Hi newbie here! How to monitor blood glucose

[lewarr1]

Hi newly diagnosed type 2 few weeks ago. Been for initial appointment with nurse at go surgery. Number is 51 and told no need for medication, only diet and exercise controlled. I asked if I had to check blood glucose with a monitor and was told no. So how do I know if and when glucose is high or low? Been told to get another blood test in 3 months. I have no symptoms apart from being over and have controlled hypertension, thanks

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you have come to the right place for advice and support from people who "have been there and have the T-shirt".
Unfortunately most nurses and GPs have no idea of the benefit of using BG meter to show how your body responds to particular types of foods and in particular types of carbs and how helpful that can be in tailoring your diet to your body's intolerance and your own personal tastes and preferences.
For instance, it is no good recommending you eat porridge for breakfast if you are one of the unfortunate people who spike badly with porridge.... or.... you just don't personally like porridge.
Some people find they can manage a couple of small potatoes but pasta causes them too much BG increase whilst others find potatoes are like eating sugar to their digestive system and it hits the blood stream fast and hard but a small portion of wholemeal pasta is fine. Keeping a detailed food and drink diary and testing just before a meal and then 2 hours after gives a pretty good insight into how your body managed to cope with that meal. If your levels rose too high (more than 2-3mmols as a result of the meal then you need to look at reducing the portion size of the carb rich foods in it and test again next time you have it..... recording how many pieces of potato or slices of bread or spoons of pasta etc, so you know the portion size the BG levels refer to.

If you are self funding, the 2 BG meters most recommended here on the forum for economy of use and reliability are the Gluco Navii and the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 The test kits with meter and finger pricker and 10 test strips and lancets are about £15 but you will go through a lot of test strips in the initial 2-3months of intensive testing to get an understanding of how your body responds and build up a repertoire of meals that are OK for you, so you would be well advised to buy at least 2 extra pots of test strips (50 in a pot) with the meter kit. I think you may get a bulk purchase discound if you buy more than one pot so they can work out as low as £8 per pot. You might also want to get an extra box of lancets although most of us are naughty and use the same lancet repeatedly without problems. Obviously a reused lancet should NEVER be used to test someone else like family or friends, so do bear that in mind if you do decide to reuse the lancets. They should also be disposed of in a Sharpsafe box which you will likely also need to purchase. I think someone said Tesco had them for £1 so not a huge investment but disposal of the full ones can be tricky sometimes and the process varies across the country.
Anyway, both those test kits are available online and make sure to tick the box to confirm that you are a diabetic as that then removes the VAT.

Hopefully that covers the basics but please ask if there is anything you think I missed or have forgotten or anything unrelated to testing that you need to know.

 

[lewarr1]

Hi thank you for your info,I’m ordered a contour next one and got it free from the company. Although I was told no need I thought I’d get one, so may try it tomorrow and follow your guidelines to see if goes up after certain meals, many thanks!

 

[Windy]

Hi @lewarr1 I've started using a gluco navii, and found that I needed a video to show me how. I've googled and there's one for the Contour next one on youtube.
I thought it was going to be horrible pricking my finger to get blood to test, but I'm just a wimp. Ten minutes after I've done it, I'd struggle to tell you which finger I'd pricked. The main problem I had was working how to get the top off the lancing pen, and which way up the test strips go in the meter!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again. The reason that the Gluco Navii and the Tee2 are recommended for people self funding is the cost of the test strips as you go through a lot of test strips, so that is where the manufacturers make their money and yes, some will give away their meter for free in the hope that you will use it because of the money they make on test strips. I have a Contour Next one which was a freebie but my GP will not prescribe strips for it because they are expensive.....I am Type 1 so I get strips prescribed and I should theoretically have my choice of meter. You may find it significantly cheaper to buy a Gluco Navii kit and test strips for it rather than continue with the Contour Next. That is what I would do. It is of course entirely up to you, but you go through hundreds of test strips and the Contour are at least double the price of the Gluco Navii I believe.

 

[lewarr1]

Hi thanks, I’ll have a look at the YouTube video as I startled to look at the manual and it looked too complicated, yea I’m a wimp too but will give it a go!

 

[lewarr1]

Hi again. The reason that the Gluco Navii and the Tee2 are recommended for people self funding is the cost of the test strips as you go through a lot of test strips, so that is where the manufacturers make their money and yes, some will give away their meter for free in the hope that you will use it because of the money they make on test strips. I have a Contour Next one which was a freebie but my GP will not prescribe strips for it because they are expensive.....I am Type 1 so I get strips prescribed and I should theoretically have my choice of meter. You may find it significantly cheaper to buy a Gluco Navii kit and test strips for it rather than continue with the Contour Next. That is what I would do. It is of course entirely up to you, but you go through hundreds of test strips and the Contour are at least double the price of the Gluco Navii I believe.

Hi that’s great info thanks! So do you think I should be checking the levels even though the nurse says I dont need to with a level
Of 51mmol? If you suggest yes then it may be more cost effective for me getting the one you recommend, thanks

 

[Leadinglights]

Would you drive your car without a working speedometer? I would suspect guessing your speed would result in a many speeding fines.
Just the same with guessing what effect a meal will have on your blood glucose so yes testing is a crucial part of good management and enables you to make better food choices.

 

[janw]

My nurse is a diabetic and even she said not to use a meter, but I bought one anyway - it is the only way you can see whether a meal gives you a spike or not, and gives you the power to lower your carbs portion or find an alternative. It puts us in control. I have the GlucoNavii as it has, currently, the cheapest test strips available. I'm also just on diet and exercise and won't be seen again now until next April. Best of luck - oh and once you get the hang of the meter it is easy, I'd say a piece of cake but might get booed off the site rofl 😱

 

[rebrascora]

@Leadinglights beat me to it regarding the speedometer analogy, but the thing I wanted to mention is that you often don't notice symptoms of diabetes. The diagnosis is sometimes difficult to accept because you don't feel unwell and so it sometimes doesn't seem all that important or can't be all that bad. The BG meter helps you to "see" what is happening and that is motivating both in terms of helping you to avoid the tempting things that spike your levels but also once you can actually see your levels starting to improve, you want to continue that success.
Cutting back on cakes and biscuits for a few weeks isn't all that difficult but making sensible choices for the rest of your life is harder. The BG meter will help to keep you focused and also may show you that there are some things that you enjoy that you perhaps needn't give up.

 

[lewarr1]

Would you drive your car without a working speedometer? I would suspect guessing your speed would result in a many speeding fines.
Just the same with guessing what effect a meal will have on your blood glucose so yes testing is a crucial part of good management and enables you to make better food choices.

@Leadinglights beat me to it regarding the speedometer analogy, but the thing I wanted to mention is that you often don't notice symptoms of diabetes. The diagnosis is sometimes difficult to accept because you don't feel unwell and so it sometimes doesn't seem all that important or can't be all that bad. The BG meter helps you to "see" what is happening and that is motivating both in terms of helping you to avoid the tempting things that spike your levels but also once you can actually see your levels starting to improve, you want to continue that success.
Cutting back on cakes and biscuits for a few weeks isn't all that difficult but making sensible choices for the rest of your life is harder. The BG meter will help to keep you focused and also may show you that there are some things that you enjoy that you perhaps needn't give up.

Yes, it would be good to “see” any progress as I’ve been noting all my food for a week via nutracheck app and trying to stick to 130g carbs or below and managing ok now

 

[lewarr1]

My nurse is a diabetic and even she said not to use a meter, but I bought one anyway - it is the only way you can see whether a meal gives you a spike or not, and gives you the power to lower your carbs portion or find an alternative. It puts us in control. I have the GlucoNavii as it has, currently, the cheapest test strips available. I'm also just on diet and exercise and won't be seen again now until next April. Best of luck - oh and once you get the hang of the meter it is easy, I'd say a piece of cake but might get booed off the site rofl 😱

Thanks, great advice from you all! Best of luck to you too

 

[trophywench]

I have to say I actually think most GPs do know the value of testing the blood glucose - but they also know a few other things as well eg that the NHS can't afford to fund the prescription of the strips for so many people as have T2 diabetes and that they don't have the time or the expert personnel to teach all 'their' T2s (of all ages all ethnicities and understanding and of different languages) what to do with the results.

 

[chaoticcar]

I had a change of medication and my levels started to rise so I got a telephone consultation and the GP said that I was very sensible for testing !! (Husband didn't believe it !!!)
Carol

 

[lewarr1]

I had a change of medication and my levels started to rise so I got a telephone consultation and the GP said that I was very sensible for testing !! (Husband didn't believe it !!!)
Carol

Thanks, have used monitor this morning so I’ll check it again soon, 2 hrs after breakfast. Good you were testing so you knew what to expect otherwise how do we know if what we are doing or wrong is helping us!

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

I have two testing monitors now. The one I was given by my GP after a discussion with the practice Diabetes Specialist who was very pleased with my progress and agreed with me that I needed to test if i was to stay under excellent control for the rest of my life and the Gluco Navil one I bought myself during the time at the start of the pandemic because I could get it and the strips delivered directly to the house instead of bothering the stretched prescription/delivery service locally.
I don't test as often as i used to any more because I have had a couple of years to work out how my body reacts to familiar foods but during any stressful periods or changes in food or situation I test to keep an eye on things. I find it very helpful to spot patterns such as how my blood sugar rises if I forget to hydrate properly and I have monitored how my blood sugars used to rise when I exercised instead of lowering - that sorted out once I split my exercise into a number of short bursts instead of doing an hour at a time. Turned out stress levels from an hour's stint plus dehydration from an hour at a time pushed my levels up but a few short goes during the course of the day reduced my levels as I wanted. Also found that exercising after a meal was beneficial for me and allowed me to get away with the occasional piece of potato.

I am one of the people who gets spikes with almost any non-keto food (although these days a spike is a 7 mmol/L rather than a 10+) so I need to check now and then because it is easy to convince myself I am no longer diabetic when I have gone weeks with 'normal' levels but all I have to do is eat a few crisps and my monitor puts me back into reality and I stop being silly.

I have been keeping my sugar levels well controlled now for a couple of years and the monitor is a major part of that. I don't use any meds. I didn't use exercise either for the first year as I was concentrating on making the change in my eating habits my main focus. Once I was sure my eating habits were thoroughly tackled then I felt I had mental space to start with adding exercise to my life. I got a VR headset and now do much more exercise than I ever did at any time before in my life but I am lucky to have found VR as it is not a chore but a great deal of fun which is why I started off doing too much because it is so much fun you can lose track and do an hour without noticing.

 

[lewarr1]

I have two testing monitors now. The one I was given by my GP after a discussion with the practice Diabetes Specialist who was very pleased with my progress and agreed with me that I needed to test if i was to stay under excellent control for the rest of my life and the Gluco Navil one I bought myself during the time at the start of the pandemic because I could get it and the strips delivered directly to the house instead of bothering the stretched prescription/delivery service locally.
I don't test as often as i used to any more because I have had a couple of years to work out how my body reacts to familiar foods but during any stressful periods or changes in food or situation I test to keep an eye on things. I find it very helpful to spot patterns such as how my blood sugar rises if I forget to hydrate properly and I have monitored how my blood sugars used to rise when I exercised instead of lowering - that sorted out once I split my exercise into a number of short bursts instead of doing an hour at a time. Turned out stress levels from an hour's stint plus dehydration from an hour at a time pushed my levels up but a few short goes during the course of the day reduced my levels as I wanted. Also found that exercising after a meal was beneficial for me and allowed me to get away with the occasional piece of potato.

I am one of the people who gets spikes with almost any non-keto food (although these days a spike is a 7 mmol/L rather than a 10+) so I need to check now and then because it is easy to convince myself I am no longer diabetic when I have gone weeks with 'normal' levels but all I have to do is eat a few crisps and my monitor puts me back into reality and I stop being silly.

I have been keeping my sugar levels well controlled now for a couple of years and the monitor is a major part of that. I don't use any meds. I didn't use exercise either for the first year as I was concentrating on making the change in my eating habits my main focus. Once I was sure my eating habits were thoroughly tackled then I felt I had mental space to start with adding exercise to my life. I got a VR headset and now do much more exercise than I ever did at any time before in my life but I am lucky to have found VR as it is not a chore but a great deal of fun which is why I started off doing too much because it is so much fun you can lose track and do an hour without noticing.

Hi thanks for all your info! I have just ordered the gluco navii one as someone mentioned the strips are cheaper than the one I got for free from contour next. I used it for first time this morning and it was 6.8, then had breakfast and 2 hrs later it went down to 5.5, think this is good. I’ll keep check a few times during day until I find out what’s what. I don’t do a lot of exercise so will build that in just like you when I get the food stuff right! Thanks and all the best

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi thanks for all your info! I have just ordered the gluco navii one as someone mentioned the strips are cheaper than the one I got for free from contour next. I used it for first time this morning and it was 6.8, then had breakfast and 2 hrs later it went down to 5.5, think this is good. I’ll keep check a few times during day until I find out what’s what. I don’t do a lot of exercise so will build that in just like you when I get the food stuff right! Thanks and all the best

Sometimes people find morning readings can be a bit high depending on when you do tour test as, as soon as you get up the liver releases glucose to prepare your body for the hunt for breakfast. That might explain your post meal being lower than premeal but it still looks like a good result.
Testing before and after other meals which do tend to be more varied will give you a good idea of what you can tolerate.