Newly diagnosed type 2 not medicated doctor says no to testing?

[Tracy Cousins]

HI,
Just after some feed back, Just diagnosed type 2 reading of 7.2 confirmation test 7.0
Not medicated going to see if diet and exerciser will be enough (not over weight and usually fit, operation cut back normal activities over year)

I asked the doctor she said don't bother testing at your level as its not worth it. NHS will only supply testing stuff if medicated at the higher levels.

Reading the forums it seems a lot of people don't agree with this.

Any advice would be really helpful and if i look at getting testing equipment myself what do people recommend. i usually do a lot of sport in my spare time.

Thanks

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hello Tracey

Welcome to the forum, though sorry you've had to join our select club 🙂

This is a frequent story, and as you can already see many on the forum who live with T2 diabetes find great value in self-monitoring whether they are on insulin or other hypoglycaemic meds, or manage their diabetes with diet and exercise.

When the national guidance for T2 was reviewed in 2015 it did not find clear evidence that SMBG (self monitoring of blood glucose) provided benefit to all people with T2. The conclusion was that it did not 'work' and could even cause distress. Something which directly goes against the lived experience of members here - who could look at the studies involved and would think "Well of course what didn't work!!". The feeling of the committee seemed to be that people would be unwilling or unable to make changes to their behaviours based on BG monitoring. Again this is exactly the opposite of what we see here.

However the guidance did admit that there WAS real benefit for a specific group of people. It seems that you (along with thousands of others here) belong in that group.

The trouble with not checking your own BG is that you have no way of knowing what is going on between the 3-monthly checks. Whether apples are better for your BG than bananas. Whether you can tolerate bread? Whether 'healthy' wholegrain low sugar breakfast cereals are actually causing you potential damage in the long term. All ofhtese things are fiercely individual, and while there can be general expectations, the precise 'diet' that will suit your diabetes will be specific to you alone.

On the forum we see the restriction of test strips for motivated people who want to self-monitor as a very short sighted penny-pinching decision which is likely to significantly worsen outcomes and prevent you from making positive changes to your diet.

People who need to self-fund here often opt for the Codefree meter which has more affordable strips, but it might also be worth going back to your GP (perhaps after you have used results to make discoveries and changes) to persuade them that you will use strips to improve your health and prevent long-term complications.

It may be that you only need to use strips intensively for 6 months or so, before you can drop back to a much more relaxed monitoring frequency. Take a look at Alan S's 'Test Review Adjust' in the 'Helpful links' thread in the newbies' section.

 

[Tracy Cousins]

HI Mike,
I really appreciate your reply, I completely agree with what you have said above.
It does not make sense to me that you would wait 3 months to test each time. The doctor was emphatic that the testing machines etc where a con and would possibly give me the same reading every day making it a waste of money as the test strips are expensive. I did comment i had been on here and read the forum comments which where completely different from her comment
Again she told me not to waste my money.
I will check out the post you have recommended. am i right in thinking you would need a test machine test strips and lancets?

Thanks again

Tracy

 

[Northerner]

HI,
Just after some feed back, Just diagnosed type 2 reading of 7.2 confirmation test 7.0
Not medicated going to see if diet and exerciser will be enough (not over weight and usually fit, operation cut back normal activities over year)

I asked the doctor she said don't bother testing at your level as its not worth it. NHS will only supply testing stuff if medicated at the higher levels.

Reading the forums it seems a lot of people don't agree with this.

Any advice would be really helpful and if i look at getting testing equipment myself what do people recommend. i usually do a lot of sport in my spare time.

Thanks

Hi Tracy, welcome to the forum 🙂 Unfortunately, many healthcare professionals discourage testing on the grounds that 'it's not worth it', but my experience here on the forum over the past several years is that testing is the only real way of determining what foods you tolerate well and what you should reduce or avoid in your diet. It's not sufficient to just 'eat healthily' as we are all different and have to discover our own personal reactions to things. I'd recommend reading Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S in order to understand how testing can be done efficiently and effectively so you can manage your blood glucose levels well. You don't need to test forever, just whilst you establish your tolerances, and then maybe occasionally for new foods you try or for 'spot checks' to make sure you are still on track. The alternative of not testing may be an increase in levels by the time of your next review and you won't know why or what you can do about it!

It's worth funding your own meter and strips if the nurse/GP is adamant they will not prescribe. The cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50 (High St brands can charge up to £30 for 50 test strips 😱) Start a food diary, record your reactions as described in Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S and you will soon become familiar with how your body behaves 🙂 Also, by testing, you may discover that some things you may have chosen to avoid might actually be fine for you to keep in your diet - why stop eating things you enjoy if they don't have an adverse effect? 🙂

For some good background information I'd also recommend reading Maggie Davey's letter and also getting hold of a copy of the excellent Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker 🙂 Please let us know if you have ANY questions and we will do our best to help you out 🙂

Edit: Written at the same time as Mike's reply! 🙂

 

[Davein]

I wish I had found this forum a lot sooner than I actually did. Initially I had repeated attacks of pancreatitis and this also lead to being diagnosed with prediabetes. That was about four years ago. In my opinion I should have started self testing then. It wasn't till much later that I was confirmed type 2. My first HbA1c was several months after and was in the 70/80 range. I was put on metformin and decided to self test (actually got my gear off eBay) Like you, my GP did not support self testing for T2. Many months on I felt unwell, just thought it was a bug. Fortunately as I was self testing I was able to see that my BG levels rose to the mid twenties and peaked at about 34. This was over a few days. As these BG levels showed no signs of lowering I went to see GP, showed her the levels recorded on my monitor and I was given a blood test straight away. I was called in a couple of days later and put on insulin immediately as the blood test showed a level of 136.
If I weren't self testing it would probably have been many weeks before my high BG levels would have been found. If your GP won't supply the monitor and you have to self finance it could prove to be one of the best investments you ever make and you cannot put a price on your health.

 

[Pine Marten]

Hi Tracy, just seconding what the others have said! Getting a meter and testing is vital to taking control and improving your health. I *so* wish I'd found this out when I was first diagnosed - even when she congratulated me on my results my GP said I don't need to test....how does she think I obtained those results?? Get yourself a Codefree meter and have a go! Don't forget to tick the 'I have diabetes' box on the website 🙂

 

[Tracy Cousins]

HI all,
Thank you for all the advice so far. I will definitely be looking at testing just need to identify the best options and what i can afford. I have been reading the links recommended. Amazingly clear and consistent advice.

My main doctor called me back in a few hours after seeing the Diabetes doc and pretty much advised me to go full vegetarian. And if i got my levels down to normal he would remove me from the diabetes register.. Most bizarre.

 

[mikeyB]

Hi Tracy. I’ll say it’s bizarre. Show me a T2 doctor and I’ll show you someone who tests regularly. Vegetarian? A bleeding T-bone steak won’t affect your blood glucose levels. The chips will.

And tell him that unless you do test, how will you know when you are down to normal?

Go figure 🙂

 

[Davein]

Codefree meter + 50 strips + 100 lancets on Ebay for £24 all in. A cheap price to pay for peace of mind.

 

[Martin Canty]

pretty much advised me to go full vegetarian.

Strange advice, not that I'm against vegetarianism..... However, on my modified diet I do have much more in the way of low carb vegetables; having replaced high carb foods such as bread, rice, pasta & starchy vegetables with green leafy vegetables.

 

[JMyrtle]

Hi there
I was in the same position as you, initial reading 58. in September told not to bother to test, didn't need medicines, just cut out sugar, sweets, cakes biscuits, chocolate , (no mention of carbs such as potatoes, rice or pasta) and come back in three months.
Three month reading 51 in Dcember, told to get below 48 by March and he will take me off the register.
I bought a code free meter off eBay as well £19.99 including lancets, other bits and pieces and 60 strips, ordered on Monday delivered Wednesday.
The instructions are quite clear provided you read them slowly! and the meter will also give you 7, 14 and 30 day averages, the readings are in Mmol/l but you can get a conversion chart on Google.
An average of 8.00 mmol/l is 49.0 mmol/mol, 7.5 is 46 and 7.00 is 42.00 and normal non diabetic.
My reading weekly average now is around 7.6 so well under my six month target figure of 48.00 and I am aiming for 42 by the time I go for a test again at the end of March..
Good luck, if I can do it so can you, after a while you don't miss the sweet stuff.

 

[ajax]

I used a glucometer for the first 18 months after Dx ..though now rely mostly on my twice-yearly HbA1c values ..✻monitoring✻ my weight quite closely.

Since I met the cost of the kit myself ..I neither told my physician I was ✻home-testing✻ ..nor pleaded for test strips ..two can play at this game.

 

[Ralph-YK]

Welcome Tracy from a fellow T2. I support self testing. The Code Free is often recomended on her, and that is what I have. It's the only one I've got to handle, and don't know if it is the "best". The price is reasonable, and the test strips are £8 for 50. strips for others meters can be as much as £20-25.

 

[Beck S]

I know I'm not a doctor, but your doctor sounds like he has no idea what he's talking about and I'm glad you're looking beyond what he's told you. It's utter rubbish that your blood glucose reading would be the same everyday if you used a meter - not only is that not possible for a diabetic, a non-diabetic wouldn't get the same reading every time. I would not have been able to get the control that I have now if I hadn't had a meter and test strips, they're invaluable to me. Mike and Northerner's posts give great advice.

Meat is generally carb free, so it's a great thing to eat if you're on a low carb diet. Veg has a carb content, some more than others, but veg is good for you so eat it. I know there are vegetarian and vegans on here who are also diabetic so it's definitely something you could do if you wanted to really. But if you're prepared to test, then spend some time testing out foods and getting used to what you can tolerate - it's worth taking the time. I started off thinking I had to change everything I ate, but have come to realise that I haven't really needed to make a lot of changes. Just take time to get it right. Some people get it right off the bat, some of us take longer to get to where we need to be but as Mike said it's personal to you.

 

[JayBay]

HI all,
Thank you for all the advice so far. I will definitely be looking at testing just need to identify the best options and what i can afford. I have been reading the links recommended. Amazingly clear and consistent advice.

My main doctor called me back in a few hours after seeing the Diabetes doc and pretty much advised me to go full vegetarian. And if i got my levels down to normal he would remove me from the diabetes register.. Most bizarre.

Tracy, I am a vegetarian, have been for nearly 30 years and I would say it is harder to go low carb than if I ate meat. My Nurse told me I had a really healthy diet and no need to change anything, having taken advise from this forum I started to monitor my BG levels and change my diet. I cut out potatoes, cut down fruit and stopped eating pasta and rice, obviously cut out all sugar. Having got my levels under control I have re introduced small amounts of brown rice and wholemeal pasta. The key to control in knowing what you can cope with and we are all different. A monitor is therefore, I believe, a must have.

 

[BigMalc]

I fully support regular testing for T2's, but am going to put one point forward that may come across as pro Dr. Immediatley after disagnosis, we can be all over the place with reading, emotion, denial etc etc. As an HBA1C of circa 7 isnt actually that high, compared to how most of us were at diagnosis, it 'might' be that the Doc was going to let it settle for 3m and then go for further education.
Of course he might just be a complete pillock instead, and as for the 'go veggie' option, words fail me!
Good luck Tracy

 

[Teadance]

Hi Tracy,
I was told if you rang Accuchek they would send you a self monitoring machine for free, plus a few lancets and test strips to get you started. Of course you have to buy them after that, but I rang and they sent me an Accucheck Aviva. If you register it with them, they will also replace the batteries when they are needed free of charge.

 

[scottishlass]

Hi Tracy, welcome to the club. Just want to repeat what the others have said: in my opinion testing is the way to go. As you can see from my details below, my levels were sky high when I was diagnosed last year and even with those results I was told that self-testing was unnecessary and would only make me worried and obsessive. Eight months on, I'm still regularly testing and I'm sure I'm less worried than I would be if I didn't know what was going on!

 

[Drummer]

I got a meter when lidl were selling them, and got my diet sorted out - it is exactly what I was eating to control my weight for about 40 years - except when those who think they know better had me eating carbs so I did not die from unspecified horrors or cholesterol poisoning.
I do not test regularly now, after over a year from diagnosis, as at 6 months from diagnosis I was not seeing even prediabetic numbers. I do test from time to time to see how I am doing.
Your doctor is completly wrong about the test meters, they can give you a very accurate picture of just how high the 'normal' modern diet will spike your BG and how even and low it can be when you avoid high carb foods

 

[Ralph-YK]

Hi Tracy,
I was told if you rang Accuchek they would send you a self monitoring machine for free, plus a few lancets and test strips to get you started. Of course you have to buy them after that, but I rang and they sent me an Accucheck Aviva. If you register it with them, they will also replace the batteries when they are needed free of charge.

That's worth knowing. How much are the strips?