glucose monitor?

[Vee]

hi.. T2..had results of 2nd blood test.. came back at 49.. only number I've got... nurse said I could consider getting a glucose monitor if I wanted to...and gave me a form for next blood test.. for May...could I get some helpful thoughts from you please..

 

[Ljc]

Hi. With an Hb1ac of 49 you have only just crossed the threshold into diabetes
42 to 47 is pre diabetes, sometimes called glucose intolerance
48 gets you a diagnosis of diabetes
So with a number of 49 you may well need only make a few changes to control it or beat it into remission .
It seems you have a rather unusual diabetes nurse there, I mean this in a nice way. You see most Folks who come on here and other diabetes sites are advised or even told not to test.

Initially is usual to have the Hb1ac done every three months, so all is well there too.

I like many on here am an advocate for self testing to see how the various carbohydrates and snacks affect us so we can make informed choices , you see we are all so very different in how our bodies cope with them, and the last thing you want or need to do is to cut down/out something you enjoy which your body could cope with.

If you decide self testing is for you , it’s the cost of the testing strips you must watch out for many sold in chemists or online use strips that cost £15 or more for a pot of 50 and when you are testing before eating and two hrs alter starting to eat, cost is important.
As someone with T2 who is not on medications that can cause hypo’s (low blood glucose) you do not need an all singing and dancing glucose meter one with lots of bells and whistles .
Many here use
Gluco Navii glucose meter

Or the Tee 2 , sorry I don’t have a link for this one
As they use test strips that cost £8 for 50

You are entitled to claim VAT relief and in the U.K. we use meters that use the mmol/l measurement
You will need to buy more pots of strips I suggest 2 to start off with and a box of lancets
As they only provide 10 in starter packs.

Imo with an Hb1ac of 49 you may only need to make slight changes, maybe even only to the portion sizes of carbs you have been eating prior to your diagnosis, this is where the testing will come into its own. .

Whatever you decide to do, please remember that diabetes is a marathon not a sprint , don’t make drastic changes that you may not be able to keep to also drastic changes can cause us a few problems , which can be temporary but are sure not nice .

I hope this helps.

 

[Vee]

Hi. With an Hb1ac of 49 you have only just crossed the threshold into diabetes
42 to 47 is pre diabetes, sometimes called glucose intolerance
48 gets you a diagnosis of diabetes
So with a number of 49 you may well need only make a few changes to control it or beat it into remission .
It seems you have a rather unusual diabetes nurse there, I mean this in a nice way. You see most Folks who come on here and other diabetes sites are advised or even told not to test.

Initially is usual to have the Hb1ac done every three months, so all is well there too.

I like many on here am an advocate for self testing to see how the various carbohydrates and snacks affect us so we can make informed choices , you see we are all so very different in how our bodies cope with them, and the last thing you want or need to do is to cut down/out something you enjoy which your body could cope with.

If you decide self testing is for you , it’s the cost of the testing strips you must watch out for many sold in chemists or online use strips that cost £15 or more for a pot of 50 and when you are testing before eating and two hrs alter starting to eat, cost is important.
As someone with T2 who is not on medications that can cause hypo’s (low blood glucose) you do not need an all singing and dancing glucose meter one with lots of bells and whistles .
Many here use
Gluco Navii glucose meter

Or the Tee 2 , sorry I don’t have a link for this one
As they use test strips that cost £8 for 50

You are entitled to claim VAT relief and in the U.K. we use meters that use the mmol/l measurement
You will need to buy more pots of strips I suggest 2 to start off with and a box of lancets
As they only provide 10 in starter packs.

Imo with an Hb1ac of 49 you may only need to make slight changes, maybe even only to the portion sizes of carbs you have been eating prior to your diagnosis, this is where the testing will come into its own. .

Whatever you decide to do, please remember that diabetes is a marathon not a sprint , don’t make drastic changes that you may not be able to keep to also drastic changes can cause us a few problems , which can be temporary but are sure not nice .

I hope this helps.

thank you for replying.. that helps a lot...it's getting my head around carbs at the min... I'm taking metformin at the minute.. and got great advice from people on here about daily carb amount.. my nurse just said watch your diet.. so it's still baby steps..... just something basic sounds perfect..I hadn't thought about the on going cost of strips and lancets.. thanks again X

 

[adrian1der]

Hi @Vee and welcome. At 49 you are only just over the threshold and with a little bit of effort you should be able to get that down. Are you active? Exercise is a great way to lower your BG and if you need to loose weight it will help with that as well and that will in turn lower your BG. Any dietary changes you make will need to be maintainable over the long run so make sure that any changes suit your life style and your preferred way of eating.

 

[Vee]

thank you.. I'm 68.. with heart problems.. although I try to be active.. I should probably do a tad more... LOL

 

[adrian1der]

Even gentle exercise helps. Maybe a gentle stroll?

 

[Ljc]

Yes with exersize we are not talking about working up a sweat or going the burn unless you like that sort of thing.
If your a able a gentle stroll is all , but don’t worry if you cant, plenty if folks on here can’t and they manage their diabetes well.

 

[grovesy]

I walk around whilst waiting for the kettle to boil and it adds up over the day to the number steps taken. Housework and gardening can also help with reducing glucose levels.

 

[trophywench]

Vacuuming always lowers my BG, though as I utterly loathe doing it you'd imagine the stress would increase it!

 

[adrian1der]

Someone suggested to me that you should have the radio on in the kitchen and have a dance while waiting for the kettle to boil.