Self Testing Newbie.....advice plz

[Tee G]

Although i have not been given an 'official' diagnosis (by that I mean I have not been referred to DN nor set on any food awareness courses etc) My Dr just said cut out all obvious sugar and watch portion control. (Im a little under 12 st now since April have lost around 8 lbs, making progress!). So im pretty much left to work it all out for myself. From what i read on here i have taken on board the need to reduce carbs etc. Ive done that. But im still walking through this pitch black tunnel, i dont really know if what im doing is right for me. I know self testing is the way forward. So i bit the bullet and got myself a BG monitor. Took 1st fasting reading today 5.8 Had breakfast 1 br toast and 1/2 tin drained mackerel fillets, tea. 1 hr later 7.1 - 2 hrs later 7.8. My question is......is the 1 hour test necessary?? and at 2 hours can I assume ive reached the pinnacle.

 

[Ljc]

I would say that for the time being I would just stick to the 2 hour test .
As you are at risk of diabetes you obviously want to try and turn this tight around
I am sorry to hear that your Gp is not too helpful
I would ask to be referred to the DN at the practice and also check to see if their is a diabetes prevention course in your area, apologies if you have already done this.

What glucose meter are you using

 

[Tee G]

Here's what I do ........ light breakfast, usually 1 toast, with either tin sardine, mackerel, or peanut butter, marmite, or cream cheese sometimes i have porridge, (3 dry tbs) with soy/almond milk, weetabix (2 bisc)........ Lunch is often extremely low carb (i say its not totally carb free because veg have carbs), so a salad which consists of leaves, a dollop of coleslaw, maybe some olives and olive oil, cucumber, spring onion and some protein such as cottage cheese, fish or chicken,ham. If i get peckish before dinner i keep boiled eggs in the fridge for this and sugar free jelly (ramekin size)....... Dinner is very varied meat, fish etc dishes (all home cooked) and i sometimes have one potato/5 chips. Anything with rice/noodle is not bigger than a ladle full. My dinners are packed with veg (which grows above ground, less carbs to my mind than the below ground varieties) - Midnight munchies consist of celery stick with cream cheese, maybe 3 small crackers loaded with pate, cottage cheese, handful mixed unsalted nuts and seeds. I'm losing weight steadily and feel good. bought myself Gluco Navii.

 

[Toucan]

Hello @Tee G
It sounds as if you are doing quite well. A fasting reading of 5.8 is reasonably good, and an increase of 2.0, 2 hours after eating is also in the right range.
As you will have read on the forum there is no 'one size fits all' and you are doing well in finding out what works for you. Your success in weight loss and acceptable readings indicate that. Well done.
If you keep measuring your morning fasting BS this will be a good indication of how it is going, although there are sometimes occasional random readings.
I also keep a spreadsheet to tally up the number of carbs I eat per day, and look at the effects of different types of food, this enables you to work out the list of what is best for you, ( and it can be surprising what it is that can put the carbs up) - this varies a lot from person to person. Eventually you will work out your carb tolerance and the number of grams of carbs per day that suites you - again different for everyone.
Take care and I hope it continues to go well for you.

 

[Drummer]

If your first Hba1c was over 47 then you are for ever diabetic - according to the usual rules. You are only just so though - and if you eat a low carb diet you should return to normal numbers quite quickly - if you go on eating bread and other carb dense foods then all bets are off. I was far higher, at 91, but from the moment of diagnosis I abandoned all high carb foods. These days I don't expect to see over 7 after eating. I test at two hours from starting the meal as that seems to give most information, combining my condition with the carbs consumed. It really is the easiest and most convenient way to treat type two - just the thought of having to take Metformin again was enough to stiffen my resolve whenever faced with something high in carbs or not eating at all.

 

[Tee G]

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated. @Drummer what is considered a 'high carb dense' food?? I kind of avoid more than 10g total carbs per 100g of product. is this a good barometer??

 

[Drummer]

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated. @Drummer what is considered a 'high carb dense' food?? I kind of avoid more than 10g total carbs per 100g of product. is this a good barometer??

Yes - other than high cocoa chocolate eaten in moderation, I set 10 percent as my limit.

 

[David Caldwell]

You're doing all the right things extremely well considering that you're not getting proper direction from your doctor or a diabetes team and your not on medication.

Regarding readings i take 4 fasting readings and record them on a spreadsheet so that i can see the trends....I can share spreadsheet for you to input your own readings. I leave 2-3 hrs between reading.


Everyone is unique and one size doesn't fit all so therefore you have to find out what works best for you. I have found carb counting helpful and i keep it simple. There is a great guide on this site about carb counting and i have felt that it has helped me alot. There is also apps to help with recording reading and monitoring progress.

I would suggest that you ask your doctor to refer you to a DN for advice and support.

This site is also a great place for support and advice from people who are managing their diabetes.

Take Care
David

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sounds like you are making good progress @Tee G - sorry that you feel you’ve been rather left in the dark by your surgery, but you could take this as a positive... they see lots and lots of people with elevated glucose - some of them are more urgent and require immediate and rapid follow-up, while others (like you) don’t need to panic, and can take a little time to adapt gradually over a longer period.

The 1hr vs 2hr test stems from different people’s insulin response I think. Some people with T2 find that their ‘first phase’ insulin response is impaired which can mean that they see a rapid rise in BG immediately after eating, which then begins to reduce over a couple of hours. So they might get a reasonable 2hr reading, but have missed a big ‘spike’ at 1hr.

It doesn’t sound like the 1hr check is particularly beneficial for you from your early results.

 

[Nick Cliff]

Yes @Tee G looks like you're doing the right things with your diet. Re the tests I do fasting one first thing before eating or drinking anything then same day do one before main meal then 2hrs after finish eating and drinking. Every few days not every day. This will show trends.
As others have said you're not in a severe situation so can take time finding the diet and exercise regime that works for you.
Good luck. Nick

 

[Blue flash]

I use a phone app called mysugr to record BG levels and can also input food you've eaten, plots your daily levels in colour and its just a nice boost when you get nice set of green in a row. It also help understand what foods you personally react too as we all all different.


Good luck your doing well

 

[Tee G]

Thanks for that great advice @Blue flash im sure its a really helpful tool. im a bit of a technophobe as i get older, i hate technology, my mobile is 15 years old and has nothing on it except text hahah! It took me 3 hours to work out how to use the BG monitor! LOL (i used pen and paper for my records) and leave the tech stuff to others! 😉