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Can I check BS levels in urine?

M

mae1946

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My doctor told me I have type 2 diabetes which I am controlling with diet, I have a blood test done every 6 months I do not do this myself because I have a needle phobia and although I have tried I can not do it, I have heard that you can check sugar levels in urine is this correct?

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Yes it is correct and I believe it used to be quite common.

But from my understanding the method is less accurate because the glucose that's in your urine was in your blood a fair time beforehand, so the information is not really reflecting your current blood glucose level.
 
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I may be wrong and someone jump in if I am, but your blood sugar has to be above about 10 mmol before it starts to spill over into the urine. Also some of the diabetes drugs work by deliberately flushing glucose out through the kidneys. This does not seem to be a very good way of doing things.
 
The colour change guide supplied the strips illustates a tiny colour change at 6 then the next illustated colour jumps to 15 but if anyone can detect any colour below about 12 I would be amazed.
 
This method is far from accurate and is not reliable if you are going to use it.

Urine testing for sugar is not an accurate way to measure how much sugar is in your blood. So most doctors no longer recommend it for people who have diabetes. A sample of urine often is stored in your bladder for several hours before you test it. Also, because sugar does not show up in urine until it is much higher than normal in the bloodstream (180 mg/dL), urine cannot be used to check for slightly high or low blood sugar levels.
http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/tc/diabetes-urine-test-for-sugar-topic-overview
 
So it does seem that this is not accurate enough so I will have to rely on the 6 monthly tests that I have done at the lab. Thanks for all your comments.
 
Agreed. It is a very crude measure and I've heard around 11 mmol for spill-over but I'm sure it varies. I was diagnosed with a urine stick - not NICE recommended!
 
My mother successfully used this method for 40 years to control T1D. She never had a meter/
 
Oldvatr said:
My mother successfully used this method for 40 years to control T1D. She never had a meter/
Click to expand...
The OP is a type 2 and makes no mention of insulin. If they are too phobic to use a glucose meter I can't see them using insulin. If the person is using any sort of reasonable diet their levels would not be high enough to even register this way. I can see how it would tell a type 1 that they were very high and needed insulin though.
 
I was merely pointing out that bg control is possible with urine testing alone, but meters are a much better route regardless of type. That was the only way of controlling bgl until recently. There are some T2's who cannot control by diet alone. As A T2 myself, I found it easy to place myself into the position where a urine test would register, no problem, However, to get the fine control that really reduces the risk of complications, then one does need a meter. But again, T2's are generally advised NOT to test, so we are actually expected to do ir without technology.
 
@mae1946 what numbers are you getting with your 6 monthly tests? Has anyone mentioned the Libre to you? Not a needle but a filament in your arm? May be a solution?

Smartie xx
 
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Back in the day. I was putting fizzing tablets in a test tube of pi**, then moved on to the pee strips.

Not acurate at all..!!

Plus.? Try matching the Dulux chart on the side of the pot with the colour blindness of a hypo...

Use a meter.
 
I normally test with urine strips, because
  1. they're cheaper I have to pay for the glucose meter strips (T2D without medications that could cause hypoglicemic attacks)
  2. they're faster to use
  3. I don't have to prick my finger
  4. they give you an average result
Of course I use also a glucose meter to measure fasting levels and sometimes post-prandial because the urine test is way less precise and signals in very high blood glucose levels.

As an engineer I think of urine test as an extra safety alarm that indicates a serious control problem and a runaway system rather than a thing to use to control the feedback to the system.
 
Yes it is, but I think the readings are about three hours behind blood glucose levels, so it's not particularly useful, except in indicating that you have diabetes, which you already know.
 
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