Should I test?

I definately recommend getting a meter and testing before meals and 2 hours after so that you can see what certain foods do to your BGs
CAROL

carty said:

I definately recommend getting a meter and testing before meals and 2 hours after so that you can see what certain foods do to your BGs
CAROL

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:thumbup: +1

Dyezeegal said:

Hi, am supposed to be managing my T2 with diet only and testing was not talked about. Should I go back to my doc? If 'everyone is different' and carbs are tricky to get right surely I will not know if my diet choices are right or wrong. I do not know my bloods will be checked again to find out how I am doing either, or am I just being fussy?

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Certainly worth asking your doc although many will not prescribe one. Can't hurt to ask though, even if it's for a shortish while so you can see how certain foods impact you. If not, worth buying one if you can afford it. Good luck !
Mo


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The diabetic team in our area say that testing is extremely important and once trained in how to interpret the results diabetics should test, however the decision on whether to prescribe or not is down to individual GP's. Mine will allow me three or four pots a year. I self fund the rest as I test at least twice a day

To me testing has been vital for understanding the effects different foods have on my sugar levels and also understanding my symptoms.
If you can't get one from your gp Id buy one. I know they can work out expensive but like I said its a very important part of my understanding and management. I don't test as much now as I did .

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Course qualities vary, but in my area they run the eXpert course which is excellent and covers how to interpret meter readings as well as hba1c, cholesterol and triglyceride levels and ratios.

To reinforce some of the points the previous posters have made:

When I bought a meter I was pretty nervous about how to use it and interpret the results. I needn't have been: They're easy to use and my manual (for an Accu-Chek Aviva) was easy to follow.

You'll need to record your results and there are various online programmes which you can use (in some cases they're free unless you want to upgrade to include more (IMO, not essential) bells-and-whistles).

The main point is that, without a meter you're working in the dark and I can't see why anyone with diabetes wouldn't be advised to get one.

1. Mine's allowed me to work out which foods badly affect my BG level and which don't - that's meant I could alter my diet and watch how that then helped my BG, which is quite a boost when you get it right.

2. Over the weeks, by looking at the results on my meter and comparing them with how I feel, I've developed an idea of whether my BG is going to be high, low, or changing rapidly, even before the meter confirms it. I think that's an invaluable instinct to acquire.

3. Finally, it's got my doctor thinking about what's causing my T2. Not all GPs are interested, I know, but I've actually got one the better ones who last week took the time to go through my results for the past 2 months and decided to send me off for a series of tests 'to see if there is anything more we should be doing'.

I self fund strips most of the time, but got a pot recently after I injured myself falling down stairs. The first question I was asked by the doctor was "How were my sugars?" I said I didn't know, because I had no strips. The wound on my ankle got infected [it's deep!] and I've just finished the antibiotics. I suspect he thought a sugar imbalance caused the fall. It was actually because I was going up with both hands full of stuff. I've now bought a basket to leave on the stairs, so Ican fill it during the day and carry it up in one hand, leaving one free for the bannister rail.
Anyway I generally monitor evening and morning. and aim to keep between 4.5 and 6. I do most of the time, but I do need to be careful with new foods. I tried rice noodles recently, which was a BIG mistake.
Hana

I am a new T2 diabetic (diagnosed 10th Dec) and i have not really been given any real advice as of yet, but after reading many posts about testing to find out what foods effect my condition i bought a BG test machine. I have found this invaluable in understanding what foods are affecting my BG levels. My advice is to test,test,test, I am currently testing once in the morning before food and meds and the 2 hours after every different meal i have.
I log all the details in an excel spread sheet i created which covers time of test, BG reading, comment for what i have eaten or exercise, carbs per meal, daily carb intake, average daily BG levels, average weeky BG levels, time med was taken, weight and also there is a bar graph at the bottom of the page which shows a visual perspective. There is also a drop down list of 350 different food types which shows the amount of carbs in each food.
If you would like a copy of this excel file please let me know and i will send you a copy. You will off course have to have microsoft excel installed on your p.c.
Below is a screen shot of the spreadsheet

If no MS Office then perhaps consider OpenOffice as a MS Office substitute. It's free and can import most Office sheets.

2131tom I agree with everything you say. I am a nurse who has had training on Diabetes ( obviously wasn't much good as it didn't help me when I was diagnosed).
I thought my symptoms were low bs until I started testing and discovered that the sweating and irritable feeling with poor concentration were in fact high blood sugars.I also thought id been having hot flushes for years...wrong .

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I bought my own testing kit and it's worth every penny.

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