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Looking for help and advice please

K

KathleenConnelly

Member
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5
As way of background diagnosed 3 years ago and with hard work managed to get blood sugars and weight down over a six month period with low carb and exercise. Unfortunately fell back into old ways gained weight although not all I had lost and unsurprisingly blood sugars rose back to were the where . Have struggled for last 6 months and have reduced hb1c to 55 back in October however chlosterel had jumped and doc started talking about statins. For the last few weeks can't seem to focus do low carb for a few days then give in to sugar. Anyway the real issues is I really want to make lifestyle changes to control sugar. I discussed blood glucose monitoring with my gp who was dead set against it stating that it was not required and because I suffer with anxiety testing would make this worse.

At the moment I don't test and frankly don't know we're to start what meter to buy etc. I'm looking for somebody to give they're opinion at the moment I don't feel I have control of my life and am struggling daily with what to eat and anxious when I slip please please help
 
I have anxiety and I am a bit OCD, so I need to test! Some of us need to have control over the illness not just let it have its way, trust the doctor and hope for the best.
I use a onetouch ultra easy. It's tiny so it fits in a purse in my bag, the strips I get on eBay, because my doctor does not provide them after the first year. That's his rule and you can't fight city hall, so I buy them.
I use the lancet from the accu check fastclix lancing pen, because it is almost painless.the actual accu chek meter is too expensive to run for my liking, but it works well, though bulky.
If you can't afford too much there are cheaper and effective monitors that you will find details of on this forum, but I would definitely recommend the fastclix pen thing.
 
BTW I test in the morning and two hours after the main meal, on alternate days. At first I tested all the time. Before meals and two hours after, to see which foods put my blood sugar high, and which did not. It's important. After about a year you don't need to test so much because you already know.
 
Testing is very important. How can you know how you are doing if you dont test? It seems doctors in the UK tell type 2's not to test because they believe it will save money. I am in Canada and it is a given that anyone with diabetes regardless of type should be testing. I will tag @Brunneria as I believe she has the info on the meter with the most cost effective strips in the UK. You will get a handle on this, stick with the forum and we will be your cheering section.
 

I'm in Canada. None of the doctors I've had since being diagnosed have suggested I test and one told me I shouldn't. None of them were interested in seeing my testing log. Fortunately I got a prescription for strips from my pharmacist and my insurance pays 100% of the cost.
 
I am in BC and have had a different experience. When I got a letter from the endocrinologist office for my first appointment they included a sheet to record a weeks worth of readings 4 times a day and told me to bring my meter with me. It was just assumed I was testing. My GP always looks at my log book.
 
I'm in Alberta. Here they expect GPs to take care of diabetics, until they are in bad shape. Then they send them to a specialist. Unfortunately there are a lot of doctors here newly arrived from other provinces and countries and they don't seem to know the system here. I had to go to a walk-in clinic and insist on a referral to the diabetes clinic, which is what is supposed to happen, since the doctor that diagnosed me refused to do it.
 
I'm in Alberta as well. My doctor referred me to the clinic and I went. I found the information very dated. I was told that Type 2 was always progressive and I would end up on insulin.
The dietitian insisted that I go low fat and use artificial sweeteners.
When I said I just started on LCHF she said I must have grains for healthy body. There was no mention of a meter form the dietitian until I brought it up.
The nurse did advise me how and when to test.
 

That sounds familiar. Ya, my doctor should have given me a referral to the diabetes clinic, but I suspect he didn't know how.
 
In the U.K. We don't get sent to the Diabetic Clinic unless we are in big trouble, and the local health centre doesn't know what to do with us.
It's a serious illness, but terribly commonplace. The doctor just wants to fit a simple solution to all her patients, within the five minute appointment framework. So she says relax, eat sensibly, don't test.
I am afraid it is up to us as individuals to learn to understand our own bodies and how the condition affects us in detail.
So my advice is get a meter you like, a lancet that doesn't hurt, and a notebook to log your testing results, and list the effects of various foods on YOUR body.
You could take a look at the Bloodsugar 101 website, that is very informative, and I would recommend The First Year, Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker as a book, and get it in paperback form so you can write all over it. It's your life, so it's worth doing a bit of swotting.
 
Hi,
as @chalup mentioned, there are a lot of meters out there, at varying prices.

A lot of us self-funding testers use the SD Codefree, available from Amazon, eBay and the Manufacturers, Homehealth.
There are 2 types of unit used to measure blood glucose on home meters, depending on where you are in the world, Here in the UK we use mmol/l so make sure you buy that one.
 
I'm in the UK too and I appalled by this - time to find a new GP / health centre. After some routine blood tests this year, my Hba1c had moved into the diabetic region. My medical centre set up an appointment with their diabetes specialist and, as that was a few weeks away, an interim appointment with a GP who explained things and offered me Metformin. At the consulation with the diabetes specialist, she gave me an extensive briefing of diabetes, diet, local education meetings, etc. etc. and offered me a meter, which I declined. The medical centre put me on the free retinal photography program, where you get a voucher number to take to a specialist opticians once a year to get your retinas photographed. I was also sent to see a podiatrist for a foot check. The medical centre's practice is to have an annual foot check and review, along with 6 monthly bood and urine tests. As I didn't initially fancy the idea of self-testing, at a later consulation with the diabetes specialist that I requested, I asked about a meter and was provided with one there and then along with prescriptions for consumables (lancets, test strips, and a lancet disposal container). She was also able to prescribe statins and some cream to help with a foot problem. I can't fault my medical practice - they have been fantastic.
 
Sorry to hear about the problems. I was diagnosed 4 months ago with type 2. At the time I didn't like the idea of self-testing and have just been following diet, exercise, and weight guidance. However, recently the stress of wondering what was happening to my blood glucose stress levels became worse than the idea of self-testing, so I relented and my (UK) medical practice have provided me with an Accu-Chek Performa Nano meter and consumables on prescription. As a result, I feel much better about things now.
 
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