Hi all. After visiting my doctor last week, I was diagnosed with type 2. My HbA1c was 115, and the normal test was 19. I was prescribed Metformin which I be been taking for 3 days now. I have an appointment with clinician in a week's time to discuss diet and the like. No idea if my BS is still at same level as I don't have any way of testing at home yet. Can anyone recommend a good home tester that won't break the bank? Also, I've read you can get into remission by following a very low cal diet to get a few stone of quick. Just wondered what people's opinion is of that?
Newly Diagnosed
- Thread starter Suffolklad
- Start Date
Hi. There are many glucose meters that are quite cheap but the tests strips vary a lot in price. Perhaps others can make some suggestions. With regard to diet you need to follow a low-carb not low-calorie diet. Carbs are our problem so keep them down and have fats and proteins fairly freely. If anyone suggests a low-fat diet then find someone else. You may have heard of the 800 Cal diet which may well work but calories have little meaning for us so think carbs for the longer term.
Thanks for the advice - I'm learning slowly. I know that readings of 115 and 19 is high, but not sure f it's mega high in the scheme of things. Will Metformin help to reduce it fairly quickly or will it take a lot of time? Not sure what the consequences of staying at the level I'm at now are? Feeling a little bit panicky about it all
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Welcome to the forums @Suffolklad .
Firstly don't panic, while those readings are definitely pretty high there are plenty of folk who have come to these forums with similar levels and used low carb to get them down. Have a look here
Success Stories and Testimonials | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community
Here's my favourite link introducing T2 and low carb, jokalsbeek's excellent blog.
JoKalsbeek's blog | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community
@Rachox is our resident expert on home testing meters, though she's on holiday at the moment so I'll take the liberty of copying her most recent post on the subject.
****************************************start quote******************************
Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.
HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews if you use this link and select the meter plus 5 packs of strips and then add the code dcuk (all lower case) at check-out, you’ll get the meter free. So total cost for meter + 5 x 50 strips will be £31.76.
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
Links to the strips and the meter for future orders:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.
Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
Discount codes for the Code Free strips
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793
with the strips found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097
Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:
Phone number 0800 8815423
With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual
If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.
Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
***************** end of quote
Good luck.
Firstly don't panic, while those readings are definitely pretty high there are plenty of folk who have come to these forums with similar levels and used low carb to get them down. Have a look here
Success Stories and Testimonials | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community
Here's my favourite link introducing T2 and low carb, jokalsbeek's excellent blog.
JoKalsbeek's blog | Diabetes Forum • The Global Diabetes Community
@Rachox is our resident expert on home testing meters, though she's on holiday at the moment so I'll take the liberty of copying her most recent post on the subject.
****************************************start quote******************************
Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.
HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews if you use this link and select the meter plus 5 packs of strips and then add the code dcuk (all lower case) at check-out, you’ll get the meter free. So total cost for meter + 5 x 50 strips will be £31.76.
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
Links to the strips and the meter for future orders:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively.
Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
Discount codes for the Code Free strips
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793
with the strips found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097
Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:
Phone number 0800 8815423
With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual
If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.
Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
***************** end of quote
Good luck.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated, I'll check out those links. I guess they will have those finger pricker things - do they vary or are they all pretty standard?
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I think most meters come with some sort of a lancing device. Some are fancier than others, though you should be able to buy them separately. Personally after over 50 years of testing I just use a bare lancet without any device, but appreciate that I'm probably in a minority.
jjraak
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Hi @Suffolklad
Welcome to the club no one wants to join .
HBA1c normal is 40 (non diabetic)
So 115 is high.
But many others have been as high or higher and made great improvement back to normal or near normal numbers.
The BG score at 19 , also high as you'd expect
More normal scores should be below 10 then heading down to a more steady morning blood glucose level (FBG) of circa 5-6.
All sounds straight forward but there is much to learn my friend.
@EllieM links are very useful if you haven't fully read.
Much discussion over meters.
Now bear in mind early on you'll be testing pre each meal AND after each meal at least once.
So 2 strips per meal X 2/3 Meals a day so possibly 28-42 strips a week, which quickly adds up.
But that does drop as you become more confident certain foods/Meals don't spike you , so you may not feel the need to test everytime after your usual spike free breakfast, for example.
Easy to see why the strip price becomes a factor in deciding what type to buy.
Mine is home healths navii.
I think the link up above is slightly wrong on pricing
Select "diabetic"...and mmol if UK
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
Meter plus 50 strips just under £20
Strips very reasonable.
50 sub £10.
No complaints here
& Home health customer service
Pretty good to boot.
Good luck.
Welcome to the club no one wants to join .
HBA1c normal is 40 (non diabetic)
So 115 is high.
But many others have been as high or higher and made great improvement back to normal or near normal numbers.
The BG score at 19 , also high as you'd expect
More normal scores should be below 10 then heading down to a more steady morning blood glucose level (FBG) of circa 5-6.
All sounds straight forward but there is much to learn my friend.
@EllieM links are very useful if you haven't fully read.
Much discussion over meters.
Now bear in mind early on you'll be testing pre each meal AND after each meal at least once.
So 2 strips per meal X 2/3 Meals a day so possibly 28-42 strips a week, which quickly adds up.
But that does drop as you become more confident certain foods/Meals don't spike you , so you may not feel the need to test everytime after your usual spike free breakfast, for example.
Easy to see why the strip price becomes a factor in deciding what type to buy.
Mine is home healths navii.
I think the link up above is slightly wrong on pricing
Select "diabetic"...and mmol if UK
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/
Meter plus 50 strips just under £20
Strips very reasonable.
50 sub £10.
No complaints here
& Home health customer service
Pretty good to boot.
Good luck.
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