Do I need to monitor myself?

[jmd12]

I was diagnosed Type 2 only 2 weeks ago, and see the Practice Nurse next Tuesday to discuss diet etc. My GP has said she will see me again beginning of February and that I just need to control it by diet/exercise to begin with.
I am just wondering whether I should ask if I should monitor myself as how do I know whether I am controlling the diabetes without doing that?
Will the practice nurse talk to me about that?
If so - do I have to buy a bg monitor or does it get provided by nhs, so if I have to obtain one what is the best sort?
Incidentally, I can't recall my GP actually saying was my bg was! But can ask next week.

 

[kentishman]

Surgeries vary with T2.Some give test strips on prescription and some won't. I do not thinkyou need to test on diet alone.

 

[cugila]

Whatever your diet, whether on medication or not it is very important to test frequently when first diagnosed. Later you may not need to test so often. Only in this way will you know what sort of foods have a detrimental effect on your Bg levels. Help you to a better and healthier Diabetic diet.

The usual advice which is given is all based on cost and the fact that some HCP's think if we test we will get paranoid about things. A load of rubbish ! As my friend Sue says......'Knowledge is power.'

Which leads me to the advice that Sue gave you recently which also covers this issue of testing, why and how often. Have another read of that.......

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

So, medication, no medication........testing is the way to control.......

 

[carty]

Surely if someone is diet only how can they tell if the diet is working if they dont test?
CAROL

 

[Eiche]

IF YOU ARE UNSURE, ASK YOUR DOCTOR! Don't be scared that you might sound silly. If you don't know something, just ask. As far as monitoring goes, I'd say just do as I did, cut everything out of your diet that has lots of sugar in it, like cookies, cake and sugar in tea and coffee and half the intake of your toast in the morning and most important, EXERCISE..... then asked your questions when you go to see the doctor again

 

[cugila]

That is the problem Eiche........

It is the medical community that in some places are telling Diabetic's to NOT test. That is simply a way that can lead to higher Bg readings and complications. It flies in the face of common sense and logic. Without information from testing how on earth would anybody know how they are doing on a daily basis.

Why should anybody have to wait for 3 - 6 mths before they even get an idea what is happening.

As for asking questions........ask here, you get far better impartial advice here than in many GP Practices and some (not Ally :wink: ) Dieticians.

 

[carty]

My GP said not to test as the food I eat does not affect bgs it is the pills that he gives me that will lower my bgs. I now know this to be a load of rubbish but only because I do test I dread to think what my levels would be if I had taken his advice :roll:
CAROL

 

[hanadr]

GPs and PCTs don't agree with regular monitoring for T2, because of the cost. I think it's essential and that's why Ibuy my own supplies. I find the best provider of strips is Abbott Diabetes Care, who provide my Freestryle Lite meter. I think the other meter companies are probably similar.
Some people do well on eBay for strips, but I find Abbot work out about the same price, because P&P is free.
Service is FAST, usually next day
Hana

 

[Eiche]

I don't know, I hear this kind of stuff all the time where people say their doctor's are rude and dismissive. I had the same problem with my GP before and I simply changed after telling her to go pluck a duck when she belitteled my worry about a discharge from my nipple...

anyway, when I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes, I saw the Diabetes Specialist in my GP's Practise, who is amazing and has always answered all my questions in detail and explained everything that was going to happen and how my meds work and how long it takes for it all to settle down with each increase of one or the other pill.... I find it very disrespectfull how some T2 Diabetics are treated as if they don't count because it is treated so easily... I was terrified when I was diagnosed but after a while with the help of my GP, I made the changes I needed to my lifestyle and diet.

I wish all doctors were as sympathetic and as caring and as patient as mine is. Being diagnosed with Diabetis is a very scary and unsettling thing and everyone deserves to be shown the same respect and be treated with care and attention not just rushed out the door after 5-10 minutes because THEY THINK that's enough time for the patient....

 

[jmd12]

Well, saw the Practice Nurse today and given advice about diet and a booklet from Diabetes UK about food................ so mentioned testing myself and she said I did not need to do so at present. I would have another blood test in 3 mths and then 3mths after that, and another then it would be 6 mths.
She said that I am only just Type 2 as my reading was 6.9 [after overnight fasting test] but loosing weight and more exercise would control the diabetes.
So will see how it goes I suppose.

 

[Eiche]

I think they could have at least given you some Diastix to dip your urine as way of an estimate to see where your glucose level is at... Ask your GP about it if you are still worried

 

[sugarless sue]

Diastix register glucose in urine but glucose does not appear in urine until your blood glucose is over 12mmol/L.

You need to convince the doctor you are going to be proactive in your own treatment and ask for test strips so that you can test and find out how you food is affecting you.

It is YOUR diabetes and under NICE guidelines you should be consulted , not dictated to as to how you manage your control.

Hba1c is a trend indicator and does not show the damaging daily high levels you can get when uncontrolled.

I am Type 2 diet only and get test strips.

 

[Lynmi]

Hi, I was diagnosed in October and my nurse also told me I don't need to self test, but what she did agree to do to start with was test me monthly so that I was reassured that I was going in the right direction. This really helped me and in 2 months I went from 8.3 to 6.5 . See if you can get your nurse to do the same.

 

[Eiche]

Diastix register glucose in urine but glucose does not appear in urine until your blood glucose is over 12mmol/L.

I do know that, but at least with the diastix one can then tell if and when the glucose level does get too high opposed to not knowing anything at all. If it indicates that the glucose is too high one can then inform the GP... No?

 

[cugila]

You might know it, however the information is also for the benefit of other members, particularly new ones, who dont......Yes ? We like to give help and support whenever we can.

It's also a fact that if you are getting high like that then the glucose is going through the kidneys and may be damaging them which is precisely one of the complications you want to prevent by being able to test your Bg levels and keeping them at a lower level.

Another reason why the member needs to try and get test strips and see what is actually happening.

 

[jmd12]

Well, I will be seeing my GP again in a few weeks as she said she wanted to see me beginning February so will ask again about this.

 

[hat'n'coat]

Lots of people on another Type 2 thread mention self-testing. My GP simply says they won't provide monitors to Type 2 diabetics, presumably on cost grounds. I'm a bit of an ostrich, and simply bury my head in the sand re what I eat, trying vaguely to stay sugar-free and eat wholemeal carbohydrates and lots of veg. But my long-term BG levels have stayed around the 8-9 mark and I'm now on 2 types of oral hypoglycaemics. However I have read that different people respond very differently to different starches, eg some diabetics get a 'sugar high' from certain fruits, some potatoes, others rice etc, and that an easy way to find out what works best for your body is to test after eating different foods, which makes an awful lot of sense. Can I buy my own monitor and where can I get strips from privately?

 

[sugarless sue]

What I tried and recommend is to buy your own meter then use it to test before every meal and two hours after. Keep a detailed record of your food intake, carbs etc and the readings you get.

Show this to your doctor and discuss how you want to be very proactive in managing your own Diabetes. This enthusiasm MAY just get your doctor to prescribe the test strips for your meter.

Check with your local chemist which meter strips are most commonly prescribed in your area then get one of those meters.

You can either buy the strips initially from your local chemist or from a reputable seller on Ebay for instance.

Some meters,such as Freestyle you can get the strips from the Manufacturer.( Abbot).