Bg monitor

Not a recommendation as such but advice:
When considering the cost of a meter, ensure you consider the cost of the test strips - that is how the manufacturers make their money.

Hi @Dazzy1 .. and welcome
Not sure if you have seen the information yet from @daisy1 so I have tagged her for you

Good that you are getting yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both 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. 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.
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 £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I'm testing 4-5 times a day .. my fasting blood sugar, then immediately before meals and two hours afterwards. This enables me to monitor trends in my blood sugar levels over time and to check which (if any) foods give me "spikes". This costs between £10 to £12 a month for either of the two meters above but, more importantly, I now know what my levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps

@Dazzy1

Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful even though it doesn't really answer your question. Ask more questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 250,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

AM1874 said:

Hi @Dazzy1 .. and welcome
Not sure if you have seen the information yet from @daisy1 so I have tagged her for you

Good that you are getting yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
(or telephone: 01923 711511)
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
(or telephone: 0116 2865000)
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both 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. 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.
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 £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available

I'm testing 4-5 times a day .. my fasting blood sugar, then immediately before meals and two hours afterwards. This enables me to monitor trends in my blood sugar levels over time and to check which (if any) foods give me "spikes". This costs between £10 to £12 a month for either of the two meters above but, more importantly, I now know what my levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps

Click to expand...

Thanks that was an interesting read
I was diagnosed type 2 in May this year, the nurse gave me a gluco RX nexus meter and after losing wt and staring to get a hang of my diet I have just started a more regular testing process. As you mentioned the test strips for my meter seem very expensive!
I looked on home heath website like you suggested but I can't see the offer! £76.90 for 10 pack. Am I doing something wrong or is the offer over?
Regards P

paline said:

Thanks that was an interesting read
I was diagnosed type 2 in May this year, the nurse gave me a gluco RX nexus meter and after losing wt and staring to get a hang of my diet I have just started a more regular testing process. As you mentioned the test strips for my meter seem very expensive!
I looked on home heath website like you suggested but I can't see the offer! £76.90 for 10 pack. Am I doing something wrong or is the offer over?
Regards P

Click to expand...

Hi @paline ..
You need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and that you want 10 packs) and that will show £76.90. Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Code. Enter the discount code for 10 packs in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price to £58.98 .. finally, you then proceed to checkout
Hope this helps

AM1874 said:

Hi @paline ..
You need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and that you want 10 packs) and that will show £76.90. Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Code. Enter the discount code for 10 packs in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price to £58.98 .. finally, you then proceed to checkout
Hope this helps

Click to expand...

Yes that really does help, thanks

AM1874 said:

Hi @paline ..
You need to complete the order (check the boxes to confirm that you are diabetic and that you want 10 packs) and that will show £76.90. Then click on view basket and on the left hand side of the window you will see two boxes .. Coupon Code and Apply Code. Enter the discount code for 10 packs in the first box and then click the Apply Coupon box. This applies the discount and adjusts the price to £58.98 .. finally, you then proceed to checkout
Hope this helps

Click to expand...

I did exactly that this morning for strips for my SD Code Free

Thanks guys, I've been online and splashed out by buying new meter, test strips & download cable!
This will really save me money over my current meter.
One more question, How do you find the discount codes for future purchases?
Regards P

Here you go..........my advice is to copy it to notepad or a sticky for your desktop then its always to hand....
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98

paline said:

Thanks guys, I've been online and splashed out by buying new meter, test strips & download cable!
This will really save me money over my current meter.
One more question, How do you find the discount codes for future purchases?
Regards P

Click to expand...

You can reuse the same codes

Thanks
I assumed this code would expire like most special offers.
Now I know it can be reused I will store it somewhere safe