1 Year in as type 2 !

[garry3038]

Hi all, just wondering if things for me are on track with my health and type 2, its been a year now since being told I have type 2 and in this year I have been on 4 x metforming tablets a day, I do NOT test my blood sugar levels at all! My doctor feels this is not a good idea? I have had my feet checked 1 times back in December last year, had my eyes checked in may this year and thats about it, my doctor did a hcb1 or something like that some 6 months ago and the result was that I was very good in controling my sugar levels, well all I am asking is, am I being treated the best by my PCT or are things looking a bit dodge?

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the forum Garry,

Did your doctor tell you what your Hba1c is ?

Many doctor's tell Type 2's not to test as this saves the practice money on test strips which are expensive. However, it is very important for a new Type 2 to test as this is the only way you will find out how the foods that you eat affect your blood sugars. Below is the general advice we give to new diabetics, hope some of it helps you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.

 

[Hobs]

My personal view is you could be told your actual HbA1c % figure and also prescribed test strips for home testing. Its all well and good to be told you are getting on OK, but with only an annual check up etc, you will not know how you are doing in the interim period and if something suddenly changes.

 

[Sue Morton]

I was diagnosed March of this year and was also told I don't need to test. But my brother went and brought me a testing machine etc and I used it. Also having this site recommended to me I visited and saw how important it is to test especially at the beginning as you need to know what foods you react to and everybody is different.

I can't eat new potatoes but red potatoes I can but small portions. Bread is a minefield trying to find one that your body suits. Looking at the carbs and difference s in the carbs. some one recommded Burgen linseed and flaxseed which is quite nice and allows me occasionally to have a sandwich. I used to eat a lot of salads but in this weather its just not on so I have been having different food and need to see what my blood sugar is to having a stew and chicken caserole etc. tested my BS and all has been okay so far. I read somewhere that sweet potatoe was good for diabetis so made sure I put them in my stew and caserole hoping that they would help the BS.

So far you may have been lucky but having read on this forum food that you could eat suddenly your body reacts to it and you have to change to something else. How will you know what your body is doing if you don't test.

Loads of people are now having their testing strips stop being prescribed on presceription and even when I proved to the doctor that I took my diabetis seriously and explained about the testing I could only get 1 tub of 50 test strips which have to last me a year as she said I only need to test 2 times a month at the most.

Our health is being put at risk if we don't test an the complications that that can bring will in the end cost the NHS more then if they prescribed testing strips. However the trouble is we that take our health seriously end up paying by buying our own. I'm now retired and on a pension and its hard going especially this time of the year as you also need to keep warm.

If I was you I would get a meter and start testing it is the only way forward for your own good health.

Advice given here is to test before eating and 2 hours after eating and that your BS shouid not be any higher then 8.5 however, I very rarely test before mostly test after eating obviously this to me is more important and saves on the strips, but thats me.

Wish you all the best and a Happy Christmas
Sue