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Just bought bg testing kit

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orchidlady

Well-Known Member
Messages
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Hi, After much reading on here I have bought a BG testing kit ( against the advice of the Diabetes Nurse). and have used it for the first time this morning, my fist reading is 17.0 ( fasting), I am a bit worried as this seems very high and have been feeling a bit weird this weekend. I have only just been diagnosed ( was told on the phone in supermarket car park, " has anyone discussed the possibility that you might be diabetic!!) this is so new so still getting my head around things. Am on no medication and have been told can manage this by diet and exercise but have pretty much left to my own devices. Any advise please, how often should I test? At what high point should I be worried? Sorry for all the questions recently
 
orchidlady, I am sure somebody will be along shortly to give you the wisdom gleaned from the marvellous users on here.
Dont panic, with the right advice from informed users on here, not the NHS stuff, you will soon get these levels down, and then you will be able to manage the situation.
This assuming that there isn't another problem.

Good luck, Superchip
 
Hi orchidlady! That reading is very high. First thing is, did you conduct the test properly? You must wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, rinse properly and dry thoroughly otherwise the sample can be contaminated. Also, don't squeeze near the pin prick site or you introduce other body fluids into the sample. Finally, did you check the strips are OK? there should be a testing fluid with your kit to do this.
If the test was done properly, then you need to look at your diet. Here is some general advice on diet and testing
In general terms you will need to reduce the total number of carbohydrates you eat per day. All carbohydrates turn to sugar when we eat them, and no type 2 diabetic on diet only, or on diet and metformin only, can control their blood sugars (BGs) without controlling their carb intake. Even those on strong medication normally choose to control their carb intake to keep the level of medication they take down. The total number of carbs per day you can eat depends on how advanced your diabetes is. It’s perhaps worth starting at about 50% of normal levels for a non-diabetic then adjusting up or down according to how you get on. So that means eating 150 grams of carbs per day for a man, 125 for a woman. You can read the total carb content of food under “nutritional info” on the packet or wrapping, or look it up on the internet for loose food. Just google “carb content..”
You also need to stop or reduce the bad carbs; that is the starchy ones that make your BG go up quickly.
So obviously no sugar or glucose! But also no white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products like pastry, cake and batter. You can eat a little basmati rice, wholewheat pasta or the tri-color pasta fusilli ones in small quantities. Boiled new potatos (again not too many) are OK but not old pots mashed, boiled or in their jackets. (Roast is not so bad, the fat slows their absorption and conversion to glucose in the blood) Amongst other veg, parsnips are about the worst for BG, and carrots not great but ok in smaller amounts.
Multi grain bread (not wholemeal) is not SO bad, but lots of us eat Burgen soya and linseed bread from tescos and sainsburys, although all bread should be in limited amounts.
All fruit has carbohydrates, and needs to be included in the amounts of carbs you eat in a day. For most people, bananas are about the worst for pushing our BG up and berries (like strawberries, raspberries etc) are the least bad.
No sweeties!
Exercise is important. I tend to exercise about an hour after eating when I know my BG will be peaking. This helps to bring it down quicker and further. I do ten minutes hard work on an exercise machine, but you could run up and down stairs for ten minutes or go for a brisk walk.
Returning to types of food and quantities of carbs - you can only find out how many you can eat by testing. Some people test before and after eating, on waking (fasting test) and before bed. But if you have limited strips because of cost, the key to me is testing 2 hours after eating. If your BG is above, say, 7.8 at that stage, you need to cut down on the carb content the next time you have that meal. Test after various different meals and you soon get to see a pattern of what you can and can’t eat, and in what quantities. Keep careful records of what you ate and when, together with the result, so you can refer back at a later date. You can then reduce your testing. I said “below, say, 7.8” because NICE guidelines are below 8.5 but most of us think that’s a little high. 7.8 is the max. level at 2 hours after eating that a non-diabetic normally gets to so is perhaps a better target. Some then set progressively lower targets.
If after all this, you still can't get your blood levels under control, you will need to see the doctor again as you may need some help with extra medication.
Do ask lots of questions; there is normally an answer on here. The more you get to learn about your diabetes, the better it will be.
Good luck!
 
This is brand new machine so hopefully should be correct, and yes I think I did it right. My reading at the Docs was 15.5 so guess 17 not a million miles away. Know all about GI diet and am working on it, as I said all new to me. I guess I feel a little abandoned by the Dr's. What really need to know is at what point should I become really concerned, is there anything I can do bring levels down now. Had a very active weekend very heavy gardening 4 hours on each day, very low carbs, just had porridge for breakfast, maybe try testing again in a couple of hours.
 
Lots of Diabetics can't eat porridge. It may be healthy, but not if it puts your levels up!

Test just before you eat and then 2 hours after you have eaten. The 2 hours after reading shouldn't be much more that the pre meal test. If you aren't sure what has put your levels up in the meal then post on here and tell us what your readings are and what you have eaten. Hopefully some one will be able to point out where the problem is.Lots of carbs are sneaky and in things that you don't think of as having carbs in it. It does take a while to get your head around things, but don't worry we can help you!

Ann
 
thanks Ann, the 17 reading was first thing this morning so not eaten anything. Will try before and after lunch. Oh dear thought porridge was a good thing to eat, could not face protein first thing in the morning.
 
orchidlady said:
This is brand new machine so hopefully should be correct
Click to expand...

I'm sure it is, but the testing fluid is to test the strips, not the machine. You can get rogue batches of strips. I'm sure they're fine, but you need to rule the possibility out.

orchidlady said:
Know all about GI diet and am working on it,
Click to expand...

That's good, but TOTAL carbs are really important, whether low GI or not. If they're not right, your BGs won't be. Perhaps you need to be really strict for a while; it takes time for fasting BGs to come down compared to readings during the day. Or, as I said, you may need extra medication to get it under control.

Hope it works out ok, I'm sure it will
 
Hi Orchidlady :)

I posted this information for you some time ago but thought maybe you would find it useful to see it again. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be able to answer you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
 
Thanks, I think I need to give myself a bit of time to adjust, just had a call from the diabetes nurse with results for last test, not sure I understand the reading she said it was 76 and should be 48 - 58, that reading seems a different format to what other people have quoted, could someone explain this please.
 
orchidlady said:
Thanks, I think I need to give myself a bit of time to adjust, just had a call from the diabetes nurse with results for last test, not sure I understand the reading she said it was 76 and should be 48 - 58, that reading seems a different format to what other people have quoted, could someone explain this please.
Click to expand...
These are the new IFCC units. A reading of 76 is 9.1% in ther old system we are used to. Quite high, but not as high as many on here when first diagnosed. You'll need to concentrate on getting the total carb numbers down, and do a lot of testing to see just what you can tolerate.
 
Hi folks I am newly diagnosed and this forum is proving very helpful especially as nhs advice has been a bit lacking. I've just ordered my test kit and I start on education programme in a couple of weeks.

I've had very contradictory advice about carbs and I am now having complications - severe abdominal pain. It has been 2 months since my diagnosis and haven't seen a GP it's all been nurses so far is this usual?

I had actually increased my carb intake following nurse advice and now concerned that's causing some of the problems. I also had a wobbly emotional day and ate sweets!! And to make a full confession I have been on 2 weeks hols where I had more alcohol than normal. Now having waves of guilt.

There is an awful lot I have to learn and quite scary. But on the upside my weight is falling.
 
Re: Just bought bg testing kit progress

So it has been a few days, getting to grips with the machine and going my best to cut the carbs, no white bread, no white rice, very little sugar, I am a healthy eater anyway so just a few adjustments. Reading are not great fasting averaging 14, during the day up and down lowest was 12.2 highest ( about 1 hour ago) 19.5. Just wondering how long it takes to see a change. Nurse said should we start seeing readings in the 20's then time for medication. I don;t really need to loose weight cannot see how much more drastic I can go with the diet, or maybe I am being impatient. An encouraging advice welcome
 
Hi orchidlady your readings still seem quite high. Is there a chance you could give us an idea of what you are eating as we may be able to help tweak your diet to start those readings on a downward journey.
 
Well, Diet wise, having porridge for breakfast, or Muesli ( no sugar), lunch houmous with veg sticks or Oat cakes, or Scrambled egg with 1 slice of Granary bread, or possibly chicken stir fry, some fruit like raspberries, low fat yoghurt snacks. Evening meat/fish and veg, NO White rice or Bread, Naughty had kebab last night but did not eat pita. No alcohol this week :o(. Sounds good I think, best reading I had was one evening @ 12.8. Think I am going to have to experiment. Had Beans on toast once and ironically this did not effect BG on bit?
 
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