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How often do people check their bloods- advice needed

M

Madhuskies

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi All, im after some advice, so I've been diagnosed type 2 for just over 2 months now, initially doctors told me to finger prick only before i went to drive, but that didn't feel right.

Did the usual of looking around the next and found all sorts of conflicting information, so i started when doing it, when i first got up, before food and 2 hrs after and when i go to bed.

My question is, is that too much, those close to me have been saying its too much, but my thought process is how am i going to know what is and isnt working if i don't do it.

an example is today, when i woke up i was 6, then 2hrs later when i had breakfast i was 7.3, then 2hrs after i was 8... withought checking and noting these things down how do i know if I'm on the right track.

Any advice is greatly received as im loosing my mind trying to work this out.

I also cant ask a diabetic nurse as i haven't been given access to one yet, have some desmond training on the 12th of next month, got 2 sheets of paper from the docs and a testing kit and told to limit my caleries to 1500 a day when i was diagnosed, that's it. Everything else has been through research or searching on the net, and some times that's just as confusing
 
Testing before and after a meal will tell you whether that's a meal that agreed with you, or didn't. If that's something you want to know, then yes, that is very, very useful testing. That said, if you repeat the meal a few times and results are consistently good, (as in, a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol or less) you can stop testing that particular meal: you know what it does, no need to spend more strips on it. The morning test, well, the fasting blood sugars are the last to some down, and though they may vary some from day to day, also depending on how your night's rest was and whatnot, testing them once every two weeks or once a month would save you a lot of strips. Before bed might only be useful if you are on meds that might cause nightly hypo's, like the gliclazide that is mentioned in your bio, but should that med be discontinued at some point because you're doing well, you could skip those if you like. Test when you feel off, as like I said, with the glic in the mix you might experience hypo's, and you do need to know it when you're low, so you can act on it. Also, yeah, before you drive... If you're under 5 with blood gluose lowering medication and you drive anyway, insurance may be a problem.

So... Just stick with the tests that tell you the most: around meals/drinks you're not 100% sure of yet if you;'re going for a low carb diet to control blood sugars, occasionally your morning bloods to see whether those are doing alright, test when you feel unwell and really.... Whenever you feel a need to. I spent a LOT of money on test strips in my first year as a diagnosed diabetic, also because I wasn't testing efficiently, just randomly before I got the knack for it, so i know it's a big drain on the finances... But especially if you're still on gliclazide and figuring your diet out, it pays to test. Just do it in a way that is actually useful to you. And whether that is for peace of mind or information-gathering, doesn't matter. If it helps you, it's fine.

Good luck,
Jo
 
Hi Jo, thank you for the reply, that's really helpful, so im no longer on Gliclazide, been off it about 2 weeks now, and i do eat a lot of the same meals, so going off what you said in your reply, and what other people have said, i would have to admit I've been a tad obsessive, will need to work on that. Again thank you sooooo much, your advice is really helping me get my mind back on track.
 
Hi @Madhuskies As you are no longer on gliclazide you don’t need to be as concerned about hypos , unless you have another medication that can lower your blood glucose too fast and too much. Could you update your profile with current medication, as that will allow members to give more specific advice?

As for the testing of blood glucose levels , you can get a good insight if, until you get a better idea of how various foods and drinks affect that, by testing and recording what you eat and the levels. Suggested timings are

as soon as you wake
immediately before eating
2 hours after eating.

There are apps that are useful to keep track. I have used MyFitnesspal, and MySugr in the past.
 
Thanks Pipp, ive ( finally) worked out how to update my profile, you wouldn't think i worked in IT. I Use my netdiary as ive found that really useful to track my food and bloods all in one place, i did try a few others but this one i really like so i stuck with that.
 
All good, then. I am sure you will get the hang of things. Once you get to understand the effect various food is having on your BG you won’t need to test as much.
 
We all get a bit obsessive with the testing at one point or another, I think, -though I realise that is a rather sweeping statement- most often when we're just trying to figure stuff out. Takes a little time to get some confidence in interpreting your readings and how you're handling things, but I do think you're well on your way.
 
I usually wear a CGM’, but they cost $$ if you are not on insulin. I‘m not wearing one at the moment so I’m relying on finger pricking. I feel a bit lost without one to be honest. So I am fingerpicking. I text first thing in the morning, then on the first bite of a meal then 2 hours after.

If you find your blood sugars are relatively stable after sorting out which foods send your blood sugars up, then you Don’t have to test as much, may be once or twice a week to make sure your blood sugars are still on track. I get my strips on my health insurance, so the cost of strips is not a concern for me.
I wear a CGM because my blood sugars are unstable. They are all over the place. So that’s the thing, if your blood sugars are stable and you’ve sorted out what food sends your sugars up, then once or twice a week. If not then first thing in the morning, then before and after a meal until you know how your own body responds to carbs.
 
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