• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Advised against Blood glucose meter

I'm not in the blame game either, some people develop diabetes for many reasons and some people who you think are ripe candidates for T2 diabetes don't develop it. Just one of life's mysteries. As for the cost issue the NHS sees the priority in the worst cases and they get free stuff to complement meds/insulin/other injections whereas the rest are left in the dark to get on with it, self-educate and fund their supplies. I remember when I bought my first meter, Accucheck Aviva cost £15 and a box of 50 strips was £28. That could be a lot for someone with not much disposable income.
 
It seems bonkers not to issue people with the tools that can ultimately help give better control by empowering individuals to check & see the impact of how their diet influences their blood sugar.

I guess it comes down to cost. I got a big fat NO with my diagnosis the other week too. I was told 'you can't go hypo' on Metformin only? I can't be bothered arguing with them plus for a bit of 'free' consultancy work for a client I can get all the strips I want.
 
Agreed.
Strange thing is, I think I experienced a 'hypo' 6 weeks ago.
It was a hot day (we sometimes get them in Scotland) and I was playing golf.
I hadn't eaten and felt very light-headed, stars in my eyes kinda thing and thought for the first time in my life I was going to faint. I sat down and chilled for a bit and then got on with it.

At the moment I'm not taking any medication. Is it still possible to have them?
 
CatLadyNZ said:
Genetics plays a bigger part than we think, when we are blaming ourselves. I try not to blame myself anymore, especially after reading this:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php
Click to expand...

That's in there with
'I need my pain'
(and also 'What does God need with a starship?', but not quite so relevant)

I blamed myself, which worked for me as I lost the weight I had sat around and gained over a few decades, and to be fair, I also put the diabetes into remission, so maybe I also faced off the fact it wasn't something that simply happened to me, and I could challenge it.
It also wan't that easy, as it was a crash diet.
 
I think taking responsibility for our choices is important and can be powerful as a motivator, however more often we beat ourselves up excessively and unreasonably, which can cause problems, as outlined in the article I linked above.
 
I'm diet controlled type 2. My DN gave me a meter but wouldn't give me the strips! She said the doctors won't prescribe them and she isn't authorised to sign prescriptions. I accepted this. I later had to see a doctor about another problem and mentioned that I was a driver, and I have no way of knowing what my BG is before I set out. He has put them on my repeat prescription. By the way, regarding the comment that if you're diet controlled you can't change you're BG, what rubbish. I've done exactly that. I'm on a LCHF. If my BG is higher than it should be, I would eat/drink less carbs in that particular meal and replace it with fat or protein.
 
CatLadyNZ said:
I think taking responsibility for our choices is important and can be powerful as a motivator, however more often we beat ourselves up excessively and unreasonably, which can cause problems, as outlined in the article I linked above.
Click to expand...

Its me, but quite often I see 'excuses' for many things.
I was overweight.
Maybe it was a reason, maybe it wasn't, for diabetes.
Maybe it was my lifestyle, which was a lot of grabbed meals, a lot of work, a lot of missed meals, a lot of eating in the evening, after a day of no food at all.

But, it's something I can take, and use, to say, 'enough'.

I have a plan, and I follow it.
But it comes down to the acceptance I put myself here, so I can get myself out.
It wasn't fate, it wasn't genetics, it wasn't anything but me.
And that empowers me to fix it.
It's not been easy, but it was worthwhile.

And like the quote I (facetiously) referred to, I will stand up and say that was me, do your worst.
But, until the reckoning, I'm going to be enjoying it.
 
CatLadyNZ said:
Genetics plays a bigger part than we think, when we are blaming ourselves. I try not to blame myself anymore, especially after reading this:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php
Click to expand...

Very interesting reading (especially the bit about the tablets). I would love to find out, on diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, how many of them people were already on statins, beta blockers, anti depressants etc. As I am convinced that mine was caused by Amitriptyline that is been taking for 4 years without being monitored.
 
@mrpaulbradley It took me a while to realise it isn't essential to change the lancet every time you test. I change it about once a week, some people have said they go a month or more!
 
I'm pretty sure SSRI antidepressants kicked off the cycle that led to my T2 diabetes 10 years later. Still, I wouldn't have had it any other way as those meds have been medically necessary. If I had known about the risks maybe I would have tried harder not to gain weight. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I so envy people who can recover from depression without meds.
 
That's just what I've done though occasionally I will take ten tests a day and work out the average. I reckon the no meter recommendation is a ploy to save NHS funds - those strips are mighty expensive. Know your own body.
 
DawnPhenomenon said:
That's just what I've done though occasionally I will take ten tests a day and work out the average. I reckon the no meter recommendation is a ploy to save NHS funds - those strips are mighty expensive. Know your own body.
Click to expand...
I find testing before and after meals gives me more useful information than an average for a day, and it saves on strips.
 
I am on all of those tablets and have been for years!!

Well, in fact I stopped the statin about a month ago but might be getting put back on them.
I'm learning so much from this forum. Can't thank everyone enough
 

I didn't end up overweight when I was taking the tablets and wasn't overweight at diagnosis either. That's why I think the tablets caused mine
 
Met my dietician yesterday and she was great.
She also told me that my recent weight problems (I had lost almost 7 stones a couple of years back only to sadly put it back on again) could be a symptom of my diabetes.
I have been craving sweet things for a while now. She gave me a different perspective and lifted some of the guilt.

I've got the hang of the meter now too I think. It was kinda high yesterday I think ? - 13.3 but down to 7.7 overnight.

I'm feeling a bit more motivated to get myself sorted. Which is a wee step in the right direction.
 
I had a look at your other posts and I saw you have sleep apnoea, so do I. Is it well controlled at the moment? Do you know what your AHI level is? Do you have a way of getting the data off your machine, eg by taking it in to a clinic every so often? When did you last have a sleep study?

If it's not well controlled, that makes it harder to manage diabetes and lose weight. The good news is it should be fairly easy to get it under control, all going well.

Did you know that it's very common to have sleep apnoea, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and be overweight? I was able to break the vicious cycle by getting sleep apnoea under control with CPAP, hypertension and depression under control with meds, and diabetes and weight under control with LCHF eating. So while I still have these conditions, they are not running my life like they used to.
 
Yeah I'm just discovering this!
I have a CPAP machine and when I manage to get through a night with it, I do feel lots better in the morning. I still choke on occasion and take coughing fits (it's a full mask I use) which forces me to take it off on occasion.

You are so right re the viscous cycle and I'm glad you broke out of it!

Having had so much explained to me, both on here and by medical staff, I'm feeling more empowered to do so myself.

Watch this space!
(which will hopefully get smaller and smaller
)
 
It's great to see someone feeling empowered Good stuff!

Sometimes I wake to find I had taken my mask off for some reason and fallen back to sleep. I usually have a splitting headache and feel hungover for several hours when this happens. It's staggering to think I had gotten used to that happening every day for years before a doctor finally took notice and had me tested and I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea. The more time you sleep with the mask on the better, obviously. Do you feel sleepy much during the day?
 

I must admit I do still feel very fatigued during the day quite a bit, often having to grab s nap when time allows. My dietician says this could be a symptom of both diabetes and sleep apnea.
The big change is feeling lots better in the morning and feeling more refreshed when getting up.

I hadn't realised how bad I was feeling as it had been so long since I had a more normal sleep pattern.

I also now remember dreaming on occasion. This means REM sleep, which I hadn't been getting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…