Roger_J_Morris
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I have been told not to test my blood sugar at home but that the six month and twelve month test that is done by the diabetic nurse is more accurate measurement .
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Testing for blood sugar
- Thread starter Roger_J_Morris
- Start Date
carty
Well-Known Member
This will not tell you if what you had for tea has given you a large spike in your blood glucose levels or if it has kept it within the acceptable range !!Seriously though most of us like to know what is happening to our levels and we test before a meal and 2hours after to see how certain foods affect us @daisy1 Will post you all the best things to know about coping with your diabetes .Hang in here !
CAROL
CAROL
Prem51
Expert
Hi @Roger_J_Morris and welcome to the forum. The standard advice for Type 2 diabetics who aren't on insulin medication is that they don't need to test. The NHS HbA1c blood test is more accurate than the finger prick test which only gives you a snapshot nof your blood sugars at that moment.
But how are you supposed to know how you are doing unless you monitor your progress between your HbA1c tests? I didn't self test until after my 3 month HbA1c retest when I realised I wouldn't know whether I was improving or getting worse until my next HbA1c test in 12 months.
The NHS generally won't prescribe testing meter or test strips for T2s because of the cost, but a lot of us buy them ourselves.
But how are you supposed to know how you are doing unless you monitor your progress between your HbA1c tests? I didn't self test until after my 3 month HbA1c retest when I realised I wouldn't know whether I was improving or getting worse until my next HbA1c test in 12 months.
The NHS generally won't prescribe testing meter or test strips for T2s because of the cost, but a lot of us buy them ourselves.
welcome Roger_J_Morris 
yes it is two different measuring types .. your own blood glucose meter can tell you how your morning glucose is for the specific day, and how much you are spiking from what you actually eat , and if you spike far too much from some types of foods , which you can only find out by using your meter both before the meal and 2 hours after the meal...
the HbA1c which they measure from a blood sample at your doctor is an average blood glucose number from the last 3-4 months..which they can measure because the red blood cells do catch sugar molechyles over time in a rate that can give an impression of how much sugar there has been in the blood over the last 3-4 month (with most weight on the most present part of the periode) red blood cells do die after 3-4-5 month in all people and therefore they are a good expression of average blood glucose .
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
yes it is two different measuring types .. your own blood glucose meter can tell you how your morning glucose is for the specific day, and how much you are spiking from what you actually eat , and if you spike far too much from some types of foods , which you can only find out by using your meter both before the meal and 2 hours after the meal...
the HbA1c which they measure from a blood sample at your doctor is an average blood glucose number from the last 3-4 months..which they can measure because the red blood cells do catch sugar molechyles over time in a rate that can give an impression of how much sugar there has been in the blood over the last 3-4 month (with most weight on the most present part of the periode) red blood cells do die after 3-4-5 month in all people and therefore they are a good expression of average blood glucose .
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
daisy1
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- Type of diabetes
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- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
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- Cruelty towards animals.
@Roger_J_Morris
Hello Roger and welcome to the forum Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Roger and welcome to the forum
Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hi and welcome Roger
My analogy for this is when you are driving your car do you look at the speedo once or twice a year or regularly on each trip?
Testing for me has allowed me to take control of my condition. This alongside dietary changes (adopting LCHF) and not eating all of the time (intermittent fasting) has brought my blood sugar levels down significantly. As I have often said your diabetes is your condition to manage and I find it beneficial to take control of that. Your nurse is doing her job but your health is up to you. You need a combination of HbA1c tests as well as a record of multiple daily regular tests to see where your levels are going.
Hope that helps
Regards
Mark
