Hi
@Diligent500 .. and welcome
I'm not sure whether you have been given a test meter by your Doc or Nurse, or if you are testing your blood sugar levels but, if not, it is a top priority that you get yourself a meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.
The costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £29.49
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £58.98
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
I'm testing 4-5 times a day .. my fasting blood sugar, then immediately before meals and two hours afterwards. This enables me to monitor trends in my blood sugar levels over time and to check which (if any) foods give me "spikes". This costs between £10 to £12 a month for either of the two meters above but, more importantly, I now know what my levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps