blood suger testing

[Charliewatch]

Do many T2 members test their blood with blood sugar testing machine?

 

[AlisonM]

Hi again Charlie, I just posted a bit of a testing rant on your other thread, including the basic reasons why to test and and a short explanation of when to test. To answer your question. Many of our T2 members test, many are having to buy their own strips to do so, but I think all of them would agree that it has been a very useful exercise and taught them a great deal about how their Diabetes works. The only real way to 'manage' Diabetes is to understand what it's doing to you personally. We're all different and food affects each of us differently which is one reason testing is so valuable.

I'd say, get yourself a meter and start testing.

 

[itsallgood]

I second that, testing is your best tool to help you understand what's going on.

 

[pippaandben]

Do many T2 members test their blood with blood sugar testing machine?

Without a meter I would never have known that my BS was in the high 20s/ low 30s as I felt perfectly ok. Type 2s do not seem to have the bad physical reaction that Type 1s have.
I was losing weight which I thought proved I was doing everything right with my diet. Put the change in readings down to high temperature (70-80s). It wasn't til I started feeling really thirsty that I went to Dr 3 weeks before my scheduled visit. One week later I was on insulin.
Everybody with diabetes is different. Every body reacts differently. Blood sugar levels are the only measure to let you know what your body is doing. At the time I had the tools but did not have the knowledge to use them properly. Mornings were always ok.
So get the tools AND understand what they are telling you.
Hope this helps.

 

[Charliewatch]

Is there a blood sugar diary available that is a proper little booklet do other members use a dairy.

 

[LeeLee]

I only test occasionally these days, but I did a lot when I first got my meter. It helped me to work out what I can/cannot get away with. I set up a small Excel spreadsheet.

 

[pippaandben]

Is there a blood sugar diary available that is a proper little booklet do other members use a dairy.

You should be able to pick them up at your surgery or the hospital diabetes centre. Sometimes chemists have them too. If all else fails contact the manufacturer of the meter you decide to buy and they will send them to you. Do register with them as you can get free batteries as well. All diaries are produced by the different manufacturers so are different in layout but all give columns for several readings a day.

 

[Carmina]

I started testing within a week of being diagnosed and it's the most sensible decision I've made in many years!

My GP said there was no need to test and I should leave it to him as he's the expert. 😡 He gave me a diet sheet and told me to follow it until my prescription ran out (after giving me a repeatable 'scrip to cover 36 weeks - yes, that's 36, not a typo) then he'd re-test me to see if the tablets needed increasing. I don't see that as me managing my condition so I got a meter and started testing.

It took 3 days to realise that the recommendations on the diet sheet weren't going to help me get my levels under control. In fact, by the way they spiked to the roof after I'd eaten the 'right' amount of root veg or brown rice, I worried that the doctor's advice was going to make me more ill and lead to an ever-increasing spiral of medication.

I know some people are fine with letting their GP do the testing and that's okay - it's their choice. But it's not my way. If there was a little gizmo I could attach 24 hours a day to tell me my sugar and other blood levels at any given moment, I'd have one and adjust my diet on a daily basis to get optimum readings.

 

[AlisonM]

Charlie, here's a page with links to various diaries in PDF or XLS format that you can download and print off if you wish. I'd download an XLS version and use Excel to keep the diary on my machine.

If you have an Android phone, you could use an app such as OnTrack

 

[Vicsetter]

I started testing within a week of being diagnosed and it's the most sensible decision I've made in many years!

My GP said there was no need to test and I should leave it to him as he's the expert. 😡 He gave me a diet sheet and told me to follow it until my prescription ran out (after giving me a repeatable 'scrip to cover 36 weeks - yes, that's 36, not a typo) then he'd re-test me to see if the tablets needed increasing. I don't see that as me managing my condition so I got a meter and started testing.

It took 3 days to realise that the recommendations on the diet sheet weren't going to help me get my levels under control. In fact, by the way they spiked to the roof after I'd eaten the 'right' amount of root veg or brown rice, I worried that the doctor's advice was going to make me more ill and lead to an ever-increasing spiral of medication.

I know some people are fine with letting their GP do the testing and that's okay - it's their choice. But it's not my way. If there was a little gizmo I could attach 24 hours a day to tell me my sugar and other blood levels at any given moment, I'd have one and adjust my diet on a daily basis to get optimum readings.

A common problem for T2s - the 36 weeks is because the HBA1c test the GP will get done on your blood will tell the average blood sugar reading over the last 3 months and is the guideline by which your surgery will get payments (% of patients achieving a certain HBA1c target). Your GP will also have a large number of patients that will deny or ignore their condition and on whom self testing would be wasted.
As others have said - get the best meter you can afford, test and adjust your diet accordingly and keep a record of what you have done. When you GP says that your HBA1c has improved then hit them with your records and say it's only because I have taken control of my condition.