buying a meter

Buy the code free one, the strips are £6.99 for 50. Google home health that's where I get mine from. Test before you eat and 2 hours after. Reduce your carbs like pasta, bread, potato and rice.

If you are trying to make a difference to your Diabetes by diet, then it would be sensible advice to get a meter.

This way you can see what different foods do to your blood glucose, and can make educated decisions about what to eat, and also what not to eat.

If you decide on a Codefree, here's the website
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
If you buy extra boxes of strips, there is a discount code which saves about £8
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

wolfie11969 said:

I've sort of hovered through the boards since joining and have noticed a few of you have meters.

I'm a newly diagnosed type II and my GP referred me to the diabetic nurse to follow diet only for 3 months (which will take me to early December). I'm then to have a blood test and see the GP with a view to going on medication depending on what my blood results were.

People mention about a low carb diet and testing your blood to see what affects your blood sugars etc so you can change your diet accordingly.

So do I buy a meter and the paraphenalia associated with it? Or do I wait and see what my GP says in December like some others have done? It makes no difference to me whether I wait or whether I buy now.

If it is suggested I buy now what do I buy so I can guarantee I can buy the strips to go with it.

Oh dear it's all so confusing

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It depends on your results and what meds they may give you whether you are given a monitor or not. If they start you off on Metformin they probably won't give you one as you don't get hypos on that so they don't consider it necessary to test. Things like Gliclazide can lower your sugar levels to hypo status so you'd probably get one. The trouble is the testing strips for the ones they give out are really expensive (like £27 for 50) and they usually only allow you 50 strips a month which isn't nearly enough if you want to track the effect of different foods on your blood levels. So on balance you'd probably be best to get the one recommended on here with cheaper strips and start testing now. Just my humble opinion. xxx

Hi Wolfe.

I'm in roughly the same boat as you. I have ordered a meter and i started the LCHF diet just over a week ago and I feel fantastic. A few days of headaches and upset stomach, they seem to of vanished and i only have cramp in my calf's.
I cut out all sugar, switched to seaded brown bread, rice and pasta. The bread was the hardest. Just with that I lost 7 lbs within the first week of deciding to do something. Then I started the LCHF diet, i see my doctor on Monday for liver results as I had a scan as my blood test also showed enzymes from my liver so I have been told I have a enlarged liver with fatty deposits ( non alcoholic fatty liver.) i can tell I have lost more weight as my cloths are looser and i have put extra holes in my belt. So if you really want to change your diet, going by my experience so far I've picked the correct one. The help you can get from people on this site will really really help you with things your not sure about. I was told that the LCHF diet is not just straight forward and hard, trust me it is. It does however get easier the longer you go on and once the withdrawal from carbs ( that's what I can only describe it as.) are over I think it will be a bit easier again. Its entirely up to you what you do, I can only tell you my experience in the short space of time. listen to everything other people will say and look up the links people send you and make an informed decision on the information you have.
I hope everything works out for you and you get everything under control, again the people on this site know what they are talking about and there is always a sympathetic ear if you want to let some steam off.

@purp

Glad to see your feeling so much better, stay strong.