Type 2 and told no need to test levels by dn felt quite sickly yesterday eating lchf had some pasta today feeling so much better tia
How Do You Know Blood Sugar Levels Are Low
- Thread starter Lynne 2
- Start Date
Terrytiddy
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Hi @Lynn 2 welcome to the group
I will tag @daisy1 for her great info sheet. You need to test your bloods with a Blood Glucose meter, you can get these from e-bay. I have a couple of the CodeFree one's and the test strips are not to expensive. You need to ease into Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) way of eating (WOE) Carbs are one of the main things to reduce and also sugar. Have a look on YouTube at Dr Jason Fung's videos also https://www.dietdoctor.com/. What meds are you on and do you need to lose weight? The more info we have the better we can help. Only answer what you are comfortable with. You are in the right place for all the help, advice and support you need Lynne, so any questions ask away
I will tag @daisy1 for her great info sheet. You need to test your bloods with a Blood Glucose meter, you can get these from e-bay. I have a couple of the CodeFree one's and the test strips are not to expensive. You need to ease into Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) way of eating (WOE) Carbs are one of the main things to reduce and also sugar. Have a look on YouTube at Dr Jason Fung's videos also https://www.dietdoctor.com/. What meds are you on and do you need to lose weight? The more info we have the better we can help. Only answer what you are comfortable with. You are in the right place for all the help, advice and support you need Lynne, so any questions ask away
bulkbiker
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That is probably because your body is used to your blood sugars running at higher levels so when you start to cut carbs and blood sugars come down to mre "normal" levels you feel a bit odd. That however is what you are trying to acheive so I'm afraid fighting it by eating pasta is rather counter productive. As @Terrytiddy says you should probably get a meter and start monitoring then you'll start to see the improvement and the foods that are best avoided. I too use the codefree bought from
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
Your nurse won't tell you to test because they would then have to provide the meter (possibly the best tool in our arsenal against Type 2 complications).
daisy1
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@Lynne 2
Hello Lynne 2 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 need to and someone will 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 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:
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
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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
Hello Lynne 2 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 need to and someone will 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 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
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
- 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.
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.
To answer the title question - I test with a glucometer.
If the DN does not have diabetes then HE/SHE probably does not need to test.
Until you know what you can eat safely YOU probably do.
( the basis of all medical treatment is informed consent - if you don't have the information in the first place ... )
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Hello there everyone. I am posting this on behalf of @Lynne 2 who is having a few techie challenges accessing the forum at the moment.
Lynne just wanted to apologise for not responding, but she has been trying! She wanted to thank everyone for their responses, so far and has found them to be of great interest
Lynne also wanted folks to know she has lost 44.5lbs and has just ordered a blood testing meter.
Hopefully Lynne will be back posting herself, soon, and I'm sure she's have further info when she can.
Lynne just wanted to apologise for not responding, but she has been trying! She wanted to thank everyone for their responses, so far and has found them to be of great interest
Lynne also wanted folks to know she has lost 44.5lbs and has just ordered a blood testing meter.
Hopefully Lynne will be back posting herself, soon, and I'm sure she's have further info when she can.
Oldvatr
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The NICE guidelines that govern nearly all aspects of NHS primary care only allow Self Monitoring Blood Glucose (aka meters for home use) under very strict conditions. Normally T2D will not get that support unless on insulin or certain other diabetic drugs. I qualify because I am using one of those drugs, and also a driver, and also had to demonstrate with my own meter that I was running my bgl into the hypo range, so therefore at risk. I also had to use my supplied meter to demonstrate that I was usefully using the feedback I was getting from it to actually make changes to medication. With these in place I got full suppport from my GP and the Specialist DN and get strips on prescription. I still test 3 or 4 times a day after 3 years, and I still tweak my treatment from time to time. My sugars have fallen dramatically as a result of using a meter.
Guzzler
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Getting a meter was the first and best piece of advice I got from this forum. I could have taken all of the other advice about diet/carbs etc but without a meter I would never have seen the immediate benefits of the changes I was making without my Codefree meter. Good luck and well done so far.
