will i have to check my glucouse levels

Status
Not open for further replies.
traceycat

traceycat

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
i hear alot of members on here talking about checking their levels at home an keeping a record of them. is this something i will have to do an how do you do it? just been diganosed yesterday an dont actuly go see the nurse until next week but i sort of want to find out as much as i can before i see her. ive been reading posts on here since yesterday an its been very helpful but im still so cunfused about everything, if she says i can control it through diet will i have to check my levels every day an were do i buy whatever it is i need to do all this. sorry for going on im just so cunfused an worried that i wont be able to change my lifesyle, im over weight an i smoke. any advice will be greatly appreciated x
 
Morning Tracey most of us test with our glucose meter which tells us our levels through out the day,personally i got mine off the nurse on my first visit so maybe you will to if you dont maybe ask her about it, some nurses say you dont need to test etc etc but no harm in asking.Most on here find testing very benificial as it can determine to you what foods cause you to go high/low.Some have had trouble getting these and have had to go about getting there own and buying there own test strips which is very unfair but i guess some doctors/nurses need brining into the 21st century.
 
thanks for your advice steph, i will be sure to ask about this next week. just trying to get everything clear in my head before i go so ill know some of the things shes gonna tell me.
 
Hi Traceycat

I can only really add what steff has already said. Hope all goes well for you at the nurse next week

Heidi
xx🙂
 
traceycat said:
i hear alot of members on here talking about checking their levels at home an keeping a record of them. is this something i will have to do an how do you do it? just been diganosed yesterday an dont actuly go see the nurse until next week but i sort of want to find out as much as i can before i see her. ive been reading posts on here since yesterday an its been very helpful but im still so cunfused about everything, if she says i can control it through diet will i have to check my levels every day an were do i buy whatever it is i need to do all this. sorry for going on im just so cunfused an worried that i wont be able to change my lifesyle, im over weight an i smoke. any advice will be greatly appreciated x
Click to expand...

Hi tracey - given that I've only just started doing it I can say that it's been really beneficial for me to understand how certain things affect my body. I dont check every day - only really when I want to know for example, what a particular food does to my body. Given that I've been diet and exercise controlled for the last 18 months and my HbA1c is 6.1 I'm assuming that I'm doing most things right anyway. I appreciate that this may not be right for you though as you have ony just been diagnosed. I also got my meter free from my DSN.
 
How high were your levels? I know my surgery tends to put people straight onto metformin and it was only because I insisted on giving diet and execise go that I got the opportunity to stay off drugs - and still off them three years later.

Don't be bulldozed into doing something that is not necessarily the best answer for you - if you can eat sensibly and lose some weight and up your exercise levels (daily short power walks of 30 mins really helped me) you *may* be able to control this yourself. I got my fatsing levels down from 18 to <7 in a couple of weeks and they have pretty much stayed there.
 
Hi Tracey, depending on what your levels are you will probably be offered Metformin (otherwise known as Metf@rtin, for obvious reasons 😱)
I would definitely ask for a BG meter. If you are refused a meter like a lot of type 2s are I would buy one from Asda, they start at as little as ?7, I have the Abbott Freestyle Lite. You only get 10 blood strips though. You can also buy a monitor in Boots or other pharmacies.
You could also give Bayer a ring and see if you can get a free meter from them. They cost ?10 to buy and come with 25 strips.
If you are overweight have you considered trying to lower the amount of carbs you eat. Cut out biscuits, chocolate etc and lower the amount of pasta, rice, potatoes.
You will probably be advised to ditch the fags, good luck 😛
 
sandy said:
How high were your levels? I know my surgery tends to put people straight onto metformin and it was only because I insisted on giving diet and execise go that I got the opportunity to stay off drugs - and still off them three years later.

Don't be bulldozed into doing something that is not necessarily the best answer for you - if you can eat sensibly and lose some weight and up your exercise levels (daily short power walks of 30 mins really helped me) you *may* be able to control this yourself. I got my fatsing levels down from 18 to <7 in a couple of weeks and they have pretty much stayed there.
Click to expand...

my first level was 9.1 an second was 10.4. still not sure about what it all means but im learning alot on here 🙂
 
cocacola said:
Hi Tracey, depending on what your levels are you will probably be offered Metformin (otherwise known as Metf@rtin, for obvious reasons 😱)
I would definitely ask for a BG meter. If you are refused a meter like a lot of type 2s are I would buy one from Asda, they start at as little as ?7, I have the Abbott Freestyle Lite. You only get 10 blood strips though. You can also buy a monitor in Boots or other pharmacies.
You could also give Bayer a ring and see if you can get a free meter from them. They cost ?10 to buy and come with 25 strips.
If you are overweight have you considered trying to lower the amount of carbs you eat. Cut out biscuits, chocolate etc and lower the amount of pasta, rice, potatoes.
You will probably be advised to ditch the fags, good luck 😛
Click to expand...

No, no don't BUY them! Like you say, ring Bayer. Bayer will almost certainly give you one for free, as will most companies, and will come with one pot of strips.
 
Hi Tracey, me again!

The Blood Glucose (BG) readings should be taken in context with what you're eating to then inform you what is 'good' and 'bad'.

As a general rule of thumb, they should be between 4 and 7 before meals and between 7 and 9 two hours after. Ideally, they should not exceed 10 (that's hyperglycemia) and should not be lower than 4 (hypoglycemia).

Because you're a type 2 and not on any medication, I doubt that you'll go below 4 unless you start starving yourself! However, in the event that you go above 10, then if possible, just pop out for a quick walk. A 30min walk at a reasonable pace should bring your levels down by a couple of notches.

I've found it really useful to build in exercise time into every day. I do an hour walk after lunch and a 30min exercise on a rowing machine in the evening. This is beneficial in two ways, 1) It naturally reduces my BG levels and 2) It has already decreased my insulin resistance (where the body doesn't use the insulin properly).

Initially, your BG numbers may not necessarily be encouraging (I kept getting nasties in the first few weeks). But stay on track and you'll probably get to grips with it! 🙂

Andy

p.s. You'll probably find the BG meters to be very cheap or free. They'll then get you with the cost of the test strips (mine cost ?25 for a pack of 50). But, your GP should be initially sympathetic and prescribe them if you make it clear that you want them to start getting good control. I tested myself once a day for the first couple of months at different times (occassionaly more than once if a reading wasn't good). I now only test myself once a week just to make sure that nothing is untoward.
 
Last edited:
realy appreciate everyones advice, im realy starting to understand some of it all now. dont think ill ever be off here now lol, been almost glued to my laptop since yesterday. i think im sort of starting to come to terms with it, but maybe when i see the nurse next week an she starts explain it all to me it will realy hit me an im afraid incase i burst out crying.
 
I reckon we all do a bit of that in the beginning. I'm only six months and and still coming to terms with it all myself. This place and it's inhabitants has been a real godsend, there's always someone who's been there and can offer support.
 
Hi Tracey - if you feel like you are glazing over with the nurse ask her to write the key information down. Then you will be able to refer to it later and that may then prompt more questions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top