New to Blood Testing

[Nicoll]

Good Morning, I am new to all of this. Diagnosed with diabetes (type 2) about 15 years ago, which I coped with quite well. However, this week I was put on to Gliclazide and have to check my glucose levels. I am finding it very daunting at the moment and feel quite anxious. I’m sure I will get used to it over time! So nice to be able to talk to someone, I was just in and out of the doctors, with a meter in my hand. When I got home, found the batteries were very low and didn’t work. Managed to change the batteries, but all the settings on the meter went haywire! Think I’ve got it sorted for the basics now, but really stressed me out.

 

[Drummer]

Good Morning, I am new to all of this. Diagnosed with diabetes (type 2) about 15 years ago, which I coped with quite well. However, this week I was put on to Gliclazide and have to check my glucose levels. I am finding it very daunting at the moment and feel quite anxious. I’m sure I will get used to it over time! So nice to be able to talk to someone, I was just in and out of the doctors, with a meter in my hand. When I got home, found the batteries were very low and didn’t work. Managed to change the batteries, but all the settings on the meter went haywire! Think I’ve got it sorted for the basics now, but really stressed me out.

The meter should have come with a manual and in there should be how to go through the settings to check and change them. You should be able to sort out what buttons to press from that as well. There are some useful and not so useful features on many meters, so it is a good idea to become familiar with them.
Are you getting sensible looking readings now?
If you were not given new strips to use with the meter, are the ones you have in date? They get confused in old age and do not report accurately.

 

[Nicoll]

Thank you, readings are starting to look more sensible now. The battery business threw me in to a panic! Just sticking to the date and readings for the moment. Thank you for your advice.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Nicoll

Sorry the tech threw a spanner in the works - as if diabetes wasn’t enough to deal with!!

Glad you have managed to get things sorted.

When are you checking your BG? Are you making checks before and 2hrs after eating specific meals to see how your body has reacted? Or are you checking more generally at set times of the day / week?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Glad you have managed to get things sorted.

Yes, even without batteries and setting testing can be rather tricky when you're doing it for the first time. It took me a few goes with a new meter (working out which way the test strip went in and so on), and someone completely new also has to get a drop of blood that's big enough (but not too big because it'll smear everywhere), where I was using a familiar finger prick device.

All things that are easy with enough practice but not necessarily straightforward to begin with.

 

[Nicoll]

Welcome to the forum @Nicoll

Sorry the tech threw a spanner in the works - as if diabetes wasn’t enough to deal with!!

Glad you have managed to get things sorted.

When are you checking your BG? Are you making checks before and 2hrs after eating specific meals to see how your body has reacted? Or are you checking more generally at set times of the day / week?

Welcome to the forum @Nicoll

Sorry the tech threw a spanner in the works - as if diabetes wasn’t enough to deal with!!

Glad you have managed to get things sorted.

When are you checking your BG? Are you making checks before and 2hrs after eating specific meals to see how your body has reacted? Or are you checking more generally at set times of the day / week?

Good Morning! Beautiful day here in Kent. I have been checking my blood mostly when I get up, before meals and bedtime. However, my diabetic nurse said that I was checking too much and told me just to check randomly. Getting much better with testing now! Doing some trials with different meals, and making sure that my levels are above 8 before I go to bed. Also, test if I feel strange!

 

[Docb]

And good morning to you @Nicoll 🙂!

I'm an ex-scientist, used to measuring things and working out what the numbers probably mean and my thought about testing is that you need to be testing for a purpose and organising your testing regime to provide the information you need.

The reason you have been given a test meter is because you have been put on gliclazide. That drug tends to make the pancreas work harder and there is a risk (not a high risk) that your blood glucose can go very low. This can have physical affects which, for example, mean you should not drive. So, if the purpose of doing tests is to make sure you do not go hypoglycaemic (low blood glucose), then random testing, especially before driving or if you feel a bit odd is needed.

Most of us who use blood glucose measuring do it get feed back on dietary changes to make sure that we don't get high blood glucose episodes (hyperglycaemic). That requires an entirely different testing regime. There you might test on waking to see where you are at and then test before and after meals for a while why you are making changes to see what works and what does not.

So have a think about what you want to get from your testing and work from there. You also need to remember that behind the thinking of the DN is a desire to get you to limit your testing to reduce the cost of test strips!

 

[Docb]

Thanks @helli - changed it!

 

[helli]

Thanks @helli - changed it!

I've removed my comment ... it doesn't make sense any more. Nor does this 🙂

 

[Nicoll]

And good morning to you @Nicoll 🙂!

I'm an ex-scientist, used to measuring things and working out what the numbers probably mean and my thought about testing is that you need to be testing for a purpose and organising your testing regime to provide the information you need.

The reason you have been given a test meter is because you have been put on gliclazide. That drug tends to make the pancreas work harder and there is a risk (not a high risk) that your blood glucose can go very low. This can have physical affects which, for example, mean you should not drive. So, if the purpose of doing tests is to make sure you do not go hypoglycaemic (low blood glucose), then random testing, especially before driving or if you feel a bit odd is needed.

Most of us who use blood glucose measuring do it get feed back on dietary changes to make sure that we don't get high blood glucose episodes (hyperglycaemic). That requires and entirely different testing regime. There you might test on waking to see where you are at and then test before and after meals for a while why you are making changes to see what works and what does not.

So have a think about what you want to get from your testing and work from there. You also need to remember that behind the thinking of the DN is a desire to get you to limit your testing to reduce the cost of test strips!

Good Morning Docb, Thank you so much for your sound advice, makes absolute sense to me! Much appreciated! Early days yet, and just trying to get in to some sort of routine. I am a person who needs to be organised and think that this will ultimately work to my advantage.
Have a lovely day, I’m just off to clean my pond out!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Have a lovely day, I’m just off to clean my pond out!

Ah! The most fragrant of autumn tasks! 😱

 

[Jenny105]

Good Morning! Beautiful day here in Kent. I have been checking my blood mostly when I get up, before meals and bedtime. However, my diabetic nurse said that I was checking too much and told me just to check randomly. Getting much better with testing now! Doing some trials with different meals, and making sure that my levels are above 8 before I go to bed. Also, test if I feel strange!

Hi Nicoll, I'm new too. At first I couldn't get enough blood so developed an unorthodox way of using the pen.
My nurse asked me to do random daily readings like yours did, One @ many different times a day. I do a few extra readings for my own purpose. The first set were well received. So on to the 2nd set now.
Thank you for your post. I need to check the settings on the metr something which could have been done at the start.
All the best . Keep us in the loop

 

[Nicoll]

Hi Nicoll, I'm new too. At first I couldn't get enough blood so developed an unorthodox way of using the pen.
My nurse asked me to do random daily readings like yours did, One @ many different times a day. I do a few extra readings for my own purpose. The first set were well received. So on to the 2nd set now.
Thank you for your post. I need to check the settings on the metr something which could have been done at the start.
All the best . Keep us in the loop

Good for you Jenny, looks like you are doing well! Keep safe and enjoy the warm weather.