Back on my hobby horse again. You really should seriously consider getting a meter, no matter what the medics say.
Testing is an extremely useful tool for any diabetic, especially those just starting out. By testing before and after meals, you learn how certain foods affect your blood sugars. You learn what food to avoid, what you can have from time to time and what you can eat any time. Without that information you are working in the dark which is no way to properly manage a condition that you will have for the rest of your life. Sadly, the professionals are often more than a little short-sighted on this and often out of date in their advice as well. It's up to us to take control for ourselves, that we we stand the best chance of living a healthy life and avoiding all those nasty complications.
As PM says, the
SD Codefree is a cheap, easy to use blood glucose meter and the strips for it are about the cheapest going, which is often a serious consideration when you're having to pay for them yourself. You can get it from Amazon.
Please, if you can, do get yourself a meter and test, test, test.
A few basics: In the early stages, it's sensible to test on waking, before each meal then, 1, 2, and/or 3 hours afterwards*. And then once, more before bed. Keep a record of what the results was and what you ate. You can also test before and after exercise.
* Your blood sugars will almost always rise after a meal, but the speed and degree of the rise will vary depending on what you ate. If you eat a very carby meal your BS will probably rise very quickly and most likely get very high. A meal with a lot of fat may slow that rise so that you don't hit the peak till much later. And, a low carb/GI meal should mean your numbers don't go up nearly as much. The only way to know for sure is to test.
OK, I'm off the hobby horse again now... Till next time.
😱
