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[mickdebh40]

Hi. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and been told not to check my blood levels. Is this correct

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and been told not to check my blood levels. Is this correct

Hi and welcome,

Most of us not on insulin are told not to test, but it is not good advice. Without testing we are working blind and relying on infrequent blood tests at the surgery to tell us how we are doing. If we test regularly and in an organised fashion at home we can see at a glance how we are doing, and which foods make us worse. This gives us the chance to change things straight away without having to wait months (by which time we may be much worse).

@daisy1 will be along soon with an information pack for newly diagnosed. It is a very useful post, so have a good read of it and take note of the role of carbohydrates (not just sugar). Also, have a good read round the forums and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Mickdeb and welcome!
There’s not many type 2s who are told they must check their bloods at home. I do though, it helps me learn what foods I can tolerate and encourages me when I get good levels.

 

[daisy1]

@mickdebh40

Hello Mick and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.



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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[mickdebh40]

Thank you all

 

[Ross.Walker]

I test, I self fund too, it is sensible and works out the same cost as a few pints a week. When you want to learn gather all the data you can, it will help you understand what foods and lifestyle can and will do.

Ross

 

[mickdebh40]

Thanks Ross

 

[shelley262]

I test three times a day and self fund once on waking once before main meal and once two hours after it’s a great way to educate yourself about what foods put up your blood glucose and also you can see the results as you go along changing your diet very motivating. You can get a free meter from spirithealthcare.co.uk if you go for tee2 and the test strips are relatively cheap - others recommend the codefree meter which you buy but the strips are slightly cheaper. You can get help on here to interpret your results. Good luck whatever you choose to do

 

[Ross.Walker]

Thanks Ross

no problem

The long detailed response would be more like...

This worked for me.
On diagnosis I want to a very basic diet, no booze, no processed, lots of sports and no evil wheat or rice in any for for 9 months (yeah the 1st glass of wine at 9 months was fab!) and allowed my body to work with the metformin. This got me down to an HBA1C or 34.
During that time I tried a meal 5 times in different circumstances, if it gave a predictable result, as in came down to a good level 90/120 minutes after eating then I would call it a safe meal and would not test it again, I would concentrate my tests on other meals and pre/post sports.

This built up a good set of meals which without testing would have been a lot of guesswork and probably incorrect.

I would get a tester enable learning, not testing 10 times a day forever but dropping as see fit.

I also learned that morning readings are useless, the deeper I sleep the higher the morning reading as it takes more energy for me to wake up. Test after the morning shower and you should get more consistent results.

It's a journey and you will discover lots
Mediterranean food is fabulous
Falafel - make any meal
Veg curry is amazing
You don't need rice or bread
And advice from an gentleman doc. If you have eaten your calories* for the day and you are hungry, man up drink water. A bit of hunger wont kill you, this is not the 3rd world.

*adjusted for the things you do that day

let us know how you get on and go explore

 

[Prem51]

Hi. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and been told not to check my blood levels. Is this correct

Hi @mickdebh40 and welcome to the forum. As the others have said self-testing enables you to find out which foods raise your blood sugar levels. It also helps you to know how you are doing between NHS HbA1c tests.
I think the major reason for HCPs to say that non-insulin dependent Type 2s shouldn't test is because to say that they should would mean that the NHS should prescribe free meters and test strips to T2s, and that would cost more.

 

[NewTD2]

Hi. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 and been told not to check my blood levels. Is this correct

We want to share this with you, and welcome!

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb