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Newly diagnosed

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NeilP

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello to everyone,

I have just been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes which I have been told I need to manage with diet, I'm cool with that, but I haven't been offered a glucose monitor and I'm wondering how I know if the adjustments I'm making to my diet are working.
Should I ask for a monitor/tester or buy my own or is there another way of knowing my sugar levels
 
Hi Neil, welcome to the forum 🙂 You've hit the nail right on the head there - without testing, any changes you make to your diet will be pure guesswork, and you may then be told three months down the line that the changes haven't worked, but no-one will be able to tell you why 🙄

Some healthcare professionals believe that, unless you are on medication that might drop your blood glucose levels dangerously low, you don't need to test. They are also mindful of the cost of the test strips (around £15 for 50 to the NHS, double that for some brands over the counter), so think they are saving money by telling you you don't need to test.

However, I would suggest reading Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S , which describes the benefits of efficient testing. If your GP won't prescribe the strips then it is worth buying them yourself, at least whilst you can build up a record of how they are helping you to discover what you can tolerate well in your diet and what you should avoid. Hopefully then you will be able to persuade your GP of the benefits to you in gaining control of your levels rather than being left in the dark! If you do have to buy your own, then the cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £7-£8 for 50.

Do have a browse of our Useful links thread for more good resources, and please ask any and every question you have - there is a lot to learn, but it is well worth the effort! Diabetes is serious, but it CAN be controlled well and you can live a happy and healthy life with it, enjoying a rich and varied diet, as long as you know what you are doing and are prepared to put the effrt in 🙂
 
Thanks for the quick reply and the very useful advice, I will speak to my GP first thing Monday morning and see what he says if he refuses I will buy my own (but not without a fight lol)
I'm sure I will be asking lots of questions in the coming weeks and months

Thanks again
Neil
 
Welcome to the forum, glad you found us! Good luck with your appointment, I hope you get a meter, but if not, do get the codefree yourself. I did when diagnosed (wrongly) as Type 2 and found the information I got from the meter invaluable. It is your diabetes and no one but you is going to manage it. The meter is so helpful in telling you what you can tolerate best. The reading links and books Northerner recommends are great. Let us know how you get on. 🙂
 
Hi Neil, welcome aboard and good luck with the doctor. My friend has just managed to convince her doctor to give her a meter about 6 months ago and her latest long term blood test has dropped quite nicely because she could see which foods caused her issues 🙂
 
Welcome Neil though I'm pretty sure you'd rather not have to think about diabetes :(

I was diagnosed end of Feb with Type2 and my GP simply told me I had it and handed me a meter. It seems like there's no consistent approach to how doctors approach it. And in truth some people don't want to self test. I've found it absolutely invaluable because by 'eating by the meter', I can now pretty much predict which foods will spike my levels. It made me much more informed and determined but I think it just spooks some people. As a result I managed to get my levels down to pre-diabetic levels for the first repeat HbA1c. Doesn't mean I can ease up at all because once we have it, it's a permanent feature like an unwanted guest who refuses to leave! 😱

As others have said, the links Northerner has provided really do help because I've found the reality of the condition is better understood by other 'sufferers' than medics on occasion.

Good luck! 🙂
 
Thanks for the reply Amigo, I have had a look at then links Northerner posted and it all makes perfect sense.
I will be on the phone to my healthcare nurse first thing in the morning
 
If they refuse you, you can bet your sweet bippy they'll tell you

'WE will monitor your blood glucose, because we will take a blood sample from your arm EVERY 6 months!! - so there's no need to test in between!'

I wouldn't put money on that because it's unfair to take it off you - you'd be far better advised to spend it on test strips or if you do strike lucky on the prescriptions for them - unless of course you qualify for free ones for another reason. Whilst all diabetics on medication get free ones no matter how young or rich they are - if you're not on any medication you don't qualify for that.

Good luck with that quest anyway (but I'm not holding my breath .....)

I'd love to get whoever it is who makes these damn rules up, in a room with a bright light shining in their eyes and ask them what THEY would do if THEY were all diagnosed T2?
 
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