hello

[grannie pammie]

Hi, im a new starter, not joined anything like this before so im looking forward to it, although im a bit unsure what to do. ive had type 2 for about 18 months and still get overwhelmed by it all xx

 

[Northerner]

Hi grannie pammie, welcome to the forum, glad you decided to join 🙂 There are lots of friendly, experienced and knowledgeable people here who will be happy to help you clear up any confusions or concerns you may have, so if something is bothering you, please let us know! 🙂

I think that the more you understand about diabetes, the more in control you feel, making it much easier to manage. Are you on any medication for your diabetes? Does your doctor prescribe blood test strips so you can monitor your tolerance to different meals? I'd suggest getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - it's a great introduction and explanation of what it is all about and should help to clarify things for you. Also worth reading are Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter.

Have you been on any courses to help you understand your diabetes? If not, then do ask your doctor what is available - DESMOND and XPert are two good courses, but there may be something different in your area.

Please have a browse around and if there's anything you are unsure about just drop me a line by using the 'Contact' link at the top of the screen 🙂

 

[grannie pammie]

thank you

Thank you for your welcome, i havent done any courses, ive had my eyes photoed, feet prodded and several blood and dietician, nurse says i dont need a blood sucker thing as it will become an obsession, but she seems to move the metformin up and down at a whim so it will be interesting to hear from the coal face so to speak x

 

[Northerner]

Thank you for your welcome, i havent done any courses, ive had my eyes photoed, feet prodded and several blood and dietician, nurse says i dont need a blood sucker thing as it will become an obsession, but she seems to move the metformin up and down at a whim so it will be interesting to hear from the coal face so to speak x

It is so frustrating to hear that people are being told that you don't need to test or you will become obsessed or depressed - I've read the stories of hundreds of people here and elsewhere and I have yet to come across someone who did not find it the best (if not only) way to learn their body's reaction to eating different things and monitoring how adaptations they are making are improving their diabetes management. The truth of the matter is that they are trying to save money, but it is a false economy because if you can't learn how to manage your diabetes well then you are at much greater risk of developing complications which are far more expensive to treat! 😡

If you can afford it, then it would be worth getting a cheap meter (SD Codefree Meter has the cheapest test strips). Read Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S so you have a good understanding of how to test efficiently, then you can show your nurse or doctor how you are using the strips to help you control your diabetes. They should then prescribe strips for you as they will have the evidence before them 🙂

Also, do ask about the courses - diabetes is 99.999% self-management, so you can't rely on your nurse - diabetes is a very individual condition so you need to understand how it affects you personally.

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forum grannie pammie 🙂

 

[robofski]

nurse says i dont need a blood sucker thing as it will become an obsession, but she seems to move the metformin up and down at a whim so it will be interesting to hear from the coal face so to speak x

Hi Grannie Pammie, and welcome to the forum.

What having a BG meter did for me is show me exactly how my body reacts to what I eat and the insulin I take, I did get a bit obsessed by the numbers but in a positive way, I had something real I could target, I don't get any symptoms when I have high blood sugar so were it not for the meter I'd be thinking that McDonalds was great, now I know the real story!

I'm lucky that as I'm on insulin I get strips prescribed, had I found this forum earlier in my diagnosis (I've had D for 6 years) and realised the importance of testing I would have lobbied for strips or self funded to prove their worth, I think, no, I KNOW I would have made different choices in my life if I'd known more.

Good luck with managing your diabetes, this really is a great place for help and support.

 

[slipper]

Hi grannie pammie, welcome to the forum. I was told I didn't need to test any more than 2 x per week, which I ignored and bought my own strips and tested what foods di what to my readings.

I got my blood sugar levels well into acceptable limits, and was then asked by the nurse how I did it????????????????????🙄

 

[Sheilagh1958]

Welcome to the forum 🙂