Thank you

[Flora Peach]

Morning to you Davein and Katieb,
Thank you for that advice. I will look for the book you both recommended on Amazon today.
Regarding the meter you both mentioned, how often would you recommend that I take a reading?
Should it be daily or weekly?
Many thanks once again.

 

[Davein]

I take readings several times a day as I am T2 on insulin. I test and read from when I awake to when I go to bed. I currently test before a meal and then 2 hours after. This is mainly because I am still trying to get my meals well balanced and low carb. Frequent testing should guide me to what foods/ingredients lower my blood glucose levels within the recommended range As you have only just been diagnosed I would suggest you test first thing in the morning and last thing at night. But it's entirely up to you. A test only gives you a snapshot of your BG level. If you are adjusting your diet to lower your BG level then a couple of times a week to start with may be better. Many diabetes nurses say it's a waste of time a T2 testing but I'm sure the majority of folks on here would disagree. Self testing gives you the ability to lower your BG level more accurately than just waiting months for your next HbAlc test.
By testing it puts you on the road to controlling this condition. It also lifts your spirit if you can reduce your BG levels and possibly control them enough to just use diet alone instead of meds. There are people on here who have diabetes in remission by diet alone. Unfortunately I have other conditions which make it extremely unlikely that will happen in my case. You will have bad days as most of us do but the trick is not to get despondent or depressed when they occur. It's all part of the learning curve.

 

[Wirrallass]

Hi Flora Peach. Rightly or wrongly I'm assuming you are Type2 as its not stated on your profile? You need to know which foods you can tolerate and which foods you can't ~ so for starters its best to test before each meal and 2hours after each meal🙂 If your blood glucose level (bgl) scores up to 8.5mmol after a meal then this is an acceptable range🙂 If your blood glucose raises above 10mmol then you need to revise your diet and portion size IMO

When you test your morning bgl its best to test your waking BEFORE you get out of bed as once your feet hit the floor your bg will instantly begin to elevateTheres no harm in testing at bedtime too, I do this when I'm in bed. Make sure you take your test kit to your bedroom at night and keep it on your bedside locker to remind you to test at night and in the morning ~ and do remember NOT to use your thumbs or index fingers to test as the nerves in these digits are sensitive and can easily be damaged through testing.

Here's a link that will be helpful to you Flora :~

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-links-for-people-new-to-diabetes.10406

Also have a read of: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. She educated herself re her Type2 when she was dx (Diagnosed) in 1996. Her book is written in an easy and understanding format. Her book can be purchased or downloaded from www.Amazon.co.uk as can the book CARB & CALORIE COUNTER (£10.19)

I haven't read any of your posts so if you're thinking of buying a bg test kit (That is if your GP or DSN hasn't supplied you with one) ~ then a lot of folk here use the Codefree meter ~ the test strips run about £8 for fifty test strips. Other makes cost anything from £15+. If & when you do order this meter (Or any other) ensure you order an extra pot of 50 test strips because only 10 comes with the meter kit ~ and tick the box to say you're diabetic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/codefree-G...518334o61&sr=8-7

If you're not sure of anything or need some answers then fire away, we are here to help you as much as we can. Take care and please do stay in touch to let us know how you are getting on.
WL

 

[trophywench]

The advice for testing which foods affect you and how often to test are handily summarised here, too

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

 

[Davein]

Hi Flora Peach. Rightly or wrongly I'm assuming you are Type2 as its not stated on your profile? You need to know which foods you can tolerate and which foods you can't ~ so for starters its best to test before each meal and 2hours after each meal🙂 If your blood glucose level (bgl) scores up to 8.5mmol after a meal then this is an acceptable range🙂 If your blood glucose raises above 10mmol then you need to revise your diet and portion size IMO

When you test your morning bgl its best to test your waking BEFORE you get out of bed as once your feet hit the floor your bg will instantly begin to elevateTheres no harm in testing at bedtime too, I do this when I'm in bed. Make sure you take your test kit to your bedroom at night and keep it on your bedside locker to remind you to test at night and in the morning ~ and do remember NOT to use your thumbs or index fingers to test as the nerves in these digits are sensitive and can easily be damaged through testing.

Here's a link that will be helpful to you Flora :~

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-links-for people-new-to-diabetes.10406/

Also have a read of: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. She educated herself re her Type2 when she was dx (Diagnosed) in 1996. Her book is written in an easy and understanding format. Her book can be purchased or downloaded from www.Amazon.co.uk as can the book CARB & CALORIE COUNTER (£10.19)

I haven't read any of your posts so if you're thinking of buying a bg test kit (That is if your GP or DSN hasn't supplied you with one) ~ then a lot of folk here use the Codefree meter ~ the test strips run about £8 for fifty test strips. Other makes cost anything from £15+. If & when you do order this meter (Or any other) ensure you order a pot of 50 test strips because only 10 comes with the meter kit ~ and tick the box to say you're diabetic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/codefree-G...518334o61&sr=8-7

If you're not sure of anything or need some answers then fire away, we are here to help you as much as we can. Take care and please do stay in touch to let us know how you are getting on.
WL

Flora has been diagnosed T2 a few days ago WL so you were correct🙂

 

[Flora Peach]

Thank you Wirralass, Davein, Trophywench for all your support and advice.
Wirralass, thank you for mentioning the part about which fingers NOT to use.
I really hadn't given that a thought.
It took me ages to even use the pin-prick device.
I didn't know how hard it was to, psychologically, hurt oneself !!!
I steeled myself for it, pushed the button, and - nothing, only a tiny, tiny feeling. What a baby 🙂
Also, the part about glucose levels - after meals and which are safe levels to aim for or which are not. Really good
indicators.
My next puzzle is how to equate the HbAlc numbers to the mmol/: ?
I am reading between 4.3, 5.5 up to 6.0 at a.m fasting readings and anything up to 7.2 p.m two hours after a meal.
My Doctor has said that if I can reverse my reading of 58 initially down to 40,42 she will take me off the tablet Metformin 500g, one a day in the morning, but I don't know what 58 or 40 equates to with my meter readings?
Am I making sense here?
Any advice would be really appreciated.

 

[Davein]

If you look on the recent post in Newbies say hello here from Philip39, Northerner has posted up the link you are after
(Press on Newbies say hello here! and all the threads come up)

 

[Northerner]

Here's the link about HbA1c @Flora Peach, in case you can't find it:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/testing#hba1c

The HbA1c measurement is different to the fingerprick readings you take. Fingerpricks are like snapshots in time, and are measured in mmol/l whereas HbA1c is a sort of average of your blood glucose levels over the 6-12 weeks prior to the blood being taken. It is measured in mmol/mol, so different units. So, whilst it's possible to have some idea what your average might be by taking lots of fingerpricks and averaging them out, it's not quite the same as the HbA1c. Of course, the better your fingerpricks get, the more the average will improve 🙂

Have you read Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S ? It's a good guide to testing efficiently and effectively 🙂