Hello-- I've been lurking here a bit and you seem like a helpful and friendly bunch, so I thought I'd post a question. I'm giving some background in case it matters to the big picture, so please bear with me.

I've been testing my blood glucose with a meter for about a year. My A1C was creeping up and at 6.5 my doctor sent me to the diabetes educator. I'm very happy about that as my 85-year-old mother has significant problems from poorly monitored diabetes. With diet and exercise I was able to get it down to 6.1. Great, right?

In October I had a kidney removed- on a fluke they discovered a cancerous cyst on my kidney. It was completely encapsulated, so removing it with the organ did the trick. Am I lucky, or what??!

A few months later I started having symptoms of what was eventually diagnosed as a non-specific autoimmune disorder. I was started on prednisone and Plaquenil. As you know, prednisone pushes your blood sugar up, so I was given 1 mg. of Amaryl. All of those medications are working just fine for me. I will have to stay on Amaryl as long as I'm on prednisone, which my rheumatologist says will be "forever". I'm currently at 9 mg. of prednisone because of a flareup, but he thinks I'll be able to stay at 5 mg. as my usual dose (plus the Plaquenil).

I have been told to test four times daily: on rising; before lunch and dinner; and at bedtime. Lately I've been forgetting to test my sugar before I begin the meal. How much of a cushion of time do I have to do the test after I've started eating? How much time before my meal hits my bloodstream?

Thanks in advance for your insights. I hope to visit here often.

Ann