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Type 2 2 Test or Not 2 Test

TazziT

Well-Known Member
Messages
116
Location
Gloucestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Advacados
Hi I was diagnosed at the end of June after 3 blood tests, result 1 = 54 result 2 = 52 and result 3 = 55 the tests were done with 2 week gaps.

Since being told I have Type 2, I have changed my diet to very low carb and take a little more exersice than before. I had a 20 minute appointment with the practice diabetes nurse where she talked about diet and exercise and advised me to buy a blood pressure monitor and record blood pressures over the course of a week and provide her with the average (129/87) which is not to high at 56yrs.

However, when I asked about blood glucose testing she just stated I do not need to test and the practice does not provide testing scripts for type 2 paitients. I was sent away with a large suppy of Metformin and leaflet about classes and given another appointment mid Ocober; and the instruction to call the practice if I have a adverse reaction to the meds.

Reading through the forums over the last few weeks a lot of people here self fund testing to improve their health. So my questions given the costs involved are:
1, How long do you need to test 6 to 8 times a day for?
2, Is it worth signing up to this sites type 2 program (400 tests a year)?
3, Once I build a picture of foods that cause spikes and avoid those foods is there still the need to test 6 or 8 times a day?

Just for reference I'm Male 56yrs, 184cm tall and 115kg, I haven't drank alcohol since 2003 and have never smoked.

Thanks in advance.
Tazz...
 
To answer the header and not the question actually set in your post. Test definitely if you physically can. I am being threatened with hypnosis therapy but my family have had to pick me up off the floor too many times because i have glimpsed a sharp pointy thing to believe there is any other solution for me.
 
Hi Tazz, I like your calm approach, well done. We're all different so I can only say what happened to me in answer to your questions.
1) I tested 6-8 times a day four or five days a week for a year until I had a list of what is most likely to whack up my blood sugar, using this forum as a guide.
2) I don't know about that and tend to take one day at a time.
3) No (see 1).
Good luck and stand by for more info from others here. I've never taken meds for my T2 so I don't know about metformin etc. But we nearly all find the NHS leaves T2s to our own devices when it comes to diet and testing.
 
Id say testing is theonly way of " getting to know the enemy" - ie getting to know what impact foods have on your blood sugar and what impact your strategies have on diabetes
In answer to your 3 questions
1) until you have some stability in your numbers
2) dont know
3) not routinely no, but its useful to test a few times a couple of days a week and then return to more intensive testing to get an idea of whats going on if you see numbers increasing
 
Hi @TazziT .. and welcome
Sadly, your experience with your Nursie is pretty much standard procedure for many T2s and you are quite right that many of us self-fund our testing.

For two of the most popular (and economic) test meters, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
I have both of these meters which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.

The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I would advise that you test your blood sugar levels at regular intervals each day (eg: fasting, before meals and 2 hours after meals). I'm now testing 3-5 times a day and I am "eating to my meter", which means that I know which foods cause my blood sugar to "spike" and I koow what and what not to eat .. more importantly, I now know what my blood sugar levels are .. and I can manage them.

Hope this helps
 
Welcome @TazziT and well done on taking control with your diet. I have only ever tested 4 times a day, waking and after each meal. I also kept a food diary combined with a record of exercise taken. Looking at both of these I soon worked out what foods I can no longer tolerate and the effect of walking exercise. I kept it up for several months until I was satisfied I knew what I could eat and still maintain a regular waking test and from time to time run a day or two of four times a day testing, to check that I am still on track. I have never had to worry about blood pressure and refused the metformin and eventually my doctor agreed that I did not need to take it at present because I had brought my bg down. Was it worth self funding the strips? If you want to try to control your diabetes yourself without relying on medication that the manufacturers do not know how it works although they do know where the effects occur and the side effects of taking it. By eating to my meter I can occasionally indulge but keep generally on track.
 
Welcome @TazziT

It is essential to test if you want to discover which foods your body can cope with without raising your blood glucose levels. By testing before you eat and 2 hours after you first start you can see at a glance what that food has done to your levels. If you also keep a food diary and record your levels alongside, you will notice patterns emerging, allowing you to cut down or eliminate some of the carbs. Without testing you are working blind.

As for how long, we all do this differently. I have been testing since April 2014 and still test several times most days. I have no intention of letting my good results slip backwards. It provides me with powerful motivation. I keep records on a spreadsheet and I keep graphs showing trends. But that is me.

To be honest, you will need more than 400 strips a year, even without 6 to 8 a day. Relaxing testing is not always a good idea until you see a good improvement in your HbA1c, although the 6 to 8 times a day can be reduced once you are 100% happy with your way of eating. 400 strips works out at 1 test a day over the year - we lose some strips due to rogue readings, dropping them, human error, meter error. So no, 400 is not enough.

Good luck and let us know how you go on.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied for all the information, looks like the way forward is to self fund the SD meter at an estimated cost of £1.86 a day all in for up to 9 tests a day plus a little wiggle room for spoilt tests.

The geek in me would love a Freestyle Libre but at £3.55 a day and the grief of having to claim back the VAT to get it down to that daily rate; I think it will have to wait a while. Hopefully it will come down in price in time.

Thanks again.
Tazz...
 


I think finger prick testing is indispensible for working out how your body reacts to food, exercise, sleep...
And multiple tests a day at set times/circumstances is a brilliant way to map things out.

But when you have done that, it is worth remembering that the Libre doesnt have to be worn full time.
I wear one every couple of months (£50 every 8 weeks, rather than £50 every 2 weeks). And i hardly test the rest of the time. The comprehensive testing every 2 months teaches me something every time, keeps returning me to base, and it works out at under £0.90 a day. Result, eh?
 
TazziT said:
The geek in me would love a Freestyle Libre but at £3.55 a day and the grief of having to claim back the VAT to get it down to that daily rate; I think it will have to wait a while. Hopefully it will come down in price in time.
Click to expand...

Yes, hopefully the price will come down. One point though, you don't have to claim back the VAT. If you declare you are diabetic it is deducted before you pay.
 
Ok so my meter and other stuff arrived early this morning so I have now done my first full day of testing and I'm actually happy with the results.

Fasting/Pre Breakfast 5.7
2hrs Post Breakfast 5.5
Pre Lunch 5.5
2hrs Post Lunch 5.8
Pre Dinner 5.1
2hrs Post Dinner 6.5

I think it was strawberries that caused the first 6 of the day, I will mark them as one to test alone soon. Me thinks the portion was to large but they were getting to soft an I hate throwing food away.
 
Those numbers look pretty good to me.. well done. Hope you can now see why so many of us think its very useful to test.
 
Hi @TazziT you are relatively close to non diabetic numbers and have an approach designed to get you there. The initial testing as advised would be rigiorous to see what foods are compatible e.g I eat carrots but for some this is a no go.

What I have found by using my meter is that I can tolerate at breakfast some fresh pineapple, a whole orange with an omelette breakfast. I was only able to know this by testing as the resort I was staying at had no berries or full fat yogurt (now I would not do this all the time, but maybe once a month an orange, and I only think this works for me after laying a foundation of control).
 
I have one thing to add about testing. I've been doing it for about a year and I have periods where I wake up with mid 4's and I can eat almost anything. Then I get blocks where I wake up with mid/ high 5's and I have to be very careful about what I eat when I eat, when I exercise. By testing I feel a little more in control of these mysteries
 
TazziT said:
she talked about diet and exercise and advised me to buy a blood pressure monitor and record blood pressures over the course of a week and provide her with the average (129/87) which is not to high at 56yrs.
Click to expand...
Hi @TazziT Your lower (diastolic?) reading is a bit high at 87. Mine was around 85/86 when taken by my GP and DN, and they said it was too high. The NHS gudelines are that it should be no higher than 130/80. The DN said she wanted me to get it no higher than 80 before I next saw her.
I bought a BP monitor and test up to 3 times a day, and my BP is rarely over 80, usually in the 60s or 70s. I think the reason for the higher readings at the surgery is because I had my usual strong mug of morning coffee before the appointments. I have found that coffee does raise my BP, so I won't be having any before my next reviews. And I will take my test records with me.

Yours should drop as you are increasing your exercise, but do try to get it below 80. An important consideration is that if you are diagnosed as having high BP and prescribed medication, your health/travel insurance is going to be higher.

Well done on your bs testing results, they are very good.
 

I have answered this post before but my reply seems to have disappeared!

Those numbers are excellent. Personally I would only be concerned about the 6.5 after evening meal if subsequent tests showed I was on my way up rather than on my way down, and also if the levels stayed up there for 3 or 4 hours. Sometimes it is worth continuing with testing until back to base.

I would blame the portion size of the strawberries. You could just try the same meal again with just 2 or 3, which is the max that I can manage. By the way, no need to throw the spares away - birds love them!
 
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