"How do I control blood sugars if not being checked". Well, that's the thing, isn't it? You don't, you can't, not properly. It's just a guess, and no more than that. But the NHS can't hand out meters and strips left and right to T2's, there's just too many of us, we'd bankrupt them. So no, we don't have to test.... But yes, we should.I was diagnosed in sept type 2 . I’m on metformin take 1,000mg daily . Everyone talks about checking sugar levels and meters etc . I spoke to my nurse and she said no need as I’m on metformin . Bit confused as very new to this how do I control my sugars if not being checked . I’m in Scotland
Hi @catherine J and welcome aboard. I'm also in Scotland and was diagnosed in August so we'll be learning together. I was very fortunate to find this site the weekend following diagnosis and have moved forward with lots of the advice and information here. I told my nurse I was testing with a meter and shoved the numbers under her nose before she could tell me not to so all she was left with was "I'm not providing your strips" (she is actually lovely and it was all a bit tongue in cheek)was diagnosed in sept type 2 . I’m on metformin take 1,000mg daily . Everyone talks about checking sugar levels and meters etc . I spoke to my nurse and she said no need as I’m on metformin . Bit confused as very new to this how do I control my sugars if not being checked . I’m in Scotland
Sorry @catherine J .I should have said this in my original response, The reason many/most of us test is because (whether on metformin or not) we are trying to improve our blood glucose readings ( and thus improve our diabetes) through diet (generally through adopting a low carbohydrate diet) meters let you see you have eaten more carbs than your body tolerates. If I'm honest I don;t know what the point would be in testing if you are not learning /monitoring your intake.Just don’t get it do I check or not
With metformin, you're not usually in danger of going too low. If you were on gliclazide for instance, you run the risk of going hypo. Which is bad enough in and of itself, but should it happen in traffic, you could kill yourself and/or others, so you have to test before you drive. (5 to drive when on certain meds, but not metformin). The whole thing around "don't test" seems to be based on the likelihood of hypo's. They don't take into account that you might want to know when you're too high. Like long term damage to organs is potentially just as deadly, it just isn't as instantaneous.I don’t mind buying a Meter that’s not the issue . It was just the nurse saying you don’t have to check your sugars your on metformin if you were to go into an additional tablet then yes you would test your sugars and we would provide meter . Just don’t get it do I check or not . They were checked in October when I was first given metformin do no checks since
A perfect analogy.It's a bit like setting off on a journey to somewhere you've never been - you know where you want to go, but you've been told that you don't need to take directions or look at a map, because every six months someone else will tell you where you are.
I don't want to wait to find out I've been heading in the wrong direction - I think I'd be using the satnav and roadsigns and the map right from the start.
Lots there that I agree with .... my husband is the diabetic, through genetics, diagnosed type 2 well over 10 years ago if I can remember properly.... our doctors gave him a testing meter straight away, and prescription for the test strips etc ...also first put on metformin which is not good for him, but lately had the dosage lowered, plus on another med ... he is also a steroid dependent for long time, so his BS is always what most of you would gasp at, but i make a spreadsheet for when he decides to check his BS .... but he is now on small dose, long lasting insulin and we tried the free offer of the FreeStyle Libre sensors as lots of pricked fingers were just hurting him and bruising as he has cold hands .... the Libre sensors are soo much better and our doc has now put them on prescription ... so guess we are lucky .... even they are not always accurate if tested against pricking his finger for BS, and neither are 2 different finger prick machines , but it gives him a good idea if something is really bad for him .... he just doesn't spend hours wondering why, says life is too short to only eat one grape ..... and he has hypoed on metformin, when his reading was just 6.2 .... plus 12 stone when I met him 57 years ago, and has never had an ounce of fat on him ....... not everyone is the same .... but if I were worried if I had diabetes I would certainly but some sort of meter as it is good to know you can keep some sort of check ....With metformin, you're not usually in danger of going too low. If you were on gliclazide for instance, you run the risk of going hypo. Which is bad enough in and of itself, but should it happen in traffic, you could kill yourself and/or others, so you have to test before you drive. (5 to drive when on certain meds, but not metformin). The whole thing around "don't test" seems to be based on the likelihood of hypo's. They don't take into account that you might want to know when you're too high. Like long term damage to organs is potentially just as deadly, it just isn't as instantaneous.
You decide whether you test or not. Not us on the forum, not the nurse. You. Just weigh the pro's and cons, and decide whether it's for you. But like you said, if you don't know what's going on, you can't control your blood sugars either. A HbA1c only gives you the average of the past 3 months, so doesn't tell you whether a certain meal is best avoided for instance. Do you want that information, or not? That's entirely up to you, nobody else, especially since this is something you have to pay for yourself. After I tested around meals effectively for a while, I could quit frequent testing: i knew what bread did, I knew what eggs did, and could count on certain ranges. Right now I am testing again because I'm on steroids for a little while, and that raises my blood sugars some. But due to my diet, it hasn't gone over 8,5 as of yet. I have rather tight blood glucose control because I know which foods work for me and which don't, and I can keep an eye on things when I take steroids for a bit, or get a vaccination or something. (Both can raise blood glucose levels). I know what I'm doing, I'm not flying blind. That's a choice I've made, and it's one I pay for gladly.
The nurse has her reasons why you shouldn't test. You're not about to get a hypo, you're not going to have accidents in traffic, and the NHS has a limited budget, as well as certain rules and regulations. You have reasons you might want to test: better control of your blood sugars, the avoidance of complications in the future that can affect quality and quantity of life, for instance. Or just sheer curiosity.Reasons not to could be financial, or fear of needles (in which case a continuous glucose monitor might still be an option), you know... Pro's and cons, like I said.
In the end, it's your call.
Good luck,
Jo
Catherine - to use an analogy; car manufacturers could save money and give you a car without a fuel gauge and you can 'estimate' how much fuel you have by how many miles you've driven. Yes; you could - but more likely than not you'd run out of fuel somewhere and then have the consequences to face. Even for a T2, the analogy is valid. Yes; you can 'estimate' how good your blood sugar balance is, but to make the most of both your medication and to ensure you are making good progress and not deteriorating further, then a meter is pretty much essential.I was diagnosed in sept type 2 . I’m on metformin take 1,000mg daily . Everyone talks about checking sugar levels and meters etc . I spoke to my nurse and she said no need as I’m on metformin . Bit confused as very new to this how do I control my sugars if not being checked . I’m in Scotland
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