To test or not to test

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Eeyorecat

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi All

I am still very new to this and over the last few weeks having been trying to cut right down on carbs following some recipes on here and the 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet.

When I saw the nurse for the first MOT (only a couple of weeks after diagnosis) she said that my bloods would be tested again after 3/4 months due to the red blood cell life cycle, which I understand and that is fine. I have been put on meds which I am in the process of taking and increasing every 2 weeks until I get to the goal of 4 a day.

I asked about Glucose/finger prick testing and she said because I was unlikely to get hypos then I didn't need to bother.

Is anyone else in this position? How would I know if my diet change is working or do others wait for the next blood checks at the Drs? I know I can buy my own kit is this is what others do?

Do I just continue and see what the result is at the next test?

Thanks
 
As advised on here, I bought one so I could see how I respond to certain foods and quantities of carbs. Test before eating and two hours after. So far I’ve learned about the evil that is commonly known as Naan bread!
 
Midgie said:
As advised on here, I bought one so I could see how I respond to certain foods and quantities of carbs. Test before eating and two hours after. So far I’ve learned about the evil that is commonly known as Naan bread!
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Thanks, this was kind of what I was thinking - we probably respond differently to different foods and it may help me identify what my triggers are, but without testing in that way how would I really know
 
Eeyorecat said:
Thanks, this was kind of what I was thinking - we probably respond differently to different foods and it may help me identify what my triggers are, but without testing in that way how would I really know
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You are absolutely right and many ignore the advice not to test but unless you are on medication which could cause hypos which metformin will not then GP are under no obligation to prescribe a monitor and test strips so people self-fund.
Monitors with the cheapest test strips are the GlucoNavii or Spirit TEE2 which can be bought on- line. Many of the monitors sold by the pharmacy have very expensive test strips.
 
I had the same conversation, I couldn't understand how not testing would get my in to the position where I know if what I was eating was causing high values or not.

They agreed to give me one on prescription and it's been great, I eat what I want and adjust the portions to make sure I don't get high values.

Once they stop the prescription I'll keep testing but I'll have to buy my own.
 
Leadinglights said:
You are absolutely right and many ignore the advice not to test but unless you are on medication which could cause hypos which metformin will not then GP are under no obligation to prescribe a monitor and test strips so people self-fund.
Monitors with the cheapest test strips are the GlucoNavii or Spirit TEE2 which can be bought on- line. Many of the monitors sold by the pharmacy have very expensive test strips.
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Thanks, I don't mind buying my own, but didn't want to immediately go against what the nurse said but equally I don't really feel in control not knowing what affects the food changes are having. And waiting for 4 months feels like a very long time
 
notmez said:
I had the same conversation, I couldn't understand how not testing would get my in to the position where I know if what I was eating was causing high values or not.

They agreed to give me one on prescription and it's been great, I eat what I want and adjust the portions to make sure I don't get high values.

Once they stop the prescription I'll keep testing but I'll have to buy my own.
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I think I may buy one as o meed to feel more in control
 
Your nurse is wrong. You can't manage what you can't measure. Without testing you would be guessing what is working for you. The HBA1C 3 monthly test is important but so is daily testing.
 
Eeyorecat said:
Thanks, I don't mind buying my own, but didn't want to immediately go against what the nurse said but equally I don't really feel in control not knowing what affects the food changes are having. And waiting for 4 months feels like a very long time
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I was told by the GP not to test Advice that I immediately ignored because how on earth would I know what foods are ok or not? I also kept a food diary. Four years later I have a much better idea about ok foods, I now only test when I eat something different. I remember telling the nurse what the GP had said about not testing, she was horrified.
 
Would you set out for a journey driving your car once you have your licence and never bother looking at the speedometer or checking the view out of the windscreen for hazards?

Don't think so!
 
Eeyorecat said:
How would I know if my diet change is working or do others wait for the next blood checks at the Drs? I know I can buy my own kit is this is what others do?
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Well quite!

HbA1c is a great way to see what’s happening generally in the background, 24hrs a day. But it can’t help with specifics… what was the optimum portion of potatoes? Were you OK with porridge? How do you respond to fruit? Which of the meals that you’ve eaten over the last 4 months were the best for your glucose levels? And which need changing/altering to give you a smaller rise?

The HbA1c can‘t tell you any of those things. But it can tell you about your likely long-term risk of complications in a way that spot-check fingersticks can’t.

So they are both useful in different ways!

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

And you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S offers a helpful framework to reviewing your menu.
 
Sharron1 said:
I was told by the GP not to test Advice that I immediately ignored because how on earth would I know what foods are ok or not? I also kept a food diary. Four years later I have a much better idea about ok foods, I now only test when I eat something different. I remember telling the nurse what the GP had said about not testing, she was horrified.
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Thanks, that sounds like a good approach, I do log all my food in my fitness pal as that also give me an idea of carbs etc although I know they are not always 100% accurate.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Well quite!

HbA1c is a great way to see what’s happening generally in the background, 24hrs a day. But it can’t help with specifics… what was the optimum portion of potatoes? Were you OK with porridge? How do you respond to fruit? Which of the meals that you’ve eaten over the last 4 months were the best for your glucose levels? And which need changing/altering to give you a smaller rise?

The HbA1c can‘t tell you any of those things. But it can tell you about your likely long-term risk of complications in a way that spot-check fingersticks can’t.

So they are both useful in different ways!

If you need to self fund your BG meter, the most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

And you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S offers a helpful framework to reviewing your menu.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will take a look, being a bit techie and lazy LOL I was looking if there was one with an app that tracks the results? wasn't thinking the ones which stick to your arm just if the meters have Bluetooth to then track the results via an app? Are there any good ones anyone can recommend?
 
Eeyorecat said:
Thanks, I will take a look, being a bit techie and lazy LOL I was looking if there was one with an app that tracks the results? wasn't thinking the ones which stick to your arm just if the meters have Bluetooth to then track the results via an app? Are there any good ones anyone can recommend?
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It tends to be the strips which are more expensive for the more sophisticated monitors, as much as 4x the price. If you are self funding this can restrict the amount you are testing so may not give you useful data.
 
I didn't test for 3 months after diagnosis and was pleased when I got my next hba1c it was down to normal levels.
I just concentrated on losing weight and cutting junk food and felt better after 2 weeks. I got the free Libre trial that I used towards the end of the three months just after I'd had the blood drawn, but found it a bit strange and inconsistent with variable results during its lifespan.

I do go through phases of testing every now and then, just to see how things are getting on. As my diet is fairly routine these days, I tend to test when eating something new or when I go out. Sometimes I don't bother, though. I occasionally do some morning testing to see what the fasting level is like and might occasionally just have a look before I go to bed.

I use a Contour Next One which is Bluetooth and comes with an app that integrates with Apple Health. Strips are expensive, but the results are consistent and they allow you to try again if there's not enough of a sample the first time round.
 
harbottle said:
I didn't test for 3 months after diagnosis and was pleased when I got my next hba1c it was down to normal levels.
I just concentrated on losing weight and cutting junk food and felt better after 2 weeks. I got the free Libre trial that I used towards the end of the three months just after I'd had the blood drawn, but found it a bit strange and inconsistent with variable results during its lifespan.

I do go through phases of testing every now and then, just to see how things are getting on. As my diet is fairly routine these days, I tend to test when eating something new or when I go out. Sometimes I don't bother, though. I occasionally do some morning testing to see what the fasting level is like and might occasionally just have a look before I go to bed.

I use a Contour Next One which is Bluetooth and comes with an app that integrates with Apple Health. Strips are expensive, but the results are consistent and they allow you to try again if there's not enough of a sample the first time round.
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Well done, seems like you have done really well. I have cut down on carbs such as potato, rice and bread, I can honestly say I don't really eat junk food and I cook everything from scratch, and don't eat cakes, biscuits or sweets so it must be the carbs. I think the tester will help me see how I respond to different foods. I thought the app will help me monitor and track easier, a bit more visual with the graphs etc
 
My diet wasn't terrible, but I did eat a lot of crisps and was known to be partial to a large bag of Haribo from Poundland, plus I was overweight and bordering on obese. (I could easily demolish a whole box of Jammy Dodgers in one go as well.) We didn't cook a lot from scratch as well, too much stuff was 'fast' and I quite liked pizza.

Testing is great for seeing how you respond for foods, and I do that now. I think in the first 3 months I was focussing on cutting carbs, eating fresh food, and losing weight. And because when I was diagnosed I did some tests, saw some high readings, and decided I didn't want the stress of it.
 
harbottle said:
My diet wasn't terrible, but I did eat a lot of crisps and was known to be partial to a large bag of Haribo from Poundland, plus I was overweight and bordering on obese. (I could easily demolish a whole box of Jammy Dodgers in one go as well.) We didn't cook a lot from scratch as well, too much stuff was 'fast' and I quite liked pizza.

Testing is great for seeing how you respond for foods, and I do that now. I think in the first 3 months I was focussing on cutting carbs, eating fresh food, and losing weight. And because when I was diagnosed I did some tests, saw some high readings, and decided I didn't want the stress of it.
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I think that was the biggest shock for me as I thought I ate well balanced meals meat and fresh veg, generally we did have a Chinese takeaway once every 2 months maybe (I live a 20 min drive from the nearest town with a takeaway and no one delivers to us so is not really an easy or fast option!) I just looked at the contor meters will take a closer look as they look ok and sell them via this site cheaper than Amazon 🙂
 
You can get the Contour Next One meter for free - it's just that the strips are very expensive, twice the price of the cheaper models like Gluco Navii.

I can't find the link for the Next One, but I filled in a form online and they sent me the meter for free about six months ago.

You can also get a different Contour model for free that has cheaper strips (Contour Plus)

 
harbottle said:
You can get the Contour Next One meter for free - it's just that the strips are very expensive, twice the price of the cheaper models like Gluco Navii.

I can't find the link for the Next One, but I filled in a form online and they sent me the meter for free about six months ago.

You can also get a different Contour model for free that has cheaper strips (Contour Plus)

Click to expand...
Wow thanks for that, I used the link and have applied, just wait and see if I am successful 🙂
 
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