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justLouise

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, after visiting the GP and having a positive wee test and 2 random glucose blood tests come back positive i was told by the GP receptionist to make an appt with the DN which isnt until 13th March!

No advice what to do, what to watch and what happens next! Im a bit lost! Is that normal?!

Ive bought a home tester but the readings are so all over the place (ive hopefully attached a screen shot of todays readings) im trying to cut carbs, had a little too much tonight for dinner hence the massively low reading i think and then the spring back up after.

Long & short, should i be running back to the GP? Carry on as is for 2 weeks til the appt? Keep monitoring morning noon and night?!

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

Louise

P.s photo wont upload so here are readings:
06:15 - 9.5
08:07 - 7.9
13:42 - 9.4
15:00 - 9.7
16:36 - 10.2
20:58 - 3.6
21.29 - 13.0
 

urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
Hi, after visiting the GP and having a positive wee test and 2 random glucose blood tests come back positive i was told by the GP receptionist to make an appt with the DN which isnt until 13th March!

No advice what to do, what to watch and what happens next! Im a bit lost! Is that normal?!

Ive bought a home tester but the readings are so all over the place (ive hopefully attached a screen shot of todays readings) im trying to cut carbs, had a little too much tonight for dinner hence the massively low reading i think and then the spring back up after.

Long & short, should i be running back to the GP? Carry on as is for 2 weeks til the appt? Keep monitoring morning noon and night?!

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

Louise

P.s photo wont upload so here are readings:
06:15 - 9.5
08:07 - 7.9
13:42 - 9.4
15:00 - 9.7
16:36 - 10.2
20:58 - 3.6
21.29 - 13.0


Hi @justLouise ,

Welcome to the forums.

I feel sure that some T2 members will give you some good advice. I will ask @daisy1 to give you some interesting reading material.

From your post, it sounds as if you are aware of the carbs 'thing' so all I'll say here is, try to keep your portion sizes down until you've seen the DN. Your BG numbers aren't great, but we've seen a lot worse reported on the forums, so don't panic!
 

Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
That 3.6 I don't think fits the pattern at all ... nothing like it. A drop of almost 10 in 30 minutes? Errant reading possible but I've never read anything like that before

You're going to be a work in progress, but diet and HbA1c information will help. Demand a print out of the results before your appointment and let us know
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm afraid those readings mean little apart from the fact that you are swinging from a 3s to a 13. The correct way to test is first thing on waking which is called a fasting blood glucose reading. Then you test before the first bite of a meal and two hours after a meal. The difference between those two readings should be no more than 2mmol preferably less than that.

I suggest that you ring your surgery and request a printout of the results from all your blood tests. If you post those results here members will be better placed to advise you.

Tagging @daisy1 who will swing by and give you some really good info in her welcome pack. Until then could you give us an idea of your current diet, what you would eat in a typical day, we may be able to advise on any changes you would benefit from.
 

justLouise

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you all, it did cross my mind that the odd reading may have gone wrong, ill just keep an watch out but will give the GP a call for my results tomorrow and post them.

Diet wise, today (as that links to the readings)

B: cheese & Ham omlette
L: sweet pot rice, chopped chicken breast
D: home made chicken kebab (wholemeal pitta) - thats where it went to 3.6
 

Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
Yep, but still that's like jumping off a cliff to get that drop result. Bad strip or REALLY disagreeable dinner choice ... one of the two

Drop the rice if you can. Known culprit for raising BS
 
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Crocodile

Well-Known Member
Messages
683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
I can't have it often
Hi @justLouise Just adding that the numbers will depend a great deal on when you actually take them. Lowest just before you eat and highest about an hour or so later. Both are important. You want to get the base line down as close to normal as possible and then keep the after eating reading manageable as well. It's early days so your numbers will take a little while to come down. Just to give you an idea. Mine is pretty well under control now. Before eating, between 5 to 5.5 or so. After 1 hour, up to 6.5 to 7.5 and back under 6.0 after two hours. Naturally, if I have a birthday it may go a bit higher and take longer to come down. Lose the rice.

Have fun,
Glenn
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@justLouise

Hello Louise and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 235,000 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
Reduce your 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 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

KK123

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,967
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
That 3.6 I don't think fits the pattern at all ... nothing like it. A drop of almost 10 in 30 minutes? Errant reading possible but I've never read anything like that before

You're going to be a work in progress, but diet and HbA1c information will help. Demand a print out of the results before your appointment and let us know
The drop took over 4 hours?, or am I reading it wrong??
 

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just keep on with the low carbing you are doing and your levels should stabilise it does take time. It is all trial and error to find out what we can or can't eat because we are all so different
 

Lyndsay444

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi
I was shocked that your BS results were so much lower compared to mine
Mine are always in 20s and have even been over 33.3 mmol. That’s max the glucose meter is able to read.
Anyhow from being diagnosed to seeing nurse I waited 2 weeks, then prescribed meds to try bring bs down.
It’s one of those things we all want things to be normalised quickly following diagnosis but it’s not that simple. Even starting meds it has to be very slowly increased over weeks and weeks. You’ll be referred to have foot and eye testing as well and sent on a Desmond diabetes information course.
Look at it that your life style and the way you view food and health must change so you benefit in the future and not that a couple of tablets will sort it out and that’s it.
Just test your bs as above the more reading the better ready to discuss with diabetic nurse when you see them.
Every thing with diabetes is manageable remember that.
 

paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
first dont panic. as an untreated diabetic your bg are pretty decent. your levels are not doing too much harm. the 3 is likely to be a wonky strip. first rule youve washed your hands. in my case if i eat loads of carbs my bg sinks lower post spike. odddoctor two radom finger pricks dont make a diagnoses
 

KK123

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,967
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
My error. Sorry. It's (the 3.6) just totally inconsistent with the other numbers
Gosh, definitely no need to apologise!!!! I thought I'd got the 24 hour clock mixed up!