Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

[WaveyDavey123]

Yeah I'll shut up here now, I'm derailing.

 

[Titch68]

This is not about whether the NHS should, or can afford to, provide test strips on a permanent or temporary basis to non-T1 diabetics. Having read #EveryCloud ’s post, and so many more like it over the years on this forum, I wonder whether we could gather together examples of Healthcare Professionals who have told people that it is either unnecessary or just plain wrong to test their blood sugars. It is a scandal that needs highlighting.

Yes I was told the same not necessary to test blood being T2 diabetic.

 

[Robo42]

Yes I was told the same not necessary to test blood being T2 diabetic. But things have changed as nurse changed. Now I get my strips on script and no one is telling me I shouldn't be testing my blood glucose.

I have posted numerous times that testing helped me be diet controlled for years when first diagnosed.
My GP even asked if she could use me as an example in their medical magazine.
I tested my blood sugar prior to meals and 2 hours after, logging what I ate. This gave a good idea of what was good/bad for me & when best to eat. I am on a small dose of meds now but seeing I can get off them. Over years the test or not to test has changed with the wind, for me it was when they stopped test strips on prescription. The HbA1c for me is only tested yearlyish used to every 6 months, as an adhoc test to see how I am doing is good.

 

[MissMuffett]

Yes my GP told me last week that I shouldn’t be testing my BG and that I should wait for my hba1c results. I told him thats ridiculous as I need to know what food might be damaging my kidneys and eyes and I’m not waiting every 3-4 months!

 

[Jaylee]

Yes my GP told me last week that I shouldn’t be testing my BG and that I should wait for my hba1c results. I told him thats ridiculous as I need to know what food might be damaging my kidneys and eyes and I’m not waiting every 3-4 months!

I draw the analogy as a driver.
The A1c is an average “speed check” on the motorway. The meter or “speed check” helps you avoid a “letter” dropping through the post endorsing the driving licence for exceeding the speed limit. Avoiding those “points..”

Keep that eye on the “gauge.”

 

[Joy19752]

Yes, I was told testing is unnecessary for type 2's not on insulin by my nurse.

yes I was told the same a while back

 

[Jordi77]

I have a father who is type 2 and on tablets only for his diabetes and I'm on insulin for my diabetes and I have the same type 2 but he doesn't t test his sugars but I have to and that's the difference in type 2 diabetes 1 on tablets doesn't have to check their blood sugars and that's the same with the other part for type 2 diabetes and if you are type 2 and on insulin like me you have to and that includes either wearing a Libre sensor or using a blood meter and I'm on the border line of type 1 and type 2 so I've been told by my doctor so they treat me as both

 

[mojo37]

I have a father who is type 2 and on tablets only for his diabetes and I'm on insulin for my diabetes and I have the same type 2 but he doesn't t test his sugars but I have to and that's the difference in type 2 diabetes 1 on tablets doesn't have to check their blood sugars and that's the same with the other part for type 2 diabetes and if you are type 2 and on insulin like me you have to and that includes either wearing a Libre sensor or using a blood meter and I'm on the border line of type 1 and type 2 so I've been told by my doctor so they treat me as both.

I don't have to test but if I didn't I wouldn't have a clue what my BG was doing therefore I test so I can have some control over it . Left to DN I would probably have been on insulin by now ie eat carbs with every meal one of her classic suggestions was jacket potato and beans .

 

[HSSS]

I have a father who is type 2 and on tablets only for his diabetes and I'm on insulin for my diabetes and I have the same type 2 but he doesn't t test his sugars but I have to and that's the difference in type 2 diabetes 1 on tablets doesn't have to check their blood sugars and that's the same with the other part for type 2 diabetes and if you are type 2 and on insulin like me you have to and that includes either wearing a Libre sensor or using a blood meter and I'm on the border line of type 1 and type 2 so I've been told by my doctor so they treat me as both

If you’d read the thread you‘d realise that type 2 not on insulin are generally advised no need to test because of costs and a lack of understanding how it’s useful, not because it isn’t actually useful because it very much is as so many of us have proved.

Also a person doesn’t change from type 2 to type 1 no matter what their treatment. They are different conditions with some similarities (high blood glucose/sugars). The causes are different. A type 1 might become insulin resistant like a type 2 (can be known as double diabetes), and in theory someone with type 2 could develop type 1 separately but in reality most drs would just consider that a worsening of the already diagnosed type 2 and the end result is usually insulin whatever they label it. Or a person might be misdiagnosed as type 2 initially when in fact they have always been type 1 but just slower onset than some drs recognise is possible, and this can be known as LADA or sometimes type 1.5.

 

[Ginge86]

If you’d read the thread you‘d realise that type 2 not on insulin are generally advised no need to test because of costs and a lack of understanding how it’s useful, not because it isn’t actually useful because it very much is as so many of us have proved.

Also a person doesn’t change from type 2 to type 1 no matter what their treatment. They are different conditions with some similarities (high blood glucose/sugars). The causes are different. A type 1 might become insulin resistant like a type 2 (can be known as double diabetes), and in theory someone with type 2 could develop type 1 separately but in reality most drs would just consider that a worsening of the already diagnosed type 2 and the end result is usually insulin whatever they label it. Or a person might be misdiagnosed as type 2 initially when in fact they have always been type 1 but just slower onset than some drs recognise is possible, and this can be known as LADA or sometimes type 1.5.

Diabetes CAN escalate from type 2 into type 1

 

[ianf0ster]

Diabetes CAN escalate from type 2 into type 1

Please explain how insulin resistance can 'escalate' into an auto-immune problem. Sure a person can develop Type 1 at any age and so may already have Type 2 but there is no causation connection between those two types of diabetes.
Also a person with Type 2 who 's beta cells are killed off by the immune system (i.e. becomes Type 1) is still Type 2 as well - hence double diabetes.

 

[HSSS]

Diabetes CAN escalate from type 2 into type 1

I suspect you are defining type 1 as being an insulin user. That is not what defines type 1.

Type 1 is an autoimmune condition whereby the insulin producing beta cells are destroyed by the bodies own immune system.

Type 2 is a metabolic condition originating in insulin resistance and often has high levels of insulin production in an attempt to overcome this. Ultimately a long term deterioration can result in non functioning beta cells and a low insulin production but not always. It’s often quoted that type 2 has insufficient insulin but that’s a comparative statement meaning not enough to overcome the resistance rather than an absolute statement meaning an actual below average amount. A type 2 using insulin remains a type 2 - on insulin.

One does not become the other. It is possible to get both, although not that common.

If you are aware of a way 1 can become 2 please share as I’ve never come across anything that says so.

 

[Angela64]

Diabetes CAN escalate from type 2 into type 1

I’m on Empagliflozin and low carb. Was told by dire betes nurse that I’ll end up injecting. Repeatedly told by drs not to keep testing, you don’t need to

 

[Angela64]

I have discovered that I have genetic Haemochromatisis. I have Peripheral Atrial Fibrillation & T2D. PAF diagnosed 2019, T2D 2021. This is a liver disorder, iron overload. It affects the organs. The conditions are linked to the GH. Wondering if my T2 is T2 or another version.
Any thoughts?

 

[EllieM]

I have discovered that I have genetic Haemochromatisis. I have Peripheral Atrial Fibrillation & T2D. PAF diagnosed 2019, T2D 2021. This is a liver disorder, iron overload. It affects the organs. The conditions are linked to the GH. Wondering if my T2 is T2 or another version.
Any thoughts?

Hi @Angela64 would you like the mod team to move your post to its own thread, where it can get its own dedicated discussion?

 

[cantfindasuitablenamehere]

I was told today it was useless because it would not tell me anything. The only way to measure blood glucose is the Hba1c.

 

[KennyA]

I was told today it was useless because it would not tell me anything. The only way to measure blood glucose is the Hba1c.

Well, if you've read the thread you'll know you're not alone. HbA1c is clearly not the only way to measure blood glucose (I've used three) but I do agree that it's the one that gives you the best overall picture. HbA1c is totally useless however for working out what you can and can't eat, and thereby making the changes ....that lead to a lowered HbA1c.

 

[jjraak]

I was told today it was useless because it would not tell me anything. The only way to measure blood glucose is the Hba1c.

Some says it's like not having a speedometer in your car, the HBA1c test is where you find out if your wallet is going to be damaged by all the speeding fines....

In some ways it's more like the altimeter in an aeroplane.

The daily test keeps us at a safe, steady height.

I wouldn't want to trust to a HBA1c test to ensure my flight hasn't flown above the manufacturers recommended height for the aircraft causing minute cracks in the airframe,
OR flying too low that the pilot damages the plane by hitting treetops, etc, making that landing at the end of the journey much more perilous.

Daily testing for the win.
HBA1c for the confirmation we are doing it right ...imho

 

[aylalake]

Some says it's like not having a speedometer in your car, the HBA1c test is where you find out if your wallet is going to be damaged by all the speeding fines....

In some ways it's more like the altimeter in an aeroplane.

The daily test keeps us at a safe, steady height.

I wouldn't want to trust to a HBA1c test to ensure my flight hasn't flown above the manufacturers recommended height for the aircraft causing minute cracks in the airframe,
OR flying too low that the pilot damages the plane by hitting treetops, etc, making that landing at the end of the journey much more perilous.

Daily testing for the win.
HBA1c for the confirmation we are doing it right ...imho

Ooo, can I use your analogies for when I have to explain to my diabetic nurse next week why I am wearing a self-funded CGM contrary to her instructions? Love them!

 

[Paul_]

Ooo, can I use your analogies for when I have to explain to my diabetic nurse next week why I am wearing a self-funded CGM contrary to her instructions? Love them!

I don't have a CGM, but I have a lot of data from BG fingerprick testing.

My DN started arguing from a cost perspective, but I shut that down very quickly on the basis that "I don't care and as an adult I'll spend my money how I wish".

There was then the desperately flawed "it doesn't tell you anything" line, to which I responded by essentially forcing her to listen to me for at least 10 minutes while I explained in painfully low level detail what it does tell me. I then followed this with a debate on why testing my blood pressure at home is recommended, but not my blood glucose. As far as I'm concerned, if she wants to waste my time with stupid arguments, I'll waste more of her time in response. She hasn't made this mistake again, it made my appointment overrun by at least 20 minutes, and she's now given up arguing with me about it.

The advice on this forum around testing allowed me to very quickly control my BG to normal levels through diet, in all instances where it's within my gift to do so. My liver is still a moron from time to time, but I'm having regular stern words with it and it's slowly sorting its life out. Overall though, all my high BG diabetic symptoms significantly subsided in 2 weeks of low carb and testing, and they were gone completely in 4 weeks. That alone is proof enough for me as to whose advice is correct.