Newly diagnosed T2 and...

[Bryan]

(Hi all)
...I was wondering about the
accuracy of these BG meters.I see this issue is being talked about
here,which is good but surely tollerances of 10-15% are too high?

This is all very confusing,coupled with any lack of assistance
from my GP regarding dietry information,which I would have thought
would have been part the normal learning process for this condition.
My doctor says I have to look after myself,but does not give any
advice other than "you have to eat bitter foods".
What is one to think?

Very confused
Bryan

 

[cugila]

Hi Bryan.
Welcome to the Forum. With regard to meters there have been MANY discussions about the accuracy of meters here. Sometimes quite heated. Do a search of the forum for 'meter accuracy'. Basically they are built to EC standards and that is what we are stuck with. Good, bad or indifferent, for now that is it. The manufacturers put it all down to costs. At present you can buy a meter for £5 upwards. Now I for one am not prepared to pay something like £300 per meter which is the price I was quoted by one company Rep for supplying more accurate meters. I don't have a problem with what I use now, which is plenty accurate for my uses. A One Touch UltraSmart meter made by Lifescan. As good as any Lab test results.

As for advice, take a read here and pick out what suits you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different .

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

Ken

 

[hanadr]

Hi Bryan
what your doctor has/has not done is wrong, It's also unfortunately not an uncommon story. Perhaps we should be charitable and assume,that he simply doesn't know any better.
If you hunt through this forum, you should find all you need to know. It's a lot, so don't expect it to be a quick process.
One thing you do need is to decide on what dietary strategy will suit you. I will reveal myself as a low carrber.
I can say that low or much reduced carbs work for almost everyone. Some other strategies are more complicated. Eg there's a LOTto learn and undertand for the GI/Gl strategy.
As to meters, there's probably not a lot to choose between them in accuracy, so it's down to what suits you. Some people like all the bells and whistles. I use a basic, simple machine. Look up the different machines and decide for ourself. then try to get the disposables on prescription. Some of us can't.
Hana

 

[Synonym]

Hi Bryan and welcome to the forum.

I just wonder if the real problem is that the medical profession is only just waking up to the fact that one size does not fit all and that really they just don’t understand diabetes.

The GP designated as the Diabetes Specialist in my own surgery openly admitted that he was out of his depth as he knew nothing about diabetes; clearly he drew the short straw! :roll:

When the doctors do not have the knowledge about diabetes and then fail to enable patients to manage their condition there will inevitably be a rise in the incidence of complications if not also in the incidence of diabetes. We could always learn together about diabetes but it requires quite a bit of humility to admit you just don’t know.

At least if patients with diabetes are issued with a meter, however accurate, they can chart the rise and fall of blood sugars and are then able to align those with what they are eating and are thus enabled to make informed choices on foods.

The biggest problem of all is trying to get hold of a meter and also trying to get a prescription for the testing strips. Have you been given a meter and testing strips?

As for dietary advice the usual advice given is not helpful and can do more harm than good. You have found your way here where you will find much helpful advice and support which has been both tried and tested! 8)

Thanks to the advice on this site I have cut down on carbs and cut out all the starchy carbs like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread etc. etc. and have managed to control my BG levels in that way. I get all the carbs I need from fruit and vegetables.

 

[Bryan]

Great thanks the replies,and here's an update:

I rang the GP surgery today to ask to speak to the DN,as I was asked to the night before and they
didn't seem to know what to do and ended up putting mr GP on who said "cut out food that comes from under the ground" as well as saying sugar based food stuff which I thought was a little unnecessary to say by now :lol:
Anyway I have an appoinment tomorrow with (I think) a DN,that wasn't made clear!

Besides all that I had a BG test before I left work (nearly 3 hours after lunch) and it was 5.9 is that a good indication and the rightish time period?
Last weeks test was 13.3,and forgot to say I'm on 3x500g of Metformin/day for 11 days now.

Thanks

 

[hanadr]

Bryan
aside from giving up eating worms :lol: Grains and their derivatives are something that isn't helpful.
Hana
Ps he's right about roots. they tend to be high in carbs.

 

[Bryan]

****, so it is true and grains too :shock:

Doesn't leave a lot left to choose from.unless it's a little of everything non sugar related.

Early days with lots to learn

B

 

[Synonym]

Testing, testing, testing!!

 

[Bryan]

Testing, testing, testing!!

Indeed,went to local Asda chemist this afternoon they were very helpful and 7.8 BG.

When home I tested :wink: with a Uristix strip, it read negative for a change.

Got a BG tester now (I'll read the info tomorrow)and a lot leaflets from DN.People are right
when they say you have to show willing, and be persistant to get anywhere.