Hi to you all.

[spiral]

Hi
It is nice to find somewhere to talk to people who are going through this. Reading the forums I am impressed by how postive you all are.

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with type 2 and put onto Metformin immediately. However I was not given any way of measuring my blood sugars and so have no way of knowing how I am doing. Reading about diabetes on the internet it seems that most people are measuring their sugars regularly. I had not thought about it because I cannot recall my Dad, who also had type 2, ever measuring his levels. Should I be doing so - and if so what is the best way?

 

[aymes]

there can be quite a debate on blood testing for type 2s. Some will argue that they don't need to unless you're going to do something about the reading i.e type 1s giving corrective doses etc. Others are of the opinion that however your diabetes is controlled you should be doing it to gain a good understanding of what different foods do to your blood sugars and so make appropriate changes. I have to say I would fall on the side of the latter as I feel that if you want to take control of diabetes you need to know what your body is doing, particularly pre and post meals as your hba1c will only give a snapshot average.
Also, although less likely then for those on insulin, it is possible to have a hypo with metformin so being able to test is useful for that.
There are lots of different blood glucose meters available, you're probably best speaking with your diabetes nurse (are you treated by your GP or have you been referred to your local diabetes clinic?) as you should be able to get one free (either on prescription or they will usually have a supply as the companies tend to make the money on the test strips, not the meters).

 

[mikep1979]

hi spiral,

well hello and welcome firstly 🙂

i am type 1 so i have to check, but i have my mum and auntie who are type 2 and even though they live only 6 miles apart they are under different pct's which have different rules. my auntie is lucky and is under the same pct as me, however my mum is under the different pct who feel type 2's dont need to test as it is not going to affect what they do and also how they control levels as they cant give correction doses. i had to actually go and by my mum a monitor as her surgery wouldnt give her one. she has recently changed gp and has found her new one will supply the strips but wont supply the monitor which is crazy as the monitor is a few pounds worth of kit but the strips are worth a lot more.

there is a huge inconsistancy in the level of care a type 2 gets in relation to blood monitors etc and i for one think it needs to be sorted out as good control no matter if your type 1 or 2 will save the nhs a lot of money in the long run.

mike

 

[Steff]

concerned(slightly)

hi all

jus a quik question , i been recording my sugar levels for about 2 weeks now and over that past 3 days they been bordering around 12 to 16 i aint to sure what the "normal" level is supposed to be yet im still learning , any ideas or suggestions ??, i been doing alot of walking and going out with kids so i am doing exercise


thanks

 

[aymes]

hi all

jus a quik question , i been recording my sugar levels for about 2 weeks now and over that past 3 days they been bordering around 12 to 16 i aint to sure what the "normal" level is supposed to be yet im still learning , any ideas or suggestions ??, i been doing alot of walking and going out with kids so i am doing exercise


thanks

Most people will be set different targets, I for example am aiming for 4.5-7.5. Usually people will be aiming for somewhere between 5-8 or there abouts and would want to avoid going over 10 where possible. This can be different however for people who are newly diagnosed/are used to higher sugars as bringing levels down too quickly can cause problems, or also those who are trying to regain losr hypo awareness may aim for slightly higher levels for a time.

Diabetes UK recently updated their advice on blood glucose targets which can be found here

http://diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia...ng/Blood_glucose/Blood-glucose-target-ranges/

but you are best talking to your DSN/consultant first as there may be reasons why you need to aim outside these ranges.

 

[spiral]

Thanks everyone.
I will have to talk to my doctor as I feel that I will be more motivated to stick to my diet and exercise plans if I can see that they are having effects - and change them further when they are insufficient! Waiting a month until the next appointment seems rather to be rather slow.

 

[Steff]

levels

ty for that i am at my docs tuesday , last sunday i was up ay 16.1 i was very dizzy and had a headache , see in still learning the symptoms of high and low levels so i did not know what to do i went for a walk .