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Diagnosed Type 2 late 2020
- Thread starter Caz88
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- help me please
Hi @Caz88 and welcome to THE Forum. Although I am not Type 2, I know many have been told they don't need to test, which is insane. As you are unable to convert carbs into energy efficiently, your blood sugars can vary like a Type 1. In either case this can be unpleasant at least, and over a long period can be damaging. When you sign into diabetes.co.uk and click on 'Forums' you will see the page that on the right hand side has your avatar and name, followed by staff on line,the most recent 5 posts together with the members on line, including you. On the left are all the different categories of posts. Click on Type 2 diabetes, which is 7th on the list. There will be plenty in there inspiring you to test. It is fundamental to feeling well and avoiding trouble. Good luck!
bulkbiker
BANNED
If you want to see how different foods can impact your blood sugars then yes testing your bloods is a very good idea.
When driving you use the speedo to monitor your speed so many of us use a glucometer to monitor which foods cause spikes and are best avoided.
HeliGary
Well-Known Member
I am newly diagnosed (Nov 2020), but have had to get a grip fairly quickly due to work requirements for regular medical examinations.
I was surprised that whilst very supportive and knowledgable as she is, my diabetes nurse was not interested in me doing regular BG readings. I think this is as a result of NHS policy or funding which does not provide BG meters to the masses, some may get them but certainly not all.
I was prescribed Metformin as an almost fire and forget medication, with a proposed follow up in 3 months, which was no good for me work-wise.
We bought a cheap BG meter off Amazon (Sinocare AQ Smart), and I started logging BG figures at least 3 times a day using the mySugr App, which seems quite good, but could have easily done a similar thing with Excel.
Logging helped me quickly get an idea of fasting BG each morning, and which foods affected my BG adversely, this resulted in an ability to tell the diabetes nurse that we had it under control with two Metformin a day , despite the prescription being for 4 a day.
I was confident having logged so much that the HbA1c figures would be low and we re-tested at the 8 week point with a pretty huge drop from 116 to 62, which we were pleased with.
This and sites like it are invaluable for a bit of self education , and that has helped massively to get enough (but still limited) knowledge of the subject to get it under control quite quickly.
Don't feel alone in the journey, and don't expect anyone at the Dr's surgery to help you much more than you've seen, spend a modest sum, get a BG meter and do some reading.
Gary
I was surprised that whilst very supportive and knowledgable as she is, my diabetes nurse was not interested in me doing regular BG readings. I think this is as a result of NHS policy or funding which does not provide BG meters to the masses, some may get them but certainly not all.
I was prescribed Metformin as an almost fire and forget medication, with a proposed follow up in 3 months, which was no good for me work-wise.
We bought a cheap BG meter off Amazon (Sinocare AQ Smart), and I started logging BG figures at least 3 times a day using the mySugr App, which seems quite good, but could have easily done a similar thing with Excel.
Logging helped me quickly get an idea of fasting BG each morning, and which foods affected my BG adversely, this resulted in an ability to tell the diabetes nurse that we had it under control with two Metformin a day , despite the prescription being for 4 a day.
I was confident having logged so much that the HbA1c figures would be low and we re-tested at the 8 week point with a pretty huge drop from 116 to 62, which we were pleased with.
This and sites like it are invaluable for a bit of self education , and that has helped massively to get enough (but still limited) knowledge of the subject to get it under control quite quickly.
Don't feel alone in the journey, and don't expect anyone at the Dr's surgery to help you much more than you've seen, spend a modest sum, get a BG meter and do some reading.
Gary
Hello and welcome,
I agree with the previous posters that you should get a meter and test your levels. Part of the reason that type 2s are not told to test is the view by many in the medical profession that type 2 is a progressive illness with nothing you can do about it. Well that view is not shared here.
The meter is the thing that will tell you how different foods affect your levels. I along with many here have found that by dramatically reducing my carb intake my blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.
Read around her and ask questions. This forum is the best place in the world for diabetics and is filled with amazing generous people. This place has provide me with so much support and advice and so with that my HbA1c is now well within the normal range- I would not have achieved that by relying on the medical profession.
I agree with the previous posters that you should get a meter and test your levels. Part of the reason that type 2s are not told to test is the view by many in the medical profession that type 2 is a progressive illness with nothing you can do about it. Well that view is not shared here.
The meter is the thing that will tell you how different foods affect your levels. I along with many here have found that by dramatically reducing my carb intake my blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.
Read around her and ask questions. This forum is the best place in the world for diabetics and is filled with amazing generous people. This place has provide me with so much support and advice and so with that my HbA1c is now well within the normal range- I would not have achieved that by relying on the medical profession.
Testing is the way you find out what food does what to your blood glucose. The usual culprits - sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread etc are obvious problems but everyone reacts to them in different ways - some more, others less. In addition there are carbs and sugar hidden everywhere in packaged and processed foods. I found testing to do two things: it told me what effect foods (and various conditions and activities, like medication, exercise, or illness) had on my blood sugar AND it gave immediate feedback on progress. I don't think you can do any of that effectively through a six-monthly HbA1c test. The A1c is great for confirming overall direction of travel but no good for day to day management.
