Hello

[Michxx]

Hi all, have not been on for a while - was diagnosed with type 2 at end of July 2011 and have been on holiday and away for weekends since. I had a reading of 16.9 when I was first diagnosed and when I was at my diabetic nurse 2 weeks ago I managed to persuade her to test me again and it was showing 7.3!!! I am soooo chuffed as I have been really trying on the diet front. I have much more energy than before and have even started to exercise.

Talking about testing .... I have been told by both my diabetic nurse and GP that I do not have to test myself at all. They both state that as I am on 1 tab of metformin daily that I do not have to perform the tests. I am really confused by this as the advice on here appears to be to test yourself.
Can anyone help or advise - Should I be testing or not??

Ta xx

 

[Northerner]

Hi Mich, nice to hear from you again! 🙂 It's great that your test showed such a great improvement and that you are feeling so much better! Unfortunately, many people here would not agree with the advice that you do not need to test because of the small amount of medication you are on. One of the main reasons for testing when you are recently diagnosed is not because you are i any particular danger if you do not, but to discover which foodstuffs you can tolerate well and which you should avoid in order to achieve good control of your diabetes. For example, you might like bran fakes for breakfast and believe them to be healthy for you - but unless you test your blood sugar levels after eating them, you wouldn't know if they were sending your levels high. If you could test and saw that they made levels high then you would probably decide to start eating something else for breakfast that had less impact (which again you would only know from testing).

Have a read of the following: Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter. They will explain the reasons for testing. Also, read Diabetes UK's position statement on self-monitoring: so you will know what to say to your doctor or nurse if they refuse to prescribe you some test strips.

Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forums Mich 🙂

 

[Steff]

Hi Mich nice to see you back posting, can only echo what Northerner has said,so many people come in here on the back of being told dont test,even if your on medication testing is still a good way of seeing what foods do what to your blood sugars.I was started on metformin nearly 3 years ago and the first thing I got given was a meter from my nurse.
I notice your from Scotland so I dont know if the guidelines or rules are diffirent someone would have to clarify that.

 

[Andy HB]

Hello Mich,

This "You don't need to test" advice is purely for money saving reasons and there was some questionable evidence that some people became anxious/depressed whilst testing.

When I was diagnosed I was actually given a meter and told to test once a day at different times to build up a picture of which foods affected me and which ones I could tolerate. I found it enormously helpful initially.

More recently, I rarely test because I am comfortable with my diet and mostly I have nothing left to learn. Testing should always have a purpose otherwise it is just a waste of money.

Andy 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Andy makes a very good point that is worth stressing - it is important that each test should be used to tell you something that will help you manage your diabetes, so you need to be logical and methodical in your approach. Random tests to just see what your blood sugar is without having a context for the test is a waste of time and can lead to frustration and confusion, which is why it is important to understand fully the reasons why you are testing. 🙂

 

[Michxx]

🙂Thanks everyone for your replies. I definatley think that there is a money issue going on here. I will be seeing my diabetic nurse in a weeks time and will raise the subject again.

x