Last week I went to my annual check I am T2 , yes the say once a year I had lost 2 kg since the last one ...still had glucose in my sample its been like that since before i was diagnosed ..the nurse knew little about me , obviously hadnt read my notes ,I was asked if i check my BG's i told her i had been told i didnt need to then she asked if i see a chiropodist i never been told i need to then she asked if i had ever been to the diabetic clinic at my hospital , no never been didnt know anything about it ....i ahve minor complications neuropaphy in y feet and some eye issues which could have been diabetes related then at the end of the exam i was told NOT to make a appointment to see the GP for a follow up when the Bloods come back but to phone in and the receptionist would give me the results , and if i needed to see the gp he would say ...it was good to be able to chat to GP about problems after all the nurse didnt seem to be very savvy about my tablet regime etc ...Am i missing out on care ??? or is this another NHS cutback
check up ..and downs
- Thread starter ukmartian
- Start Date
ickihun
Master
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- Type of diabetes
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Who diagnosed your neuropathy in your feet and possible eye damage?
So you have seen your gp recently?
Many on here still test but buy their own meter and test strips.
Are you on any diabetic meds at all?
What was your last hba1c result?
So you have seen your gp recently?
Many on here still test but buy their own meter and test strips.
Are you on any diabetic meds at all?
What was your last hba1c result?
hi ....the Neuropathy was in its beginnings and was one of the symptoms which led to my diagnosisis about 12 years ago, burning in my feet ect the eye problems were about 6-7years ago they were diagnosed by the hospital after i noticed probs and visited my GP ie I woke up with disturbance in my vision ..I have just had my annual check up and still waiting for my results ...my last BG's were 8.2 mmol last november 9.2 last july high I know but coming down , as i was taken of some meds because of side effects but on the way down ....i am taking metformin 6 tabs a day and piaglazone 30mg ...i am now on Gabapentin which has eased the Neuropathy which was stopping me sleeping 1 pill almost instant relief .....whether i see my GP depends on the results of my tests ..
ickihun
Master
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@ukmartian I'd like to think your gp could issue you with a meter due to neuropathy and possible eye health. If I was you I'd make an appointment to ask your gp if he/she would be willing to issue the test strips so you can monitor your bgs more closely to prevent further damage from high bgs which could be brought down.
Some gps can only issue/fund one type.
More importantly you need to think of how you can reduce these higher bgs.
I'll tag @daisy1 for her info which I found very very helpful.
Some gps can only issue/fund one type.
More importantly you need to think of how you can reduce these higher bgs.
I'll tag @daisy1 for her info which I found very very helpful.
daisy1
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@ukmartian
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will be pleased 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 235,000 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will be pleased 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 235,000 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hi @ukmartian , if your GP will not issue you with a bg meter then please get one for yourself. I know they are told not to issue them because people would be frightened of the numbers they get but how can you slow your complications getting worse or possibly bring your numbers down if you don't know what is raising them? You need to be prepared to change your lifestyle. You would then have some idea of where your HbA1c will be before it comes back.
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You are missing out on care. Ignore the nurse and make an appointment to see the doctor if you want one. My surgery also gives out results over the phone. My doctor has told me to ignore the nurse and come and see him.
AM1874
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,383
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Not much
Hi @ukmartian .. and welcome
It seems to me that you may not be getting the type or level of care that you need from your surgery .. but you have made a good move coming here. Since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that you have already received your info from @ daisy1 and I would suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ..
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
As others have suggested you really would benefit from a meter and I suggest that you try the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter or: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-4 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them
A final point to note is that you are not alone in terms of the conflicting advice that you are receiving from your surgery .. but you do not have to follow it. A useful little mantra that I have employed is ..
# Listen
# Nod
# Smile and say thankyou
# Ignore
Hope this helps
It seems to me that you may not be getting the type or level of care that you need from your surgery .. but you have made a good move coming here. Since joining this forum the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need .. in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that you have already received your info from @ daisy1 and I would suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites ..
Low Carb Intro and Information
Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
As others have suggested you really would benefit from a meter and I suggest that you try the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter or: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. I'm testing 3-4 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them
A final point to note is that you are not alone in terms of the conflicting advice that you are receiving from your surgery .. but you do not have to follow it. A useful little mantra that I have employed is ..
# Listen
# Nod
# Smile and say thankyou
# Ignore
Hope this helps
Thanks for the replies NHS cuts certainly seem to be biting , I will definately look into getting a new meter ...it is not the meter which costs , but the strips ...
When I was first diagnosed i had a Meter I experimented and managed to get my A1C down to between 5-6 mmol from a high of 12 mmol however a change in regime said i only need to test 1-2 a week and test strips were rationed, pointless i thought..when my meter went faulty i was told it was not necessary for T2 so testing stopped ..A few years ago I was put On gliclazibe and a few month later my practise nurse said i should have been issued issued a meter and gave me one and was told that I had to test 20 minutes before any driving activity to comply with driving regs , This proved very inconveinient as i have to drive at any time during the day including plant machinary plus the med made me feel rubbish , not low bg related though ...i was therefor taken off glic for 6 months and my Metformin was increased unfortunately my A1C went up from 7.5 mmol to 9 mmol to so i was put on low dose Pioglitazone which brought my A1c down wth to 8 mmol with in 3 months , the dose was then increased 6 months ago and I waiting for the latest results hopefully back down to 7.5 mmol . the meter i had was stolen /lost but was deemed no longer necessary and not replaced.
PS i have to be careful with new meds as i am prone to side effects , this ranges from ibruprofin anti inflammatories statins and various others , hence the caution when prescribing new meds ...
When I was first diagnosed i had a Meter I experimented and managed to get my A1C down to between 5-6 mmol from a high of 12 mmol however a change in regime said i only need to test 1-2 a week and test strips were rationed, pointless i thought..when my meter went faulty i was told it was not necessary for T2 so testing stopped ..A few years ago I was put On gliclazibe and a few month later my practise nurse said i should have been issued issued a meter and gave me one and was told that I had to test 20 minutes before any driving activity to comply with driving regs , This proved very inconveinient as i have to drive at any time during the day including plant machinary plus the med made me feel rubbish , not low bg related though ...i was therefor taken off glic for 6 months and my Metformin was increased unfortunately my A1C went up from 7.5 mmol to 9 mmol to so i was put on low dose Pioglitazone which brought my A1c down wth to 8 mmol with in 3 months , the dose was then increased 6 months ago and I waiting for the latest results hopefully back down to 7.5 mmol . the meter i had was stolen /lost but was deemed no longer necessary and not replaced.
PS i have to be careful with new meds as i am prone to side effects , this ranges from ibruprofin anti inflammatories statins and various others , hence the caution when prescribing new meds ...
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Does any one use this meter if so is it OK
www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-Glucose-Monitor-Monitoring-Testing/dp/B0068JAJFS/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1495965204&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+glucose+monitoring+kit
www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-Glucose-Monitor-Monitoring-Testing/dp/B0068JAJFS/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1495965204&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+glucose+monitoring+kit
Hi. Can you let us know more about your diet and possibly BMI as these can be factors in blood sugar control. Many of us are or have been on Gliclazide and although you should ideally test before driving, it is no-where near as dangerous for hypos as insulin is. I was on full dose Glic for around 5 years and no-one at the surgery mentioned testing! Be aware that the glitazones do have some bad side effects and they are no longer a recommended diabetes drug. They can work very well but be aware of this. Your DN sounds useless and I agree you should see the GP if you are worried. You are entitled to annual retinopathy checks and to see the chiropodist if you have known feet problems. Testing is vital for all diabetics and worth buying your own strips if the surgery won't offer them as a T2.
- Messages
- 11,372
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Lots of us use that meter, UKMartian. It's certainly one of the cheapest, in terms of strips.
If you buy your strips directly from the UK distributor, you can have a decent discount on 5 or 10 pots. It sort of works out around buy 5 pots, but pay for 4; not to be sneezed at.
The discount code you need is:
5 packs = 264086
10 packs = 975833
The codes come in the meter packaging too, but I thought it worthwhile just adding it here anyway.
You have answered the glic question it made feel rubbish ...with regards to BMI , I did once attempt to hit a ideal BMI but after over a year and still not getting there i gave up especially when people said i looked ill lol ..i have read many articles about it , it doesnt take into account muscle and bone mass and genetics ...i am from a 'large' family ..if i was to apply a bmi we would all be classed as obese i myself am as classed overwieght / obese my BMI at present is about 33 down from 37.3 a few years ago so going the right way an I am probably the lowest off my siblings .
Dispite a very energetic job which can entail walking upto 5 miles a day unfortunately eating is very difficult and convenience foods are a major part of my diet i do however use the traffic light system and avoid the red light for sugars salts and fats but i do succumb to snacking and the occasional treat when a bit down ...i dont smoke (never have ) or drink to excess anymore but enjoy a pint weekends ...but to be honest due to a few personal problems over the last few years i admit have not been a vigilant as i should/ could ...this is why I am now striving to 'sort things out' ...i have recently joined a local diabetic club which meets monthly ... and obviously this site ...
thanks for the help
Metformin 6 x 500mg daily pioglitazone 30mg daily gabapentin losartin pottasium 75mg last A1c 8.2 work age 61 diagnose 2005
Dispite a very energetic job which can entail walking upto 5 miles a day unfortunately eating is very difficult and convenience foods are a major part of my diet i do however use the traffic light system and avoid the red light for sugars salts and fats but i do succumb to snacking and the occasional treat when a bit down ...i dont smoke (never have ) or drink to excess anymore but enjoy a pint weekends ...but to be honest due to a few personal problems over the last few years i admit have not been a vigilant as i should/ could ...this is why I am now striving to 'sort things out' ...i have recently joined a local diabetic club which meets monthly ... and obviously this site ...
thanks for the help
Metformin 6 x 500mg daily pioglitazone 30mg daily gabapentin losartin pottasium 75mg last A1c 8.2 work age 61 diagnose 2005
Thanks i will definately order 1 ...so now the hard work begins
- Messages
- 11,372
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
This link is to buy directly from the distributor:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/family-diabetes-blood-sugar-meter-testing-kit-mmol/
The strips are here:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/
I'm sure it's buying directly (and thus saving their eBay/Amazon fees) that allows Homehealth to offer the discount.
I have no professional relationship with the company, but have been a satisfied customer for over 3 years.
