Glucose in my Urine

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I was diagnosed with Type 2 about 6 months ago and nothing much has happened with it other than about 6 weeks ago they put me on one a day 500mg Metformin following a recent HbA1C. Anyways they never told me to check my blood glucose level with any meter or urine for that matter so I though everything was hunk dory nothing to worry about I was doing fine. Out of curiosity just for my own piece of mind and to see how I was doing I got some urine testing strips and they were showing fine results even after I started the metformin. But over the past couple of weeks i've tested my urine about an hour and half after food and the strip goes a very dark color after 30 seconds. I put the strip against the container color chart and there are 3 +++'s and after 40 seconds its as dark and the indicator for 4 ++++'s . Now being new to all of this and not being told i should test can anyone tell me if these results on the testing strips are something to worry about? I'm not due to go back to the Dr's for a test or check up until mid January. The last time I went to another Doc about my high blood pressure medication and not feeling well and mentioned if it had anything to do with my type 2 she as much as said you have nothing to worry about yours is diet controlled and was very stroppy with me like i was wasting her time. So naturally I'm a little wary of going back and asking about this urine thing. Can anyone offer any reassurance all is ok? my first post here sorry its a long one LoL
 

steve_p6

Well-Known Member
Messages
418
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I was diagnosed with Type 2 about 6 months ago and nothing much has happened with it other than about 6 weeks ago they put me on one a day 500mg Metformin following a recent HbA1C. Anyways they never told me to check my blood glucose level with any meter or urine for that matter so I though everything was hunk dory nothing to worry about I was doing fine. Out of curiosity just for my own piece of mind and to see how I was doing I got some urine testing strips and they were showing fine results even after I started the metformin. But over the past couple of weeks i've tested my urine about an hour and half after food and the strip goes a very dark color after 30 seconds. I put the strip against the container color chart and there are 3 +++'s and after 40 seconds its as dark and the indicator for 4 ++++'s . Now being new to all of this and not being told i should test can anyone tell me if these results on the testing strips are something to worry about? I'm not due to go back to the Dr's for a test or check up until mid January. The last time I went to another Doc about my high blood pressure medication and not feeling well and mentioned if it had anything to do with my type 2 she as much as said you have nothing to worry about yours is diet controlled and was very stroppy with me like i was wasting her time. So naturally I'm a little wary of going back and asking about this urine thing. Can anyone offer any reassurance all is ok? my first post here sorry its a long one LoL
Urine testing is a really crude measure, you will get much more reliable and realtime information using a BG meter.
 

JohnEGreen

Master
Messages
13,188
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Tripe and Onions
If you are concerned about your health it is never a waste of time consulting your doctor and I would suggest you do just that.

Yes urine test strips are a crude measure when compared to a glucose meter but if the strips where not faulty and used properly they are a reasonable indicator of high BG levels normally.

And I would personally if I where you go see your doctor and raise your concerns with him/her. sooner than later.
 
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Reactions: Johnjoe13

Salvia

Well-Known Member
Messages
812
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello @Johnjoe13, and welcome to the forum. From the info you give, it seems that you've been given a diagnosis and then left to your own devices. Have you been given any guidances about what you should do to help yourself - particularly diet, exercise, that could help you to reduce your blood sugar levels? Have they told you what the HbA1C number was when you were diagnosed, and also what the latest re-test result was that led to you being put on Metformin? If not, then you should ask for the details, so that you know where you are starting from. You have a right to know this info, so phone your practice and ask them to provide you with a print-out of your blood test results - all the results, not just the HbA1C - (or if not a print-out, at the very least to tell you the info) I agree with the others, that you should raise any concerns with your GP, coz they will know your full history. Try not to be put off by GP off-hand manner, or veiled aggression, you have the right to know; perhaps try a different GP next time.

It is not likely that your GP or the diabetes nurse will tell you to test blood sugars, because they will not provide the equipment for patients to test at home, except for those on insulin. But many of us here do test, though, (and don't tell our GP ;) ) because if we don't know what our BS levels are doing, how can we possibly hope to manage them. So, if you decide to test for yourself, you'll probably need to purchase your own meter and the test strips. Many here use the SD Codefree because that one has the cheapest testing strips, which is the ongoing expense. The meter can be purchased from Home-health.uk.com or from Amazon. You'll need to specify mmol/L as this is the measurement used in the UK.

Lastly, I'll tag @daisy1 for you, who will provide a new joiner's information pack. I'd encourage you to read through this and take on board the advice and the links to further info. This will help you a lot with getting to grips with things, and understanding what's going on with your body. There's also a link to the free 10-week low carb diet starter course, which I think you would find very useful.

Think I've rambled on long enough - I'll shut up now! Good luck, and if there's any further questions, just ask away, there's usually someone around who can help.


PS have just picked up this info from @Liam1955 on another thread, relating to purchase of additional testing strips direct from Homehealth-uk.com:
If you buy in bulk Here are the discount code numbers.
5 packs = 264086. 10 packs = 975833.
For the UK we use mmol/l and remember to state you are Diabetic for vat exemption.
And delivery is very quick too.
 
Last edited:

SWUSA_

Well-Known Member
Messages
921
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Parsnips, turnips, swedes-the vegetable not the people.
I agree with all the above posters and just want to add that it is normal for someone with Type 2 Diabetes to have high blood sugars at 1 and 2 hours after eating. That is pretty much the definition of Diabetes-our bodies do not deal well with the carbohydrates in the food we eat and we get high blood sugars after eating. Metformin will help you keep your blood sugar from rising as much but the amount of food and the carbohydrates in the food we eat are also important.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Johnjoe13

Hello and welcome to the forum :) As mentioned above, here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and helps you with some of your problems. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able 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 220,000 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
Reduce your 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
 

Jay-Marc

Well-Known Member
Messages
218
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
If you are detecting sugar in your urine this will typically indicate blood sugar in excess of 10 mmol/l which is higher than the levels you should be that time after eating, suggesting action of some kind needs to be taken. But as said above, get yourself a blood glucose testing kit to get a better idea of how you are at present.

What is your typical diet?
 

MikeTurin

Well-Known Member
Messages
564
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Urine testing is a really crude measure, you will get much more reliable and realtime information using a BG meter.
When the urine testing shows something, it means that there's a really high blood glycemic level, so the glucose seeps into the urine flow. A blood glicose meter shows lower spikes that aren't undetected by the urine.

Go to talk your GP as soon as possible, especially because the presence of the glucose in the urie is by itself a problem because you can easily get candida.

Anyway, because these strips are cheap, could be used ad a secondary control system, unfortunately triggers a bit too late...
 

dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,360
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I agree that blood testing is much better than urine testing, but thought I would point out what I was told when diagnosed Type 1 in the 70s.

Any old sample of urine won't do. You should empty your bladder then wait for a "fresh" sample. If you use a sample which isn't "fresh", it will contain urine from earlier than one and a half hours, post meal.
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
If you are concerned about your health it is never a waste of time consulting your doctor and I would suggest you do just that.

Yes urine test strips are a crude measure when compared to a glucose meter but if the strips where not faulty and used properly they are a reasonable indicator of high BG levels normally.

And I would personally if I where you go see your doctor and raise your concerns with him/her. sooner than later.
Thank you John
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
If you are detecting sugar in your urine this will typically indicate blood sugar in excess of 10 mmol/l which is higher than the levels you should be that time after eating, suggesting action of some kind needs to be taken. But as said above, get yourself a blood glucose testing kit to get a better idea of how you are at present.

What is your typical diet?
Hi Thank you, as far a diet is concerned then i have reduced my carb intake as well a sugar, not that I had a lot of sugar stuff other than I like Choccy Bickies and now cut them out. I guess I need to look at my diet again
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@Johnjoe13

Hello and welcome to the forum :) As mentioned above, here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and helps you with some of your problems. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able 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 220,000 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
Reduce your 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
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

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.
Hi daisy Thank you for this information I've found it very useful indeed
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello @Johnjoe13, and welcome to the forum. From the info you give, it seems that you've been given a diagnosis and then left to your own devices. Have you been given any guidances about what you should do to help yourself - particularly diet, exercise, that could help you to reduce your blood sugar levels? Have they told you what the HbA1C number was when you were diagnosed, and also what the latest re-test result was that led to you being put on Metformin? If not, then you should ask for the details, so that you know where you are starting from. You have a right to know this info, so phone your practice and ask them to provide you with a print-out of your blood test results - all the results, not just the HbA1C - (or if not a print-out, at the very least to tell you the info) I agree with the others, that you should raise any concerns with your GP, coz they will know your full history. Try not to be put off by GP off-hand manner, or veiled aggression, you have the right to know; perhaps try a different GP next time.

It is not likely that your GP or the diabetes nurse will tell you to test blood sugars, because they will not provide the equipment for patients to test at home, except for those on insulin. But many of us here do test, though, (and don't tell our GP ;) ) because if we don't know what our BS levels are doing, how can we possibly hope to manage them. So, if you decide to test for yourself, you'll probably need to purchase your own meter and the test strips. Many here use the SD Codefree because that one has the cheapest testing strips, which is the ongoing expense. The meter can be purchased from Home-health.uk.com or from Amazon. You'll need to specify mmol/L as this is the measurement used in the UK.

Lastly, I'll tag @daisy1 for you, who will provide a new joiner's information pack. I'd encourage you to read through this and take on board the advice and the links to further info. This will help you a lot with getting to grips with things, and understanding what's going on with your body. There's also a link to the free 10-week low carb diet starter course, which I think you would find very useful.

Think I've rambled on long enough - I'll shut up now! Good luck, and if there's any further questions, just ask away, there's usually someone around who can help.


PS have just picked up this info from @Liam1955 on another thread, relating to purchase of additional testing strips direct from Homehealth-uk.com:
If you buy in bulk Here are the discount code numbers.
5 packs = 264086. 10 packs = 975833.
For the UK we use mmol/l and remember to state you are Diabetic for vat exemption.
And delivery is very quick too.

Wow thank you, I get home from work and check to see if anybody has answered my question and see such wonderful responses. In truth I did attend a one day seminar called Desmond at my local hospital and this was very useful and I have done a lot they suggested and cut down on carbs and what bit of additional sugar I was taking. Clearly I need to do much more on the Carbs. The thing I was not told to do was check glucose levels to see if I was doing stuff properly or more aggressively, but how would I know this if nobody showed me how to test or told me I should do some testing at all. Then when I do end up doing it myself and notice a change I find myself no knowing how to understand what results I'm getting

I've taken your advise on the info from Liam1955 and just ordered a tester from Homehealth along with the 5 extra strips packs and the discount code. I'm going to read up on what I should be doing with these testers and make a further cut to these carbs and noting it all down so hopefully the recent rise in glucose is reversed and my urine goes back to what it was after meals and obviously with much less or no carbs. I've also ordered a new exercise bike from Argos to give me a much more intense workout on top of what I already do
 

lessci

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,023
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
We all react differently to different foods, the best advise I was given here was "eat to your meter". Test before you eat, then 2 hours after, your BG levels shouldn't be more than 2 points higher if they are your body can't cope with that quantity/type of carb. At first you're testing all the time, but as you get used to what your body can manage it gets less
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I agree with all the above posters and just want to add that it is normal for someone with Type 2 Diabetes to have high blood sugars at 1 and 2 hours after eating. That is pretty much the definition of Diabetes-our bodies do not deal well with the carbohydrates in the food we eat and we get high blood sugars after eating. Metformin will help you keep your blood sugar from rising as much but the amount of food and the carbohydrates in the food we eat are also important.

Thank you SWUSA, I did reduce my portion sizes on carbs and ate less but now i'm thinking I need to cut more of them out all together. But I'm also thinking 'Blimmey' It's Christmas time what on earth am I going to do over this season with all the wonderful stuff i've always ate? Love my Turkey and stuffing with all the usual trimmings and creamed mashed potatoes, and yes i've always eaten yorkshire puddings with xmas dinner all covered in thick gravy. I can see this year is not going to be as enjoyable as previous xmas's, or future ones for that matter :( :(
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
We all react differently to different foods, the best advise I was given here was "eat to your meter". Test before you eat, then 2 hours after, your BG levels shouldn't be more than 2 points higher if they are your body can't cope with that quantity/type of carb. At first you're testing all the time, but as you get used to what your body can manage it gets less

Thank you, I do think I'm going have to take a fresh look at what I eat. This morning I had a medium banana at 8am, then at 09.30 a small oat so simple cuppa porridge (plain) and that was it, at 11.30 I did a urine test and after 30 seconds the results on the strip was a dark colour dot at 3 xxx, below are what is in it. Am I to stop eating this stuff now? my Dr said porridge is good for lowering my cholesterol which he said I need to do

per 100g
Carbohydrate 66.5g per serving 37g
of which Sugars 28.3g per serving 15.7g
 
Last edited:

Jay-Marc

Well-Known Member
Messages
218
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
You may find you can tolerate a moderate amount of potato (I can, although I rarely eat them these days) but you can only find that out from testing. Mashed is generally the most difficult, but try mashed celeriac as a substitute.

Similarly with porridge - some can tolerate it to a degree, others like me can't and ban it and other oatmeal altogether.

No problem with turkey - keep the skin on.

Bananas are very sweet fruit - switch to berries at least.
 

Johnjoe13

Well-Known Member
Messages
398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
You may find you can tolerate a moderate amount of potato (I can, although I rarely eat them these days) but you can only find that out from testing. Mashed is generally the most difficult, but try mashed celeriac as a substitute.

Similarly with porridge - some can tolerate it to a degree, others like me can't and ban it and other oatmeal altogether.

No problem with turkey - keep the skin on.

Bananas are very sweet fruit - switch to berries at least.

Thank you Jay, When I get my glucose meter i'll be able to test more accurately and find out what foods are causing me a problem, with bananas the Dr told me they are a good source of potassium which I need to help with my high blood pressure but I guess I could try other foods rich in this
 

SWUSA_

Well-Known Member
Messages
921
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Parsnips, turnips, swedes-the vegetable not the people.
Chri
Thank you SWUSA, I did reduce my portion sizes on carbs and ate less but now i'm thinking I need to cut more of them out all together. But I'm also thinking 'Blimmey' It's Christmas time what on earth am I going to do over this season with all the wonderful stuff i've always ate? Love my Turkey and stuffing with all the usual trimmings and creamed mashed potatoes, and yes i've always eaten yorkshire puddings with xmas dinner all covered in thick gravy. I can see this year is not going to be as enjoyable as previous xmas's, or future ones for that matter :( :(
Christmas is a hard time to start. Most of us allow ourselves a few extra carbs at Christmas to enjoy time with our families. As said above though Turkey is good for you, salad is great. Non starchy vegetables, eggs, and cheese are all good. I personally have problems with cookies and allow myself one or two but reduce other carbs so I can have them.
 

Jay-Marc

Well-Known Member
Messages
218
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thank you Jay, When I get my glucose meter i'll be able to test more accurately and find out what foods are causing me a problem, with bananas the Dr told me they are a good source of potassium which I need to help with my high blood pressure but I guess I could try other foods rich in this
Try them unripened. Green bananas have much more resistant starch which gets converted into sugars in the ripening process. Boil if you can't eat raw. It may have less effect on your sugar level this way.

However, there are other foods high in K - mushrooms, spinach, fish such as salmon and mackerel etc which have a low carb load.
 
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