cold.
Then I came across this:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes-pictures/surprising-causes-of-blood-sugar-swings.aspx#11
The money quote: "Testing after handling food can produce an erroneously high reading because sugar residues on the skin can contaminate the blood sample."
For about a week I've been using my right to test my blood to give my left hand a rest. That right hand had been in a half cup of blueberries just a short while ago. That's it!
I did a test on my left index finger. Result: 116.
doug