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recyclequeen

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Type 2
i'm type 2 diabetic.and i only found out when 2 weeks ago i was admitted to hospital after suffering my first major seizure.

I was told the seizure happened because my glucose level was through the roof,i have seen my diabetic nurse, but to date i have not received a glucose monitor (which i thought i should have to keep an eye on the levels) but i have been told by the nurse i do not need one because i am not on medication, but have read that it is essential, so you can imagine how confused i am feeling

I am due to see my doctor on Monday should i discuss this with her.

should i have a glucose monitor, should i insist. Any help or advice on this would be greatly appreciated

thankyou Recyclequeen
 
hiya hun, sorry to hear about the issues with your team

personally, I think you should have a monitor even if not on medication so you know which foods affect you! If I were you I would insist on getting one! If they still refuse then you can buy them from pharmacies, but the test strips are pretty expensive. So keep at the doc/diabetes team til they give in and give you a monitor!

Good luck xx
 
recyclequeen said:
i'm type 2 diabetic.and i only found out when 2 weeks ago i was admitted to hospital after suffering my first major seizure.

I was told the seizure happened because my glucose level was through the roof,i have seen my diabetic nurse, but to date i have not received a glucose monitor (which i thought i should have to keep an eye on the levels) but i have been told by the nurse i do not need one because i am not on medication, but have read that it is essential, so you can imagine how confused i am feeling

I am due to see my doctor on Monday should i discuss this with her.

should i have a glucose monitor, should i insist. Any help or advice on this would be greatly appreciated

thankyou Recyclequeen
Click to expand...

Hi there,
Yes you should have a meter and test.
But the meters themselves are a minor detail - they are cheap enough and you can get them in any pharmacy.
The problem is getting a prescription for test strips for the meter.
The NICE guidelines on T2 testing do "allow" it for folks in your position. Print off the NICE section on it and take it along to the Docs.
Diabetes Uk also have a Position Statement on it, you might use that as well.
 
Hi, I too think that you should be able to test so you can understand how your diet and activity are affecting you, so that you can better control your levels. As Peter says, the meters are cheap - you can usually get them free if you find some adverts online and give the manufacturers a call - they make their profit from having you use their strips, which are around ?20-?25 retail for 50 strips/tests. A useful description of how testing can be used is Jennifer's advice:

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/jennifers-advice

One of our members has started a petition - you might be interested to read this thread:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=4355&highlight=draft

Also, this thread:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=1440

It is a very contentious issue, so you need to stick to your guns!🙂
 
hi there queen id say yes ask about a meter there very helpful in telling you what foods help and which cause highs , i would also write down a list maybe other things will crop up before monday so at least if you have something written down you wont forget what you need to say, often once we get in to see the DSN we get all in a muddle and forget half of what we wanted to say 🙂

p.s good luck with the appointment
 
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Good luck for Monday, and yes ask for a meter. They give you a better idea of what affects your levesls. Even if you are not on any medication and don't get free presceriptions, it is still cheaper to have the strips onprescription than buy them!

Also agree make alist of all the things you want to ask.
 
Recyclequeen, welcome to the forum. Hope the diabetes team will take you under their wing and help you get sorted out.
If your blood glucose levels really were so high that you had a seizure, then I'm surprised you haven't been started on some kind of medication for diabetes and perhaps other things as well. However, other factors eg blood pressure, brain chemistry / electrical factors etc could also play a part, so it's best if I don't speculate.
The key point is to see if any changes you make to diet, activity, weight etc have an influence on your long term blood glucose levels (blood taken from vein for HbA1c). Many people do find that testing with a meter at home (or wherever you are) helps to manage foods etc to control blood glucose levels.
 
That sounds very scary!...Sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time.

I never knew one could have seizures due to high blood sugars, how high does your sugars have to go for this to happen?....Hope you feel better soon, Ellowyne xXx
 
Ellowyne said:
That sounds very scary!...Sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time.

I never knew one could have seizures due to high blood sugars, how high does your sugars have to go for this to happen?....Hope you feel better soon, Ellowyne xXx
Click to expand...

Sounds like it could be Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic Non-Ketotic Coma (HONK) - this is similar to DKA, but without the ketones and occurs more commonly in Type 2s. This page says that 25% of cases may present with seizures

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Hyperosmolar-Hyperglycaemic-Non-Ketotic-Coma-(HONK).htm

Don't worry though, the levels have to be extremely high and usually happen when people are first diagnosed. But, as always with diabetes, it's worth knowing about these things!
 
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