Feeling really nervous

Tabbyjoolz · Sep 12, 2016

Hi Coby,

I have one of these meters too. Although the instruction book looks a little scary, you can start testing your glucose straightaway without setting up the time, etc. So long as you record your glucose scores and the time it was taken in the little book provided, you'll be fine. There is a quick-start information sheet with the Codefree too, so you'll be able to work out which end of the strip needs to go in the meter, and how you set up your lancet pen.

As you get more confident with testing, you can set up all the other things gradually. I haven't bothered setting up the before or after meals indicator as I have a pretty good idea of when I ate. I just set up the time function.

Even if you can only test at the times of the day you mention, it's better than not testing at all as it helps to build up a picture of what your glucose is doing throughout the day. Once you get used to testing it takes seconds and you may feel up to testing more often.

Good luck - you are not alone - and don't neglect your health. Let caring begin with yourself and direct it outwards.

coby · Sep 12, 2016

DavidGrahamJones said:
What meter do you have? I'm sure that with the combined knowledge and experience of forum members giving a helping hand will be a walk in the park. Think positive, and by that I don't mean positive that you can't, positive that you can and will.

I was advised on the forum to get a Codefree meter David

coby · Sep 12, 2016

Tabbyjoolz said:
Hi Coby,

I have one of these meters too. Although the instruction book looks a little scary, you can start testing your glucose straightaway without setting up the time, etc. So long as you record your glucose scores and the time it was taken in the little book provided, you'll be fine. There is a quick-start information sheet with the Codefree too, so you'll be able to work out which end of the strip needs to go in the meter, and how you set up your lancet pen.

As you get more confident with testing, you can set up all the other things gradually. I haven't bothered setting up the before or after meals indicator as I have a pretty good idea of when I ate. I just set up the time function.

Even if you can only test at the times of the day you mention, it's better than not testing at all as it helps to build up a picture of what your glucose is doing throughout the day. Once you get used to testing it takes seconds and you may feel up to testing more often.

Good luck - you are not alone - and don't neglect your health. Let caring begin with yourself and direct it outwards.

Ohhh ! I didn't realise that it would work until it's set up Tabbyjoolz because it clearly says 'After setting the beep, the display will appear'. So I thought ...if there's no display then how can I know what the reading is!

Tabbyjoolz · Sep 12, 2016

Ooh, I'd forgotten about that, and I've only had mine for a few weeks! You still may not need to set the beep. Try putting in a test strip anyway; if you get a pic of the test strip on the screen, you should be good to go. If not, set the beep first.

coby · Sep 13, 2016

DavidGrahamJones said:
What meter do you have? I'm sure that with the combined knowledge and experience of forum members giving a helping hand will be a walk in the park. Think positive, and by that I don't mean positive that you can't, positive that you can and will.

Well I tried that this morning! .... and failed miserably. I wasted the first testing strip because I was trying slowly to follow the instructions in the book and didn't know you had to throw it away after three minutes I daren't try another now because I KNOW beyond doubt that it will take me far longer than three minutes to prick my own finger) Isn't there any other way of testing my blood sugar?

coby · Sep 13, 2016

Tabbyjoolz said:
Ooh, I'd forgotten about that, and I've only had mine for a few weeks! You still may not need to set the beep. Try putting in a test strip anyway; if you get a pic of the test strip on the screen, you should be good to go. If not, set the beep first.

This is just it though Tabbyjoolz ... I don't know how to set ANY of it. I am so useless

DavidGrahamJones · Sep 13, 2016

coby said:
Well I tried that this morning! .... and failed miserably.

I should imagine reading instructions, probably with a small pamphlet that needs holding at the right page, isn't easy.

Even when I had to insert the test strip (turns my machine on) prick my finger, ensure enough to sample, apply sample, get reading takes 30 seconds max. The one I have now uses a cartridge so it's even easier.

Perhaps watching the video will help, so that you don't have to refer to anything, you'll have seen it done, watch it several times.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose-meters/sd-codefree-blood-glucose-meter.html

Hope the video helps. I'm afraid to say that expecting failure is a sure fire self fulfilled prophesy. You can do this.

chalup · Sep 13, 2016

coby said:
This is just it though Tabbyjoolz ... I don't know how to set ANY of it. I am so useless

You figured out how to use this forum so clearly you are not useless. You just sound overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time at your own pace instead of trying to wrap your mind around everything at once. Deep breath. I would also try to find some kind of respite so you can have a couple hours to decompress from time to time. Maybe someone in the UK would have some insight on how to find resources. I know in Canada if you are lower income you can get these services for free. In the meantime please be kind to yourself.

col101 · Sep 13, 2016

Sorry I don't know your meter, sound like it's getting you very anxious though. When I'm feeling shakey I get my strip and meter ready but don't fully insert it, then I get the blood drop ready, then push the strip home and test. This stuff can feel so hard, hope you can find it on yourself to push through. Maybe there's a dsn or surgery nurse could help you learn to test? Best wishes

coby · Sep 14, 2016

Tabbyjoolz said:
Hi Coby,

I have one of these meters too. Although the instruction book looks a little scary, you can start testing your glucose straightaway without setting up the time, etc. So long as you record your glucose scores and the time it was taken in the little book provided, you'll be fine. There is a quick-start information sheet with the Codefree too, so you'll be able to work out which end of the strip needs to go in the meter, and how you set up your lancet pen.

As you get more confident with testing, you can set up all the other things gradually. I haven't bothered setting up the before or after meals indicator as I have a pretty good idea of when I ate. I just set up the time function.

Even if you can only test at the times of the day you mention, it's better than not testing at all as it helps to build up a picture of what your glucose is doing throughout the day. Once you get used to testing it takes seconds and you may feel up to testing more often.

Good luck - you are not alone - and don't neglect your health. Let caring begin with yourself and direct it outwards.

Thank you for your very detailed reply Tabbyjoolz ... I have given the meter to a friend of mine to see if he can work out how to set it up for me. Hoping he can Also, do you know how long a lancet can be left in the pen before it has to be used? I put it in two mornings ago, but of course couldn't use the meter. Do I need to throw that away like I did with the testing strip?

JohnEGreen · Sep 14, 2016

Lancets can be used several times so no need to discard. Oh and to be honest I did not set code free up per the book at first I just kept clicking the the round button in the centre till the meter had cycled through all the default settings and then left it at that.

chalup · Sep 14, 2016

Lancets can be used many times and they don't go bad just sitting. I am glad you have a friend to help sort things out

Jix200903 · Sep 15, 2016

Hi @coby . It sounds like you feel really lost and overwhelmed by the whole diabetes thing. So, the first thing you can do is relax a bit. Chill out. You aren't dead yet and diabetes can really be knocked back with a bit of understanding and a few tweaks to your lifestyle. Really. I was diagnosed 4 months ago with a high hba1c and three months later, without any medication at all, I am back down to 48, the target for T2 Diabetics. Hopefully I'll get it lower still. All I've done is go on a diet and walk around after meals. That is it. No fancy pants regime. OK, I got a FitBit to help make sure I walk lots and use a website to a) log my meals and b) PLAN my meals.

The meter thing is like an alarm clock or a digital watch. You set the time and date. It's not going to blow up and if it beeps at you it's still not going to blow up. All it really wants is to see a strip stuck in the meter and a teeny drop of blood that doesn't really hurt get sucked up into the little strip thing. You can do it in 30 seconds.
The lancet is just a posh name for a needle on a spring. It goes pop at your finger and makes a teeny tiny hole from which you squeeze the tiniest bit of blood. The test strip, which you've already popped into your meter just sucks it up like a vacuum and you have a number. Once you get used to what the number will be after certain meals you'll realise that testing isn't something you even have to do every day at all.

The meter is only for understanding what foods do to your blood and helping you to find the right foods to help get your blood glucose down after meals. Even if you don't test yourself, you can still take action. Lowering sugar intake, moderating carbohydrate intake (bread, potato, pasta, flour, sugar, chocolate) and moderating all of your calories to lose weight (if you're overweight). I met someone a couple of days ago who never did any testing but lost 6 st and got himself down to non-diabetic glucose levels. So, you can worry less about testing and more about eating and doing the right things and you'll be fine. You have enough on your plate without panicking over a testing meter.

Best of BEST of luck to you. Please let us know how you get along.

coby · Sep 15, 2016

Jix200903 said:
Hi @coby . It sounds like you feel really lost and overwhelmed by the whole diabetes thing. So, the first thing you can do is relax a bit. Chill out. You aren't dead yet and diabetes can really be knocked back with a bit of understanding and a few tweaks to your lifestyle. Really. I was diagnosed 4 months ago with a high hba1c and three months later, without any medication at all, I am back down to 48, the target for T2 Diabetics. Hopefully I'll get it lower still. All I've done is go on a diet and walk around after meals. That is it. No fancy pants regime. OK, I got a FitBit to help make sure I walk lots and use a website to a) log my meals and b) PLAN my meals.

The meter thing is like an alarm clock or a digital watch. You set the time and date. It's not going to blow up and if it beeps at you it's still not going to blow up. All it really wants is to see a strip stuck in the meter and a teeny drop of blood that doesn't really hurt get sucked up into the little strip thing. You can do it in 30 seconds.
The lancet is just a posh name for a needle on a spring. It goes pop at your finger and makes a teeny tiny hole from which you squeeze the tiniest bit of blood. The test strip, which you've already popped into your meter just sucks it up like a vacuum and you have a number. Once you get used to what the number will be after certain meals you'll realise that testing isn't something you even have to do every day at all.

The meter is only for understanding what foods do to your blood and helping you to find the right foods to help get your blood glucose down after meals. Even if you don't test yourself, you can still take action. Lowering sugar intake, moderating carbohydrate intake (bread, potato, pasta, flour, sugar, chocolate) and moderating all of your calories to lose weight (if you're overweight). I met someone a couple of days ago who never did any testing but lost 6 st and got himself down to non-diabetic glucose levels. So, you can worry less about testing and more about eating and doing the right things and you'll be fine. You have enough on your plate without panicking over a testing meter.

Best of BEST of luck to you. Please let us know how you get along.

Jix200903 Please can you come and live with me ... you are just what I need!!! Oh and I don't know whar hba1c 94 means??? I haven't a clue about all this code that folk put on. I was told that I was 8 something in January but it means nothing to me ... it's a foreign language. All I know is that my eye appointment confirms background retinopathy ... which alarms me, since I already have acute narrow angled glaucoma

Jix200903 · Sep 16, 2016

Ha! My wife might have something to say about that.
Hba1c is the test that the doctor does to see how loaded with glucose your blood has become over 3 months (by testing blood which lives for 3 months - not keeping it for 3 months or testing regularly for 3 months). It tests blood that is 3 months old in your blood stream. It's gives an average number instead of a snapshot number that finger-prick testing does. IF you took enough readings and got an average over 3 months you might get a close match. The real key is knowing how to keep your BG level (on the meter) below the 7.0 target before meals and below 8.5 2 hours after the meal. Once you have that cracked you know you're on the right track.

The Hba1c is measured in DCCT or mmol/mol (don't ask what that means) but yours would have been DCCT and mine mmol/mol. 8 in DCCT is the same as 64 mmol/mol so mine was much higher than yours. Mine was basically a Mars bar oozing from my arm.

The good news is that diabetes can be reversed (not removed necessarily, but the symptom of high blood glucose and the damage that causes). You have a long life ahead and there is no reason not to have it.

coby · Sep 19, 2016

Jix200903 said:
Ha! My wife might have something to say about that.
Hba1c is the test that the doctor does to see how loaded with glucose your blood has become over 3 months (by testing blood which lives for 3 months - not keeping it for 3 months or testing regularly for 3 months). It tests blood that is 3 months old in your blood stream. It's gives an average number instead of a snapshot number that finger-prick testing does. IF you took enough readings and got an average over 3 months you might get a close match. The real key is knowing how to keep your BG level (on the meter) below the 7.0 target before meals and below 8.5 2 hours after the meal. Once you have that cracked you know you're on the right track.

The Hba1c is measured in DCCT or mmol/mol (don't ask what that means) but yours would have been DCCT and mine mmol/mol. 8 in DCCT is the same as 64 mmol/mol so mine was much higher than yours. Mine was basically a Mars bar oozing from my arm.

The good news is that diabetes can be reversed (not removed necessarily, but the symptom of high blood glucose and the damage that causes). You have a long life ahead and there is no reason not to have it.

Hello again Jix200903 I am so happy because today (at last) I have used the b.g. meter!
I got my friend to prick my finger with the lancett as I was too scared to press the button myself with not knowing if it would make me jump as it went off. (I'm so silly, I know)
The reading was 5. That was at 1pm and I've now just eaten lunch, so will try testing 'all by myself' in a couple of hours.
Thank you so much and I just have to tell you that yours is the answer that swayed me to give it a go.
I am indebted to you

Liam1955 · Sep 19, 2016

Hello @coby - Remember to test 2 hours after you have eaten. I looked after my Mother for 9 years 24/7 who had Alzheimer's and I know how difficult it can be. Mum was also Diabetic, so we had meals together and I tested her sugars same time as mine. I arranged 2 days a week for her to go to Day Care, they would pick her up at 9am and return her at 4pm, I arranged it through/with the Social Worker of course I had to pay, but it was well worth it so I could have time with my Partner.
We are here to help, support you all we can for the Diabetes, just don't think you are silly! Most of us have been in your situation with the diagnosis of Diabetes. Just take one day at a time and it will get better.

coby · Sep 19, 2016

Liam1955 said:
Hello @coby - Remember to test 2 hours after you have eaten. I looked after my Mother for 9 years 24/7 who had Alzheimer's and I know how difficult it can be. Mum was also Diabetic, so we had meals together and I tested her sugars same time as mine. I arranged 2 days a week for her to go to Day Care, they would pick her up at 9am and return her at 4pm, I arranged it through/with the Social Worker of course I had to pay, but it was well worth it so I could have time with my Partner.
We are here to help, support you all we can for the Diabetes, just don't think you are silly! Most of us have been in your situation with the diagnosis of Diabetes. Just take one day at a time and it will get better.

Is there any reason why it has to be two hours before testing after food Liam1955?
The reason I ask ... my cat had a scare from a loud noise as I was holding her, and she scratched my wrist trying to run away. It was bleeding and so I tested with the meter ( an hour after my food) and it had gone from 5 to 8.5 Will this be a true reading do you think?

Liam1955 · Sep 19, 2016

Hi @coby - Hmm your Cats claws could have dirt/bacteria all sorts on them and so your blood may well be contaminated. You still have to wash your hands before testing and after a meal testing too. I would still do another test.
Some people test after 1 hour, others wait 3 hours, but the norm is 2 hours. We all respond differently to food and the best way to see which foods are working for you and this will give you a good idea of how your body has reacted to that meal.
In the early days it is suggested that you keep a food diary. Write down what food you ate, and your before result and 2 hour after result, and this will allow you to see over time what works for you. Have you read the Basic Information that would have been provided by daisy.

coby · Sep 19, 2016

Liam1955 said:
Hi @coby - Hmm your Cats claws could have dirt/bacteria all sorts on them and so your blood may well be contaminated. You still have to wash your hands before testing and after a meal. I would still do another test.
Some people test after 1 hour, others wait 3 hours, but the norm is 2 hours. We all respond differently to food and the best way to see which foods are working for you and this will give you a good idea of how your body has reacted to that meal.
In the early days it is suggested that you keep a food diary. Write down what food you ate, and your before result and 2 hour after result, and this will allow you to see over time what works for you. Have you read the Basic Information that would have been provided by daisy.

I think I read it when first diagnosed in January this year but I need to read it again now Liam
I did test again. It had risen to 9.5 so that seems high to me?

Feeling really nervous

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