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Finally managed to pluck up the courage to test for the first time

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
M

Molly M

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Got my BG meter 12 days ago and have been trying to pluck up the courage to test myself for that time. I built it into such a big issue and was in tears etc. I don't know why I was in such a state, maybe it was because my dad went blind with diabetes as he didn't take care of himself or his diet & insulin.

Anyway, I finally managed to do it tonight. So, first reading an hour before dinner was 6.8 and 2 hours after dinner it was 6.0. I am hoping because it has varied by less than 2 points in either direction that that is OK? Am I right? I know my readings are still too high but I am working on my diet and have lowered carbs so hopefully things will improve. Any feedback would be a huge help.
 
Yes, I can understand the dread of testing and facing the result. The palava, the pain, the worry of the possible result, etc.

And of course we do build things up. It may be trivial to some people but ultimate nightmares to others. It does all get a bit easier with time. We just have to be kind to ourselves.

It does take a lot of courage to face our fears, so well done and a great result too.

Keep going. I think you deserve a gold star for that.
 
Hi, nice result and Well done for overcoming your fears. I hope you will find it much easier from now on.
 
Well done those readings are fantastic, whatever you had for dinner worked really well for you
 
Well done @Molly M

It’s completely understandable that you would have been apprehensive and anxious about seeing those results in cold hard numbers, given what you have experienced with your Dad. Plus the process itself involves drawing blood, so that’s hardly an encouragement!

Be kind to yourself, and recognise how well you have done.

And congrats on the results too, which were ideal!
 
Well done @Molly M

Great results and congratulations on plucking up the courage to start testing.
 
Your doing OK looking at your stats keep going as you are 🙂
 
Gwynn said:
I can understand the dread of testing and facing the result. The palava, the pain, the worry of the possible result, etc.
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I can understand the dread of the results but not the pain.
A finger prick done at the right place on the finger when your hands are warm should not be painful for most people.
Marketing and media try to propagate the myth of the pain of finger pricking which does nothing to encourage people to test when they need to.

(Sorry, Gwynn, you touched on one of my soap boxes ... I did not mean to direct that at you. 🙂 )
 
Gwynn said:
Yes, I can understand the dread of testing and facing the result. The palava, the pain, the worry of the possible result, etc.

And of course we do build things up. It may be trivial to some people but ultimate nightmares to others. It does all get a bit easier with time. We just have to be kind to ourselves.

It does take a lot of courage to face our fears, so well done and a great result too.

Keep going. I think you deserve a gold star for that.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your lovely words @Gwynn they are hugely appreciated. I am normally a 'get stuck right in' sort of person and will always do whatever needs to be done don't know why I didn't this time but at least I got there (eventually). I had 3 goes today, kept getting error messages as I wasn't putting enough blood on the strip but that's a lesson learned and I will know better for next time. every day is a school day eh? Mx
 
helli said:
I can understand the dread of the results but not the pain.
A finger prick done at the right place on the finger when your hands are warm should not be painful for most people.
Marketing and media try to propagate the myth of the pain of finger pricking which does nothing to encourage people to test when they need to.

(Sorry, Gwynn, you touched on one of my soap boxes ... I did not mean to direct that at you. 🙂 )
Click to expand...
Hi @helli, I know what you are saying but when you are doing this for the first time, you don't know that it wont hurt. I am normally a big brave woman 😉 and have battled a tumour and major surgery as a result and coped amazingly well. I was doing things in a couple of days that I shouldn't have been able to do for a few months. I just had some sort of mental block about this. Irrational I know, but we are all different and just need to do what we can when we can. I totally agree about how important testing is. Mx
 
Molly M said:
Hi @helli, I know what you are saying but when you are doing this for the first time, you don't know that it wont hurt. I am normally a big brave woman 😉 and have battled a tumour and major surgery as a result and coped amazingly well. I was doing things in a couple of days that I shouldn't have been able to do for a few months. I just had some sort of mental block about this. Irrational I know, but we are all different and just need to do what we can when we can. I totally agree about how important testing is. Mx
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Hey @Molly M reading what you have been through it is not a case of "normally a big brave woman"; you are always a big brave woman.

I completely understand the nervousness to finger prick. We have all been there.
Being told by marketing of alternative prickers and media ("Jonny was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 2 and will have to do painful injections and finger pricks all his life"), doesn't help first timers.

I was very lucky to have a nurse explain to me how to minimise any pain when finger pricking. I have been doing it more than 4 times a day for over 15 years and do not have bruised fingers and still have full feeling in all 10 digits.

Sorry, I didn't mean to derail your thread.
Your numbers are looking good, Molly. I hope you will keep up the pricking now you know it is not that bad.
All the best with your diabetes journey.
 
Molly M said:
Got my BG meter 12 days ago and have been trying to pluck up the courage to test myself for that time. I built it into such a big issue and was in tears etc. I don't know why I was in such a state, maybe it was because my dad went blind with diabetes as he didn't take care of himself or his diet & insulin.

Anyway, I finally managed to do it tonight. So, first reading an hour before dinner was 6.8 and 2 hours after dinner it was 6.0. I am hoping because it has varied by less than 2 points in either direction that that is OK? Am I right? I know my readings are still too high but I am working on my diet and have lowered carbs so hopefully things will improve. Any feedback would be a huge help.
Click to expand...
Why do you think you know that your readings are too high - if you stay under 7 then your Hba1c will be below prediabetic - how can you improve on being in the normal range?
 
Drummer said:
Why do you think you know that your readings are too high - if you stay under 7 then your Hba1c will be below prediabetic - how can you improve on being in the normal range?
Click to expand...
Totally my misunderstanding - I thought the ideal was between 4 and 6 - after reading Cherelles article (after I posted) I realise its 4-7. Apologies. I have to get a ferritin blood test done within the next week or 2 (the level was high) so will speak kindly to my (lovely) doc and see if another HBA1C can get done at the same time.

ps 1 hr pre brunch ie no food before then was 7.8 and 2 hrs post brunch was 6.2
 
Molly M said:
Totally my misunderstanding - I thought the ideal was between 4 and 6 - after reading Cherelles article (after I posted) I realise its 4-7. Apologies. I have to get a ferritin blood test done within the next week or 2 (the level was high) so will speak kindly to my (lovely) doc and see if another HBA1C can get done at the same time.

ps 1 hr pre brunch ie no food before then was 7.8 and 2 hrs post brunch was 6.2
Click to expand...
I have never seen under 5.6, ever, yet I seem to be stuck with Hba1c of 42, so I really don't think that you need to chase after lower numbers.
 
Your 7.8 is likely because you didn't have any breakfast.
The liver pumps out glucose on a morning to give us energy to start the day. The liver switches off when we eat and the pancreas releases insulin to deal with the food. This is called first phase insulin release and it looks like this works well in your case because your meal time results seem to be lower than your pre meal readings. It may be that your second phase insulin release is slightly compromised (perhaps due to visceral fat) causing poor communication between the liver and pancreas as it doesn't appear to be keeping up with the liver output hence your slightly raised morning reading. It would be worth experimenting with an early light breakfast to see if that will give you a better pre-lunchtime result.

The first phase insulin, is insulin which is produced over time and stored and then when food hits the stomach it triggers the release of that insulin to deal with the food. The glucose trickled out by the liver in between meals and overnight is quite variable and needs communication between the liver and pancreas to get the balance right and looks to be what may be awry with your system rather than insulin resistance.

If you are reasonably fit and active then it might be just some visceral fat around your liver and pancreas reducing their efficiency and the Newcastle/Fast 800 low calorie diet might be a good approach for you to try to remove that visceral fat and restore proper function..... or I may be way off the mark!
 
Molly M said:
Got my BG meter 12 days ago and have been trying to pluck up the courage to test myself for that time. I built it into such a big issue and was in tears etc. I don't know why I was in such a state, maybe it was because my dad went blind with diabetes as he didn't take care of himself or his diet & insulin.

Anyway, I finally managed to do it tonight. So, first reading an hour before dinner was 6.8 and 2 hours after dinner it was 6.0. I am hoping because it has varied by less than 2 points in either direction that that is OK? Am I right? I know my readings are still too high but I am working on my diet and have lowered carbs so hopefully things will improve. Any feedback would be a huge help.
Click to expand...
Well done, it is daunting, I tend to be head in the sand but diabetes doesn’t allow that. So very well done to you and your readings
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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