Diagnosed This Week - Minimal Info Given - Not Sure What to Do

jcwebguy said:

In other news, I finally went and bought a glucose monitor. Test strips are pricey (here in the US at least). First test, right before lunch - 182.

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Not exactly a good value, but safely out of the DKA danger zone If you're under 240, you don't need to test ketones. It's also a good idea to check glucose levels before bed and when you get up in the morning, to see what's happening over night.

That translates as 10, I think. That isn't drastic - I saw a 10 just yesterday when I went rushing around and went out without anything to eat - but the ideal is to not increase the number by more than 2 - that would be 36 - at two hours after starting to eat.
I gave in and bought more strips as I found the situation of not knowing my BG levels just did not make me feel happy and I began to wonder if I ought to eat certain things at dinner time.
If you do get a large rise in BG after meals then finding out which foods cause it and cutting them down or out completely should result in your numbers gradually drifting downwards, with any luck - it is what I saw when I stuck to low carb. The tests I did to see if certain foods which I knew stalled weightloss also increased BG resulted in levels staying high, cutting out the experiments brought back the downward trend.

jcwebguy said:

By "good" I guess I meant compared to prior readings at dr visits of 350 a week ago and 270 (or so) last Friday

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Yes, you're definitely going in the right direction

jcwebguy said:

After testing, do people use a bandaid or anything or is it safe enough to go about your business once its stopped bleeding? Any infection worries?

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It should stop bleeding after a few seconds. I use cotton make-up removal pads, since they're super cheap, to dab off the extra blood from my finger. I use one side of the cotton pad one day, and the other side the next day, then throw it out and start with a new one.

It's a good idea to wash your hands before testing, but there shouldn't be any risk of infection if you're reasonably careful.

jcwebguy said:

Any idea what a "normal" or "good" decrease amount would be over time?

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"Normal" values can vary a bit from one country to another, but here's one list of normal values on the same site as this forum: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

Basically, 70-125 (4.0-7.0) is normal before a meal.

jcwebguy said:

Should I be seeing a much lower number than this already through the changes I am making, or given that it's been a week is this typical?

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It seems to typically take at least a few weeks to get into a more normal range, even with pretty aggressive dietary measures. But if things are under control, there should be steady improvement until levels normalize. If improvement stops while glucose levels are still too high, it might indicate a need for meds or further dietary adjustments, etc.

An increase of 30 is great.
As you get further along you ought to see results of about the same amount of change but lower - your reserves are being reduced so you cope with what you take in better.

There is a converter here so you can convert your US readings (mg/dl) to the UK ones (mmol/l) which may make things easier.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html

You need to aim for under 153mg/dl at 2 hours after first bite
72mg/dl to 126mg/dl before meals.

Set yourself a plan.
Test as soon as you get up in the morning (after washing hands) before doing anything else.
Test before each main meal
Test 2 hours after first bite
Test at bedtime
If you are continuing to exercise a lot, test before, during and after.

Keep a food diary including portion sizes and record your levels alongside with notes about exercise etc.
Look at the rises and keep them under 2mmol/l and when you improve, keep them under 1.5mmol/
More than that and there are too many carbs in that meal, so look at the carb portion sizes and reduce them, then try same meal again.
If that doesn't work, eliminate something carby
Try to avoid too many carbs at breakfast.

The food baddies are bread, rice, pasta, cereals, potatoes and most fruits, plus anything made with grain flour.
To avoid hunger, increase your fats. Ditch any low fat or light products you have and eat real natural food.

Have a look at what you can eat here
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

You are doing well considering how short a time it is since diagnosis - if you can stick to low carb consistently then you should see your numbers go down - though after a few weeks you could see your numbers suddenly jumping around unexpectedly with highs and lows - that happened to me and others have mentioned the same thing happening. I think it shows that your metabolism is being stirred up rather than being drowned in sugar.

Be careful about exercising hard with blood sugar over 250, if you are not producing enough insulin then you will be causing more damage with your body producing sugar to feed your muscles and you do not know enough about your diabetes yet.

I would go with the low GI good carb low carb advice and make sure you eat little and often to keep a steady intake - snack on things like nuts. Then find out as soon as possible about what your own situation is, don't stress too much about normal we are all different and you still could be type 1 and producing a little insulin yet.

I found when I was first diagnosed I was given a bit of information at a time as too much at once is confusing when you are still getting used to the big changes.

jcwebguy said:

Any idea what a "normal" or "good" decrease amount would be over time? Should I be seeing a much lower number than this already through the changes I am making, or given that it's been a week is this typical?

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When you reduce your carbs, it can normalize fairly quickly

.... but we are all different.

Assuming you are T2, it will reduce very quickly, but maybe not all the way to normal (though some will). There will be a rapid decrease initially due to the reduced carbs, possibly followed by a more gradual decline as you lose weight. That's what has happened to me - when I adopted low carb my numbers came down a lot but we're still too high, then have gradually come down further.

But if you are T1, low carb will help, but won't be sufficient. You will need insulin. The assumption underlying my previous comment about ketones is that you are T2, based on the response of your health care team, but I recognise they/you didn't say that.

jcwebguy said:

How difficult is it to get started on a blood glucose monitor? Is it something I need a professional to show me how to use or are they safe enough I can just go buy one and use it?

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Hi @jcwebguy .. and welcome
Using a glucose monitor is easy .. cleanliness, care and timing are the main issues to think about once you have the meter in front of you. I started mine just a couple of weeks ago and now I feel almost like an "old hand". You may find the following details helpful...

I was given the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter and I ordered one a few days ago. While I was waiting for this I also found the website at: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. I have been using both for comparatine purposes since Feb 16th. In an email yesterday, I received details of a new T2 testing programme offer: https://www.type2testing.com .. another free meter. All of these meters have clear, concise instructions for use. The actual 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 three packages above. I don't know yet whether my Surgery will provide the strips etc on prescription .. but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them.

Alongside testing, managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise and diet - with or without medication - seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day, seems to be working .. I have lost almost a stone since my diagnosis on Feb 7th and my BG levels are down from 12.5 to around 6. There is a wealth of info about testing and LCHF on the forum .. and a host of kind folks ready to provide positive and relevant advice and support.

Hope this helps

jcwebguy said:

Do people find meters can vary in readings a lot? Did a light workout and got a reading of 172 (9.6) after (down from 183 not long before). An hour later, a bit before lunch - 137(7.6). I was shocked so did a second reading right then. 144 (8.0). Is this deviation common?

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Yes it is.. I can measure the same bit of blood and get a few decimal point differences (UK measurements) If I see something really wacky then I retest to double check. Meters are not especially accurate but are very useful for monitoring the main up and down trends which is what you really want to see specially when testing for the foods that cause your sugars to go up.

jcwebguy said:

Do people find meters can vary in readings a lot? Did a light workout and got a reading of 172 (9.6) after (down from 183 not long before). An hour later, a bit before lunch - 137(7.6). I was shocked so did a second reading right then. 144 (8.0). Is this deviation common?

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Yes, it is common. Meters are only required to be accurate within the following standards

• Within ± 0.83 mmol/L of laboratory results at concentrations of under 5.6 mmol/L
  (Within ± 15 mg/dl of laboratory results at concentrations of under 100 mg/dL)
• Within ± 20% of laboratory results at concentrations of 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) or more