Blood Testing

From a relatively recent study in the UK.

"Some participants saw readings as a proxy measure of good and bad behaviour-with women especially, chastising themselves when readings were high. Some participants continued to find readings difficult to interpret, with uncertainty about how to respond to high readings. Reassurance and habit were key reasons for continuing. There was little indication that participants were using self monitoring to effect and maintain behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical uncertainty about the efficacy and role of blood glucose self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education about the appropriate response to readings"

TheTartanPimpernel said:

From a relatively recent study in the UK.

"Some participants saw readings as a proxy measure of good and bad behaviour-with women especially, chastising themselves when readings were high. Some participants continued to find readings difficult to interpret, with uncertainty about how to respond to high readings. Reassurance and habit were key reasons for continuing. There was little indication that participants were using self monitoring to effect and maintain behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical uncertainty about the efficacy and role of blood glucose self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education about the appropriate response to readings"

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But...surely those that want to act on their self monitoring results should be given every opportunity to do so and not just lumped in with everyone else.

TheTartanPimpernel said:

From a relatively recent study in the UK.

"Some participants saw readings as a proxy measure of good and bad behaviour-with women especially, chastising themselves when readings were high. Some participants continued to find readings difficult to interpret, with uncertainty about how to respond to high readings. Reassurance and habit were key reasons for continuing. There was little indication that participants were using self monitoring to effect and maintain behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical uncertainty about the efficacy and role of blood glucose self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education about the appropriate response to readings"

Click to expand...

Hi TP.

Which particular study is this then ? I would like to see a link if you have it ? Mainly to see who, what and where the details are.

Ken.

And from a study published 1 March 2009

"We have found no convincing evidence to recommend routine use of SMBG by reasonably well-controlled, non-insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes. The specific advantages of monitoring identified by patients need to be placed in the context of a decline in compliance in the more intensive monitoring group and, at best, a small reduction in HbA1c. Neither the within-trial economic analysis nor the long-term modelling supports SMBG as a cost-effective intervention for all non-insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes. However, a clinically important benefit for specific subgroups of patients in initiating good glycaemic control cannot be excluded without further research."

Hi Ken,
These links may help

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/ ... 148-3.html

http://talk.nhs.uk/blogs/diabetes/archi ... ating.aspx

Cheers
Graham

johnbobs said:

I'm a project manager for a local diabetes charity in Liverpool l'm also a diabetic myself on tablets and insulin.
I can understand the need for testing if you are on certain medications plus insulin. My question would be what do you do with the test resuilts? If you can not increse your medication why do it.

If you test for peace of mind but you end up worrying about the resuilts? Do you test the same time ever day why? Dont let diabetes rule your life let your life rule your diabetes.

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Like the others who have answered, knowing what makes me spike means that I can avoid foods that make me spike. I'm not on any medication and can see the difference that knowing what food to avoid makes to my readings.

I plan to grow old disgracefully and won't be able to do that if I don't rule my condition with dietary changes informed by my regualr test results. I can honestly say I have not eaten this well for years (I'm a lower carb vegetarian) and as far as my diet goes, diabetes is probaly the best thing to happen to me in ages.

Cheers Graham. You have been very helpful with the links.

Tartanpimpernel, Any joy with the links I asked you for ?

Ken.

hi my gripe is this why do some companies expect us to pay for soft ware to use tester with my computer
i have a tester sent to me via survey i filled in but will not use it extra cost needed i use a abbot tester which is free to use. any comments

I live for the day when someone invents reusable test strips , too much money is made from medical equipment.

test 1-2 times a week, if the bg goes too low, then get the munchies and notice a slight shaking of the hands - that is when it gets to around 4-5 and need to eat NOW

nothing too noticeable if it gets too high, think a high for me is about 12

much less choclate now that eating the green and black's 85% slabs, maybe a block will last a month or so

old and defunct meter had software, but this site has a BG log, seems pretty good to use it and can show it to health team if needed

As I am controlling my diabetes with Diet, my doctor says I cant have test strips too...

He was more than happy to prescribe tablets, but cant give me the strips. So I am funding them myself.

I expalined that as I was a new diabetic, and every person is different, I needed the strips to determine how my body behaves with different foods.

He just kept arguing that the HBA1c is good enough (even that he says can be annual!) and points to the NICE guidlines.

Why cant the NHS manufacture their own brand of strips... Its obvious that the strip manufacturers are making huge profits (They are more than happy to send you free meters, books, PC cables, Software and even batteries BUT they wont decrease the price of the strips!)

I really get annoyed at the way that I get treated. Yet other people in the same health authority get strips prescribed freely! these people who clearly dont need them are making a killing by selling the strips privately on fleeBay :cry:

im t2 diet only newbee 2months well db nurse who i think is brilliant with me she spends a lot of time with me and she said to test twice a week also change days to see what was going on also i said that i wasnt testing as much and she said that she would like me to continue testing and if i needed more strips then no problem .

Hi broxiebear.

If your Nurse thinks that testing twice a week is going to tell her what is going on, she is sadly mistaken. You have no idea what is happening to your Bg levels on a daily basis, or even what foods are doing to your Bg levels. She may be very nice, very helpful...but frankly she is talking rubbish. You n eed to get more test strips and test much more often if you want to get control of your Diabetes.

Ken.