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Best testing kit for BG

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Portugal1000

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Type 2
Keep reading about people testing BG and wanted to ask advice as best one to buy as I really have no idea.
My results came back 53 mmol a few weeks ago. Was doing well with weight loss and then came on holiday to Italy. Not ideal but going home today so need to really take it seriously now. Diabetic nurse suggested I try to stick to 30g carbs a day which I think is manageable but want to see what affect this gas as don’t want to go back for blood test in three months and no change. I also don’t really know what I should be aiming for on the daily test?
All advice greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Portugal1000, welcome to the forum.

Your results are just above the diabetic range so it's more than possible to get back to a healthy range with some consistent lifestyle changes.

The link below provides some really helpful info re testing and what you should be looking for so do have a look when you get the chance.

Checking your blood sugar levels​

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...
www.diabetes.org.uk
www.diabetes.org.uk

We've got a few glucose monitors that are popular on the site and worth having a look at SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - test strips for both are about £8 for 50.
 
I think your nurse is over reacting in advising only 30g carb per day, are you sure she didn't say 30g per meal, as many at your HbA1C will be successful at reducing blood glucose by a low carb approach which would be less than 130g carb per day. Going too low in one go can cause issues with your eyes and nerves, at only 30g per day for many people would not be sustainable which is what any dietary regime needs to be.
 
Thank you. I bought my monitor yesterday and have been following a low carb diet since returning from holiday last Wednesday. I am completely new to testing and did my first test last night which would have been 2.5 hours after dinner and it was 6.8 and then another this morning when I got up before eating anything and it was 7.6. Have no idea what this means at the moment as early days but appreciate any advice with regards to timings of test and what sort of ranges I should be seeing. I guess I thought the morning test would be lower than the evening one but as I said I have no idea. Thanks
 
The 6.8mmol/l after dinner is a good result. The normal time to test is 2 hours. To get an idea if you have tolerated your meal then test just before you eat and after 2 hours.
In the morning sometimes people get despondent about a higher reading than they expect but it can depend on just when you test, in bed or when you have been up and pottering around as after a period of not eating your liver tries to be super helpful in releasing glucose to give you energy for your activity of 'going to hunt for breakfast' a bit of a hang over from our ancestors.
 
Thank you. I can now see how testing BS level could become quite addictive and I have only had machine since yesterday.

So I tested before lunch at 2pm and it was 6.6mmol/l, at 4pm it was 7.1mmol/l.

My HbA1c was 53 mmol. So not sure if going in the right direction or not.

How often would you recommend testing? Going to have to buy some more strips at this rate.
 
Portugal1000 said:
Thank you. I can now see how testing BS level could become quite addictive and I have only had machine since yesterday.

So I tested before lunch at 2pm and it was 6.6mmol/l, at 4pm it was 7.1mmol/l.

My HbA1c was 53 mmol. So not sure if going in the right direction or not.

How often would you recommend testing? Going to have to buy some more strips at this rate.
Click to expand...
You will probably use quite a lot of strips to start with but as you get a better idea of what foods suit you then that will reduce.
Both those readings look OK. Maybe your before is at the top end but the more you keep to a small increase from your meal that will start to come down.
Blood glucose will vary and there are lots of things other than food which will affect it, hence why it can be a bit of a minefield.
 
You seem to be doing well.
My Hba1c was higher at 91, but by changing what I ate so I did not go over 8mmol/l after meals I saw the numbers gradually fall to under 7 - presumably as my metabolism recovered. I was no longer diabetic at 6 months from diagnosis and have stayed just at the top of normal except when affected by Covid which seems to throw a spanner in the works. I just keep to the same way of eating and it corrects itself.
 
Portugal1000 said:
30g carbs a day which I think is manageable
Click to expand...
As another comment mentioned... Are you sure the nurse didn't say 30g carbs per meal? I went really low carb in my first week and it made me feel really rough, dizzy, shakes, weak, headache, no concentration. I dialed it up to between 90-120g per day and I'm feeling loads better now.

<20g breakfast
20-40 lunch
20-40 dinner

I test before each meal and before bed.
I add additional tests in 1 and or 2 hours after a meal for some meals like tonights dinner which had potatoes so I can decide if I want to have that sort of thing more often.

Which meter did you buy in the end?
 
I got an Accu check one in Boots as I had loads of points on my card.
I’m probably having around 50g a day mainly in salad, vegetables, Greek yogurt and raspberries. Haven’t had any potato, rice, pasta or bread which isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I have mastered using courgette and aubergine instead of pasta sheets in lasagne. I’m going on holiday on Saturday for a week so that will be the big test.
 
Portugal1000 said:
Accu check
Click to expand...
If you still have the box check for the mySugr logo, its an app to log the values and carb values and other stuff.

Some of the accu chek meters give you the pro subscription for free. If not the free subscription is still good enough and it's nice to have a log of the blood values and what you are eating in a single place to refer back to months later when you go for your next checkup.

Some of the accu chek meters (instant, guide, mobile) for example have Bluetooth and send the value directly in to the app.
 
Yes it has all that but haven’t got round to setting it up yet. Just hope I can buy some more strips today so I can use on holiday. Will be doing lots of walking and swimming so will be interested to see if any effect on BS. Just took reading and 8.8. I really don’t understand all the different readings. That’s a lot higher than yesterday and haven’t eaten or drink anything yet.
 
Accu chek are one of the more expensive brands if you're self funding. 50 strips from the pharmacy will be between £12-15. Most places will have them in stock and strips are not cross compatible with meters. You have to buy the right ones.

I've read on the forum about something called the dawn phenomenon. It's when your liver releases glucose in the middle of the night/early morning to give you the energy you need to start the day.

8.8 is just outside the morning fasting range to aim for and meters do have some degree of error they are allowed.

Well done on the low carb if you are managing 50g per day without problems right away.
 
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