Hi,
Depends on the T2 really and what sort of treatment they are using. If they are diet controlled or take medication that does not put them at risk of hypoglycaemia then they are often able to aim for lower blood glucose levels.
Type 1's, Type 2's on insulin or medication that can lower blood glucose into Hypo territory (3.9mmol and under) it isn't as acheiveable. Not saying it can't be done but there are more risks involved.
Strictly speaking towards Type 1 diabetes personally in my opinion to be able to gain better control you need to;
Be able to carb count and effectively adjust your insulin dose according to how many carbohydrates you are eating. If you aren't eating carbs but still have protein this can also effect your blood glucose as the body can turn protein into glucose also. The amount of fat you eat within your meal can affect the rate in which your body proccesses the carbs into glucose which can delay the absorption of carbs giving you a spike in BG much later on.
Be aware of how exerise affects your body and BG's, strenuous exercise and mild exercise can affect it differently. Sometimes your BG's can rise during and after but will return to a reasonable level afterward or it can rise and require a correction or it can drop and require treatment. This varies from person to person so the only way to know how YOU are affected is to experiment, have your meter at the ready and of course always make sure hypo treatment is close by!
Sickness - Learn how your body reacts to illness, colds, infections, pain and medications. These and more can affect your BG also, many people find they require more insulin when fighting infection. Sometimes people know they are going to fall ill because they find their BG's creeping up then low and behold the sniffles arrive! :lol: If you are going on a carb counting course such as DAFNE it should teach you how to adjust your insulin due to illness and prevent those nasty ketones from sneaking up on you if you are poorly and your BG's start to rise. Also check the label on any new medications, this will tell you if you need to check with your pharmacist if you are fine to take them with having diabetes.
Testing - probably the second most important tool after insulin for a type 1. Testing testing and more testing is key to good control. Know where you BG is at and you can learn your body far quicker and better. I test alot because i use an insulin pump anywhere from 6-15+.. i would recommend at LEAST testing for the following;
Waking up - this will indicate when teamed with your bedtime reading how your BG's have done in the night. You should go to bed and wake up with roughly the same BG, i personally would start testing during the night if i had more than a 2mmol difference between the two, just to make sure i'm not rising or going low in the night.
Before meals - this is a given one, know what you are before eating so if a correction is required you can dose accordingly, if your BG is low you can either treat immediatly or dose lower than normal to allow the carbs in your meal to bring you up to a suitable BG.
After meals - this one for me isn't a nessecary, i will test 2 hours after meals if i've had a large carby meal or a meal that i know has alot of fat content to check how my insulin is doing at preventing spikes or dips. I always always check after pizza because i have to run my bolus for 4 hours with my pump because the carbs are very complex so takes longer to process. Alot of T2's will test 2 hours after meals if they are diet only or on meds when they experiment with new foods to make sure their BG's are returning to a suitable level.
Before bed - As explained in the waking test you want to make sure your going to bed with a good BG to keep you steady through the night. I will eat something if my BG is lower than 5.5mmol. Only a small snack to prevent me going low. Good control isn't just about preventing the highs, you gotta keep away from the hypos too!
Testing inbetween for me is if; i feel poorly, before/during and after exercise, if i suspect my BG is low. I also occasionally test during the night to ensure my basal insulin is still accurate while i'm meant to be in dreamland!
Keep a diary - Keeping a diary for me is the only way i know if i'm having high or lows that are caused by the wrong dose of insulin, patterns in your BG's that indicate you always go low after dinner so your bolus is too high for example. Over time you will learn to read them and spot where you could use a small tweak here and there. Knowing how to adjust your insulin according to your results is something you will also learn to do on courses such as DAFNE and is an invaluable skill to have!
Injections - been 14 months for me since i was injections but i still remember them like they were yesterday! Ensure you rotate your injection sites well, use an appropriate needle length for your size and change your needle EVERY time. Any redness, soreness sign of infection see a DR asap. They will probably give you some antibiotics to help things heal. If you don't look after your injection sites the absorption can be affected which can affect your control, so look after them well and they'll look after you
Just realised how long this post is! my my! i hope this helps, i see form your signature you are not long diagnosed so some of this may be new and some you may be sick of hearing :lol: One thing i would recommend is don't compare your control to other peoples, no matter what type they are. Diabetes is controlled on a one to one basis, we are all so different. What some people acheive with ease others spend a long time to acheive. Effort, knowledge and determination will help you gain good control of your diabetes. I've been on the learning curve for over 3 years now and i'm still not anywhere near the straight so don't worry, take your time and you'll get there
