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Blood Sugar Monitor Free for T2

mish1953

Well-Known Member
Messages
87
Location
Ipswich
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I had my annual check to-day - diagnosed in Aug 2010 .

I was doing diet only until a week ago, now on Metformin 1x500 for a week then 2x500 plus statins .
My diabetes nurse handed me a Microdot tester and a prescription for 50 strips , right away and showed me how to use it. She wants me to test daily at random times so that I can get an idea of my average blood sugar/glucose levels.
Showed 18.7 , so pretty high at 2:30pm.

Is this normal for T2's on oral treatment ?

I had already bought a cheap meter, but I guess this will save me a bit of money on strips.

HBA1c 12.6%
Cholesterol 5.5.
BP 132/80

Thanks
Hamish
Ipswich Suffolk
 
Hiya Hamish!

According to this:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-bloo ... erter.html
a HbA1c of 12.6% is equivalent to an average BG of about 20.7 mmol/l which is pretty much what your meter is showing.

Is it normal? Well everyone is different, but those numbers seem very high... My HbA1c was 10.2% on diagnosis, and I was pretty ill by then.

When you were on diet only, what did your diet consist of? Have you tried to cutting out some carbohydrates?

The good news is, that with your meter and strips, you should be able to work out what foods make your blood high and cut them out (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta or anything with flour or sugar are the usual culprits). You might not feel like it now, but if you can get those BGs down a bit, then you'll feel like a new man. Getting my BG below 10mmol/l for the first time was one of the buzziest feelings I've ever had.

Good luck fella!
 
Thanks for the reply borofergie ,

I appreciate the advice , initially I "watched" what I ate .. clearly I wasn't watching quite hard enough as I am now on Met .. the higher figure and tablets have given me a real wake up call .

I think I worded the question badly , I was trying to ask about the free test meter , i was quite ( pleasantly ) surprised to be handed a tester and told I would get test strips on prescription .

Since asking I have bene browsing the site and realise that is seems to be a bit of a lottery.

thanks again
 
To be honest Hamish, you've been a victim of the NHS. If they'd given you a meter in the first place, then it would've been easier to 'watch' what you ate. I have no idea how you can get your BG under control if you can't see for yourself how it is behaving.

I wouldn't worry about the Metformin, apart from an icky tummy when you first start, most people agree that it's a great medecine with lots of beneficial side effects.
 
I agree it is a bit of a lottery also it does depend on your age, my mother is 84 and I wanted her to hve a meter (I have one) but they refused due to cost and said she should test her urine. I wrote to the doctor and said this was ageism, there were other things as well that we not being done due to her age.ie.No chiropody, no 3 month testing, wrong advise I can go on. So my advise if that if you do not get them first time ask again.
 
Thanks Laika Laika,

That's one of the lessons I have learned this week .. take control , learn as much as I can , get clued up .
I was diagnosed last year but the D/nurse reckons it's been there for a while , when I was diagnosed I got loads of leaflets, referred to a podiatrist and a had a retinal scan organised and told that I would get a check up in a year . That was August 2010. I already had a loss of sensation in my toes which is why I got diagnosed after the usual tests.
I got my feet checked , had the eye scan .. then heard nothing until last week when I had words with my GP to find out why I have had 5 abcesses in my lower region, thrush, skin infections etc .. I already have chronic venous insufficency with multiple cellulitis attacks, gangrenous ulcer, thrombophlebitis over the last 10 years so I was worried that I was having more blood supply problems Turns out that my diabetes had gone slightly nuts.
The morale being that I feel that I can't rely on the NHS but I do feel a bit sorry for the GP's who have 10 minutes per patient .
 
Hello Mish1953

You sound very similar to my friend who also comes from the same region as yourself.

I found out that counting carbohydrate where you live is not something diabetics are encouraged to do as some of them who use insulin are injecting biphasic twice a day. A good number of them have dreadful complications and are also fairly overweight.
 
Hi iHs
Tried to PM you but failed miserably .. still new here , so not quite used to it yet.

I didn't even know about carb counting until I came on here, just advised to use te 'eatwell' plate. Apparantly I should have been offered session(s) at the local hospital.. ho hum .
Im trying to get my head round the carb thing, looking at labels now
I made a apple & sultana crumble a couple of days ago - fruits got to be healthy ..I was eating it when browsing .. hmm no more of that then :- (

Much learning to do .

PS - this Hamish is an IT geek that works for local plod
 
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