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Do all type 2 do finger pricks?

murf

murf

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all as a newbie with type 2 at 54 reading, and not yet been seen by diabetes nurse, do all type 2 do finger pricks? As i am now following a low carb diet n cut outcrisos,choc ,spuds etc hoping my level comes down do i need to be told to do finger pricks etc ta.
 
murf said:
Hi all as a newbie with type 2 at 54 reading, and not yet been seen by diabetes nurse, do all type 2 do finger pricks? As i am now following a low carb diet n cut outcrisos,choc ,spuds etc hoping my level comes down do i need to be told to do finger pricks etc ta.
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It will be unlikely that you will be prescribed a blood glucose monitor as GPs are not obliged to do so unless people are on medication that could cause low blood glucose but many feel that testing with a finger prick can be a useful way of giving them control over their condition and enable them to sort out a menu which suits them and will reduce their blood glucose.
Whether you do finger pricks is really down to you, people can make suggestions but the choice is yours.
Hopefully you have seen this link for some ideas for your low carb approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
murf said:
Hi all as a newbie with type 2 at 54 reading, and not yet been seen by diabetes nurse, do all type 2 do finger pricks? As i am now following a low carb diet n cut out crisps, choc, spuds etc hoping my level comes down do i need to be told to do finger pricks etc ta.
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I wouldn't be without my meter, which helped me get to where I am and is, at least so far, keeping me there. However, as has been said, it's your choice and unless you're prescribed glucose-lowering medication you'll almost certainly have to self-fund.
 
I was prescribed a meter and FP lancets with gliclazide because of the possibility of hypos. I drive and as a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic my nurse encouraged me to check BG each morning, if I felt unwell or before driving.
After joining this forum I followed up on the dietary information to reduce carbs but increased protein and fats as I needed to regain muscle mass and get back to a healthy weight while getting BG down.
Using FP before and after meals helps me modify my diet and cut out or reduce carby food that sent my BG too high.
Still work in progress but using FP really helps. I say this as someone who hates needles and still needs to make a determined effort not to flinch every time I use the lancet.
 
Hi there, and welcome @murf !
Whether or not you need to do finger pricks depends on a few things - some people with Type 2 are advised to test regularly, especially if they’re on medications like insulin or, as mentioned, others that can cause low blood sugar. Other people manage with lifestyle changes and only get their HbA1c checked every few months. Since you’re newly diagnosed and making changes to your diet, testing could be really helpful in showing how different foods affect your blood sugar, but it’s not always something doctors automatically recommend.
People sometimes choose to self-fund a blood glucose meter so they can track their progress, especially when starting a low-carb approach. It can help you see what works for your body and what might still be causing spikes. If that’s something you’d be interested in, you don’t necessarily need to wait for the diabetes nurse - you could get a basic meter yourself and start testing around meals to see how things are going, but that is completely based on personal choice and one's finances.
You’re already making some great changes, and I hope you see improvements soon! Keep us posted on how you're doing!
 
If you do decide to get a monitor then some that people find satisfactory as well as having the cheaper strips are the GlucoNavii, TEE2 or Contour Blue which are cheaper bought on line than at a pharmacy.
 
murf said:
Hi all as a newbie with type 2 at 54 reading, and not yet been seen by diabetes nurse, do all type 2 do finger pricks? As i am now following a low carb diet n cut outcrisos,choc ,spuds etc hoping my level comes down do i need to be told to do finger pricks etc ta.
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It's up to you.
I didn't test for 3 months after diagnosis, just concentrated on losing weight and changing lifestyle.
I go through phases now where I do a bit of testing then stop for months. Or might just do a fasting one in the afternoon to make sure I'm still doing OK.
 
Hi many thanks for that, i am hoping they do a blood test in 2wks when see nurse and if readings have dropped then happy days if they havent oh then will have to look at what i am eating etc and monitor glucose level i spose with finger pricks?
 
Hi,just looking at sugars in carbs on products i am presuming the lower the sugar is the better along with low carbs, i am sticking or trying to keep below 130g carbs per day is there an ideal sugar max i should be looking at? As nhs say 30g but should we try for a lot less,ta
 
murf said:
Hi, just looking at sugars in carbs on products i am presuming the lower the sugar is the better along with low carbs, i am sticking or trying to keep below 130g carbs per day is there an ideal sugar max i should be looking at? As nhs say 30g but should we try for a lot less,ta
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As a general rule the 'of which sugars' is mainly useful if you have a choice of products with similar carbs, in which case go for the one with the lower 'of which sugars' figure.

I think the NHS advice might be about added sugar, not natural sugars, otherwise you'd beat their 30g limit every day simply by, for example, eating any fruit, or even drinking milk, as the carbs in those are 100% sugar.
 
murf said:
Hi,just looking at sugars in carbs on products i am presuming the lower the sugar is the better along with low carbs, i am sticking or trying to keep below 130g carbs per day is there an ideal sugar max i should be looking at? As nhs say 30g but should we try for a lot less,ta
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That would not be a useful way of working for me - my gut grabs the carbs and smashes them into my bloodstream - one reason to have a meter and test after meals is to find out if you have a gut looking for trouble or one with a more laid back attitude. I don't make any distinction between starches and sugars as they all give similar results once digested.
The NHS guideline is 130 gm of carbs per day I think - but my meter showed me that 30 is a better idea, These days I set a limit of 40 gm - I used to do 50 gm which many people find is a good limit for them.
I used my Spirit Healthcare Tee 2 + quite a bit in the early days - 8 years ago now, and confirmed what I already really knew - carbs are not what I should eat, despite all advice to the contrary.
I saw my numbers coming down right from the start, but then there was an interval where - I suspect, stored carbs were being released from my cells and my metabolism was recovering, when my after meal levels were 8 or 9mmol/l, but then they began to fall little by little even though I was keeping to the same foods and amounts.
 
Blimey i thought i was doing well to keep to 130g of carbs not sure how i wud get down to 40 that would be some serious food changes.
 
murf said:
Blimey i thought i was doing well to keep to 130g of carbs not sure how i wud get down to 40 that would be some serious food changes.
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@Drummer is probably one of the few people posting who do go so low on carbs, many will be somewhere between 50 and 130g but will have determined just what they can tolerate by testing. I aim to be around 70g per day but prefer to look at it as being so many per meal so no one meal (normally) is much higher carb than others.
 
murf said:
Blimey i thought i was doing well to keep to 130g of carbs not sure how i wud get down to 40 that would be some serious food changes.
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I suspect getting older has a lot to do with my choices - plus I was left over 10 years with high blood glucose levels and not told about it - the test result was flagged so they didn't do the test again.
I find it easy to keep so low, breakfast might be eggs or cheese with a tomato or some celery, coffee with cream. Some days I might have steak and mushrooms, or some stirfry - other meats might be involved, or fish and coleslaw.
That is all I need for daytime activities, in the evening I eat again, protein, fat and low carb veges, maybe a dessert with berries or a mug cake made with almond and coconut flour, spices or lemon juice, eggs, butter and coconut oil,, eaten with cream.
I am definitely more insulin resistant in the mornings, but my liver would go on releasing glucose until I ate a small amount of carbs, so I hunt down around 10gm of carbs to reassure it that all is well.
 
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