The bulk of us here are going against the grain. I was told not to test, as were many others here. Then there are those who should test, but only upon waking or before a meal, which tells you exactly nothing, if you're trying to get your blood sugars under proper control through diet or medication. You need to test to know what works for you, and what doesn't. But if
they say you should test, then
they have to pay for it.... And that would basically bankrupt the NHS, which is a bit, you know... Not good. I self-fund, getting only 40 euro's worth of test strips per year through my insurance, but after a lot of testing in the beginning, I know what eggs'll do, or a bit of salmon with veg. No need to check. I just use strips now to see what I'm up to when I have Covid (just getting over yet another bout of it, *sigh*. But topped out at 8,9 mmol/l, which I guess is pretty good, considering!), or got a steroid shot or something. In the end, all they can do is advise. If you want to test, no-one's going to slap the meter out of your hands, no-one can stop you if it's what you want to do. You do have a choice here. You can do what I did, and test your heart out. You can do what the nurse tells you, which is decidedly cheaper in the short term. You can....? It's entirely up to you. And if something doesn't sit right with you, go with your gut, and if possible, your meter.
As for the meal advice on there, a fruity salad would mess me up no end... So between the printed and the hand written advice, I'm not seeing a whole lot that'd actually be helpful to you. My doc tells me I can have birthdaycake though... I love her to bits, I really do, but diabetes is not her forte. So I just do what has worked for me these past 7 years, and has kept me in the normal range. It might mean doing something entirely different for you though: we're all different and there's no real one-size-fits-all.
As for ranges, I got these off
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/controlling-type2-diabetes.html , but keep in mind they're not that rigid... Blood sugars fluctuate, and you don't have to get everything back to perfect immediately. It takes a little time.
- 4 to 7 mmol/l before meals and when fasting
- 4 to 8.5 mmol/l 2 hours following meals
Good luck!
Jo