In shock diagnosed T2 yesterday

[ColinUK]

No Colin,do not have a BG meter, funny enough my doctor called me 30 minutes ago...oh wow....he has advised not to get one,and bloods will be redone in 2 months time,change diet to low carb etc etc

Doctors seemingly don't ever want us to have a BG monitor but it's a really useful tool for us to use.
The meters aren't expensive but the test strips can be so that's something to watch out for and it's why lots of us use Gluco Navii meters as the test strips are so cheap.

Gluco Navii

It does really help get a deeper understanding the impact of what's going in to your mouth and that's key to getting the BG under control.

 

[harbottle]

No Colin,do not have a BG meter, funny enough my doctor called me 30 minutes ago...oh wow....he has advised not to get one,and bloods will be redone in 2 months time,change diet to low carb etc etc

I'm in two minds about meters.

I bought one the day I was diagnosed, saw values of 7, 6 and 9 and got a bit down. So I decided to stop and change lifestyle and not worry about it.

I could feel improvements in my body as my eyesight improved and the aches and pains I was experiencing in my legs started to go away.

When I had a blood test 3 months later, I had come down from 83 to 36.

HOWEVER,

I was lucky that a diet (Helped a little by 1000mg of Metformin) brought it down (For now, who knows if my pancreas decides to give up?) but some people don't have that luxury, so I guess testing can determine if the diet is working and pick up the need to have more drugs - although the NHS guidelines seems to have 3 monthly blood tests until it's stabilized, so maybe they just rely on that?

 

[Downhill Racer]

Hi Midnight Caller. I'm so sorry about the loss of your husband. I too am newly diagnosed and confused and now in shock. The Diabetes Nurse called me back and said, "I see by a blood test in 2018 that your were pre-diabetic then." What??? No-one had ever called me back from the GP to warn me. I remember calling them to find out the results and was told curtly by the receptionist that if I hadn't heard anything back, then the all blood tests were normal! So for 4 years I've been spiralling down into Diabetes. Just great. I'm trying to get over the anger of not knowing and working on moving forward. The Diabetes nurse was helpful and suggested this website. The surgery did not tell me they had a Diabetes nurse, I had to work that out or myself! I'm delighted to read how supportive everyone is and am feeling better already. I wish you luck on your journey.
Harbottle, congratulations on your weight loss and getting your hba1c level down so far in such a short space of time! You must truly feel like a new person. I look forward to reading more of your journey.

 

[Midnight Caller]

Doctors seemingly don't ever want us to have a BG monitor but it's a really useful tool for us to use.
The meters aren't expensive but the test strips can be so that's something to watch out for and it's why lots of us use Gluco Navii meters as the test strips are so cheap.

Gluco Navii

It does really help get a deeper understanding the impact of what's going in to your mouth and that's key to getting the BG under control.

Thanks Colin, very informative info, much appreciated, I am still getting to grips with this,although have been advised that my recent diagnoses of ptsd last december regarding my late husbands death,has escalated my pre diabetes diagnosis, to diabetes last friday is a lot to take on board

 

[Midnight Caller]

How are you getting on?

Forgive me if I missed this somewhere in the thread but do you have a BG meter so that you can test at home?

Hi Colin, hope you are OK, thank you on how am I getting on....an acceptance feeling has now become normal thanks to the reassurance from here,although there seems to be mixed feelings on having a BG meter as well as a no no from GP,it may give me peace of mind rather then paranoia on how do you know your BG is high,how you do moniter it etc etc....a lot to learn

 

[Midnight Caller]

Hi Midnight Caller. I'm so sorry about the loss of your husband. I too am newly diagnosed and confused and now in shock. The Diabetes Nurse called me back and said, "I see by a blood test in 2018 that your were pre-diabetic then." What??? No-one had ever called me back from the GP to warn me. I remember calling them to find out the results and was told curtly by the receptionist that if I hadn't heard anything back, then the all blood tests were normal! So for 4 years I've been spiralling down into Diabetes. Just great. I'm trying to get over the anger of not knowing and working on moving forward. The Diabetes nurse was helpful and suggested this website. The surgery did not tell me they had a Diabetes nurse, I had to work that out or myself! I'm delighted to read how supportive everyone is and am feeling better already. I wish you luck on your journey.
Harbottle, congratulations on your weight loss and getting your hba1c level down so far in such a short space of time! You must truly feel like a new person. I look forward to reading more of your journey.

Hi downhill, thank you for your kind words,yes I too was "what"??????(and in my head much swearing) really the very same response as you did,this was in 2018,so much anger and no guidance really floored me...my husband was very supportive ,and doubt if I would feel so confused and in shock if he was here now..so sorry you got this diagnoses in such an uncaring and not supportive way.
Take care
Chrissi

 

[ColinUK]

Hi Colin, hope you are OK, thank you on how am I getting on....an acceptance feeling has now become normal thanks to the reassurance from here,although there seems to be mixed feelings on having a BG meter as well as a no no from GP,it may give me peace of mind rather then paranoia on how do you know your BG is high,how you do moniter it etc etc....a lot to learn

All valid concerns and sometimes there are certainly periods where I cut testing down to once a day but routinely I test first thing in the morning and then just before a meal and two hours after starting to eat.
As I’m increasing exercise I’m also testing pre and post exercise at the moment just so I understand more about how my body copes with that.

There’s a really good post about testing with the whys and wherefores but I can’t find it. I’m sure @everydayupsanddowns can and post the link here.

Honestly, without testing at home I’d not have a clue what was going on inside my body. Yes there are times I would rather not know and there are times when, after a run of really good readings for example, I’ll allow myself that cake but daily testing has changed my relationship with food somewhat. I clearly still enjoy food but I’m making more conscious choices about what to eat. It’s my choice to have a baguette perhaps but it’s now an informed choice and with testing I have learnt what I can have on the bread to best lower any spike and I know how long my BG takes to normalise again.
All of that is really useful information.

Diabetes is the road you’re driving along now. Would you get behind the wheel of a car and drive if all of the windows were blacked out, there’s no speedo and the brakes were erratic? That’s what living with diabetes and not testing at home is like I think.