confused

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

handss

New Member
Hi

I am a carer for someone who has just been diagnosed with type 2, we were told she has type 2 given a hand out and sent home, she has not been given anything to track her blood sugars and no other medical professional has been in touch.

Should we be checking her blood sugar levels, or is it enough to be careful with her diet? she has been given medication, not sure what it is called I would have to check when I go into work. I am very concerned that we are not monitoring her condition, any advice?
 
Hi Handss

I'm not T2 so have the luxury of test strips on prescription, but I would suggest that testing for a Type 2 is an important, if not essential, part of achieving good control.

However from what I read online it seems many GPs can be resistant to prescribing test strips to T2s claiming that it is not necessary (presumably due to the expense to their practice). I'm not really sure how this can be argued, since we are all different and the only way to tell what the effect of eating a certain kind of food will be on blood glucose levels is to test 1-2 and 2-3 hours after eating it.

Occasional routine testing before meals can also build a general picture of overall blood sugar levels, but I believe that for a T2 the after-meal tests are the main source of information in managing the condition.

It is possible for those who are consistently refused testing strips (or who are prescribed a very small number) to buy them. Usually it is cheapest to do this straight from the manufacturer I think.

In the meantime, you should be aware that any food containing carbohydrate will raise blood glucose levels, so be cautious about anything containing carbs, not just sugary things like cakes but any breads, potatoes, pasta, rice, grains, fruit, fruit juices etc. All of these will be broken down to glucose though some will take longer than others. Low GI (glycaemic index) foods should be broken down more slowly and are a good choice until you get a meter.

The only way to know how much carbohydrate (and what type) can be eaten is to systematically test the effect after eating it. Once you've built up a knowledge of what things are fine and which to avoid you won't need to test so often.

Many T2s seem to find that even the time of day can make a difference as to what they can eat without raising their bg through the roof.

This advice about testing for T2s seems to be well respected: www.everydayupsanddowns.co.uk/p/newly-diagnosed-read-jennifers-advice.html

Hope this helps
M
 
Last edited:
handss said:
Hi

I am a carer for someone who has just been diagnosed with type 2, we were told she has type 2 given a hand out and sent home, she has not been given anything to track her blood sugars and no other medical professional has been in touch.

Should we be checking her blood sugar levels, or is it enough to be careful with her diet? she has been given medication, not sure what it is called I would have to check when I go into work. I am very concerned that we are not monitoring her condition, any advice?
Click to expand...
Hi,

That's not unusual that from things that you read on here.

Not many Type 2s are advised to test simply because of the cost. It is a great thing to do and really the only real way to learn what different foods do to blood glucose levels.

My advice would be to cut down on sugars but you will already know that.

Very importantly also to cut back on starchy carbohydrates - e.g. cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, pizza etc. That usually leads to a big reduction in blood glucose levels and quickly too.

Best wishes - John
 
I think that you have received some good advice from the previous two posters.

However, longer term, you need to be getting good advice and knowledge from more official sources. I am not a carer so am not sure what those official sources would be though.

Hopefully, there are others here who will be able to point you in the right direction. Also, I'm sure that you will also continue to get more good advice from us here, so stick around (despite what I said earlier)!

Andy 🙂
 
as others have said ....but if you can get a bs monitor and strips its worth testing to see what foods are causing the problems ...
 
Hello when i was dx (diagnosed) with type 2 about 3 weeks ago my dr confirmed and printed out a 4 page leaflet on diabetes, he also made an appointment for 3 weeks time (last tuesday) and informed me too cut out sugar in food and in tea/coffee, and get cholesterol tested (blood taken) which is 4.5 (normal) with kidney function test (wee sample) which is normal :D with the practice nurse, apparently he forgot to inform nurse to tell me all bout diabetes. I have learned more online on this forum then any nhs surgery, so any questions dont hesitate to ask on this forum cos this site is great and so is the people who post on here, no question to silly so ask away..... and welcome to the forum 🙂
 
Hi Handss, welcome to the forum.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top