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Checking Blood Sugar Levels When Controlling T2 With Diet


Hi @Mikeee,the nurse is totally misinformed,if we don't test how can we know what spikes our blood sugars , ultimately it costs the nhs more because if we do not know what affects us or our current bs readings then things generally spiral out of control....hence all the growing no.s of amputations DAILY : ***
 
Hi @Mikeee
I was fortunate to have been given a meter and test strips on prescription when diagnosed. Doctor later told me I only got them as it was obvious I was going straight onto insulin. I used the meter to find what foods worked for me and am not on any medication. Then when I had my levels down I was told only to test a couple of times a week. I bought the sd codefree meter from Homehealth as they have the cheapest test strips. I don't want to lose control. I think you will need a meter to bring your levels down from an HbA1c of 70, particularly if you want to do it without meds.
 
One of the arguments I have heard is that when they did issue the monitors to T2s, but did then not give good advice on how to get the best out of the monitor.
So, the monitors were rarely used and became an obvious choice in cutting costs because of the cut backs to surgeries, the surgeries at that time were looking to reign in their spending, because of the way funding was done since the change in government policy.
A lot of what the likes of the more senior advice givers on this forum have had great advice and experience on how to test that will give you the benefit of using a monitor.
Because of some great advice on here, I have maybe tested myself over a thousand times, to discover how my weirdness affects food intake and how my intolerance, interfere with my life.
If you really want to know how food affects you, then testing regularly and keeping a food diary is required to track your journey and this might help your GP change his mind about the prescription change. If he sees you are serious and its working, there can be no logical reason why not, except government dogma!

If you have read around the forum, the numerous different types and how we all metabolism differently, it is essential, why we find out due to the initial insulin response and how high the glucose is at times after food. How high we spike.
What every T2 doesn't want, because of the health problems is fluctuating blood glucose levels, due to what you put down your throat.
Having a steady range of blood glucose levels around normal is so beneficial for your future health. Consistent high levels of glucose and/or insulin is not!
It is a pity that a cheap version of monitoring for hyperinsulinaemia (high levels of insulin) has not been manufactured for use for those, that because of the high imbalance of glucose/insulin has certainly contributed to leading from prediabetic to T2 diabetes. If there was a regular check for high insulin, there is certainly a lot that can be done to offset the incidence of T2!
I can't see anything on the horizon for doing this. Even NHS dietary advice is still in the dark ages, for anything to do with diabetes.
But it is getting better, they may catch up eventually!
A lot of T2 Diabetes is a dietary condition, changing your diet, to counter the problem should always be the first step in diagnosis, in that case, control of what happens after eating should be monitored, so that the patient can see what foods they are intolerant to. It is so logical!
If I said, you have a peanut intolerance. Would you eat them!
Most T2s have a carb and sugar intolerance, so logically, why are we being advised by our health care providers to eat a well balanced diet including carbs?
A lot T2s can get real good control by diet alone. By doing the low carb, higher fat diet, improving your lifestyle to suit you and your well being. For a healthy future and live a longer life without the diabetic complications!
 
For a good laugh - or maybe a good cry - read through the NHS 'The Truth (sic) about carbs'. When you do consider clicking to review at the one star level - unhelpful

I do notice that this was supposed to have been revised on 22/09/2016 but remains untouched.
 
Very interesting. When I was told I was T2 by the nurse a few years ago, she showed me a very basic guide of what to eat and yes it included pasta and jacket spuds. They also started me off on Metformin which made me quite ill. They changed the prescription to Gliclazide which I'm sure you all know is blood sugar lowering. I was training for my pilots licence at the time and the private doctor that took my medical said that it would have complications for my flying if I were to carry on with flying lessons while taking Gliclazide. It was the private doctor that suggested dropping the carbs to treat the T2 . I did this and sure enough my BS levels reduced . Pretty much all the food that I was told I could eat by the nurse during my first consultation was removed from my diet. Unfortunately I never got to complete my pilots license but that's another story .
 

 
With 777 1 star reviews against 218 5 star looks like we are winning...slowly but surely.
 
My surgery supply them for my diet controlled T2.
I explained that I eat to my meter. Your doctor is wrong simple as that.
I don't think I'll be asking for them next year though as I don't feel I'm any longer diabetic.
 
I'm diabetic and have been for the last 3 years I had previously been so ill for the previous 18 odd months where I was feeling so down I didn't have any energy all I wanted to do was sleep I was gradually drinking more and more I was going down my local shops during the day buying water and juice / pop as I was going through so much drink it was unreal I found myself just dropping off to sleep within flicking a switch off then waking up a hour later and I couldn't remember that I'd slept and I found myself doing that during the day a lot then I'd be getting up at 3 in the morning as I couldn't sleep , for 2 years I complained to my doctor how I was feeling and he kept putting it down to my tablets I'm on for my bad back as I have 2 slipped discs in my lower back I'm on 18 tablets a day for my back and he kept saying I'm having side affects to my tablets , just before I found out I was diabetic I went on holiday to Mexico all inclusive so you can imagine what it was like cocktails, cakes, drink all day so when I came ho,e I was so ill I was on the end of my tether I just wanted to end it all , so up to my doctors again and I think that when I asked to see my doctor he was off and seen a diffrence doctor and he straight away done tests to see if I was diabetic and my y was reading was 113 diabetic nurse said she is amazed I wasn't in a diabetic coma ? So I'm on 4 metmorphin tablets a day so I asked for a meter to keep up with my reading and I was refused and was told they only give meters to type1 and people who take insulin!!!
 
Tabbyjoolz said:
She later let slip (to everyone) that T2Ds tend not to be issued with meters because, in her experience, "a lot of people take down the numbers but do nothing about them".
Click to expand...
And who's fault is that if they educated people in how to go about acting on those numbers and the benefits of doing so many would not be left with the erroneous impression that it was a useless exercise and they where helpless to affect there diabetes without more and more drugs.
 
Get a new Doctor
 
Yeah I have done . And I have to have a operation on my back so hopefully that will sort that problem out ,
 
I am on medication for type 2 but after having been getting strips (50 per month)and topping them up myself, I was informed by my surgery that they would stop until I went on insulin! Beggars belief.

I bought the SD meter etc from Home health and still test for my own info. If you choose to go down this route then you can enter codes for strips and get more price cut.

5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
 
I don't think doctors will ever give prescription strips to T2's who are not on insulin. As we are constantly told diabetes is going to cripple the NHS so giving strips to all T2's would cost an enormous amount of money they say they have not got so we will go on funding it our self. There will always be plenty of diabetics who do not want or indeed can't afford to test. The feeling now is starting to point towards lower carb so if T2's even if they don't test would just lower or cut out the starchy carbs and sugar stuff they would see it can make a huge difference to their BG levels and their weight if they need to loose some
 
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