Hi, Can anyone advise me on how many times a day do i test my blood sugars, My doctor told me to test once a day..once in the morning, the following day afternoon,and the following day in the evening. He told me to do this for one month so he could adjust my insulin accordingly if needed....Many Thanks
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
T2 Blood Sugars
- Thread starter simon 59
- Start Date
CathyN
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 248
- Location
- dorset
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- prejudice, racism, complacency, ignorance
Re: T2 Blood Sugars (2)
Hi
I'm sure that someone will help me out and correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're trying to build up a comprehensive picture of your levels then you probably need to be testing much more often and keeping a diary - including food eaten and exercise taken.
I'm just over a month into being proactive about my Type 2 and after reading posts on this forum and getting great advice, I am doing a month's trial of testing.
1. fasting glucose - first thing upon waking.
2. presuming breakfast follows shortly, I then test 2 hrs after breakfast
3. before lunch
4. 2 hrs after lunch
5. before dinner
6. 2 hrs after dinner
Random tests after exercise, sometimes before bed and occasionally during the day.
Once the data starts collecting, a picture begins to build.
I have been criticised by my doctor for doing this (!) and by people who don't have diabetes.............. but I think it's the best way to go if you want to get in control of things. Try to get hold of a book by Gretchen Becker - Type 2 Diabetes, The First Year. She advises to test, test and test again and I think she has a point!
As I said, I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me might correct me if I'm wrong.
Good luck.
Hi
I'm sure that someone will help me out and correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're trying to build up a comprehensive picture of your levels then you probably need to be testing much more often and keeping a diary - including food eaten and exercise taken.
I'm just over a month into being proactive about my Type 2 and after reading posts on this forum and getting great advice, I am doing a month's trial of testing.
1. fasting glucose - first thing upon waking.
2. presuming breakfast follows shortly, I then test 2 hrs after breakfast
3. before lunch
4. 2 hrs after lunch
5. before dinner
6. 2 hrs after dinner
Random tests after exercise, sometimes before bed and occasionally during the day.
Once the data starts collecting, a picture begins to build.
I have been criticised by my doctor for doing this (!) and by people who don't have diabetes.............. but I think it's the best way to go if you want to get in control of things. Try to get hold of a book by Gretchen Becker - Type 2 Diabetes, The First Year. She advises to test, test and test again and I think she has a point!
As I said, I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me might correct me if I'm wrong.
Good luck.
You have to go with what the doc. orders. Do the tests as he/she has told you.
Of course if you buy a few test strips of your own you could test before a meal and two hours after and make a chart of how certain foods affect your BGs. You only need to do that until you know what you can eat without affecting your BGs to much.
Any readings below 4 mmol indicate that you are to low and need to eat something sugary to bring BGs up a bit.
You may have deducted that I think the limited testing you have been told to do is not enough, at least in the early stages.
But strips cost money and many docs limit them, I can't get even one! I am not a doctor so any advice I give is my opinion.
H
Of course if you buy a few test strips of your own you could test before a meal and two hours after and make a chart of how certain foods affect your BGs. You only need to do that until you know what you can eat without affecting your BGs to much.
Any readings below 4 mmol indicate that you are to low and need to eat something sugary to bring BGs up a bit.
You may have deducted that I think the limited testing you have been told to do is not enough, at least in the early stages.
But strips cost money and many docs limit them, I can't get even one! I am not a doctor so any advice I give is my opinion.
H
Hi, you should be testing before meals and at least 2hrs after meals and befor bedtime, especially if your on insulin. Some GPs will tell you it's not important to test, that it's the Ac1 test which give an average of blood glucous over 12 weeks that is what they look at. but testing give you an idea what food spikes you and indicates patterns of how your BG is behaving. It's all about cost cutting in surgeries.
The test strips can be expensive to buy, between £20 & £30 for a tub of 50, but some folk here on the site manage to get theirs from ebay. Look around at they various threads to do with testing strips.
I use the Freestyle meter from Abbott and you can buy their strips directly from them at £15, £27.50 in pharmacy.
if you can afford to do buy some as it is very important to test,
Good luck Kate :thumbup:
The test strips can be expensive to buy, between £20 & £30 for a tub of 50, but some folk here on the site manage to get theirs from ebay. Look around at they various threads to do with testing strips.
I use the Freestyle meter from Abbott and you can buy their strips directly from them at £15, £27.50 in pharmacy.
if you can afford to do buy some as it is very important to test,
Good luck Kate :thumbup:
Re: T2 Blood Sugars (2)
Cathyn is right. Testing is the only way you can work out what you can eat and how much.
It's common for HCPs to criticise self testing of T2s. How the hell do they think I have managed to control my BGs over 10 years and get HbA1cs of 5.4% etc? Not by not testing and sitting back and waiting for six months for a HbA1c test, that's for sure.
If I did what I was told to do I would be well out of control by now. I was told to eat complex carbs with every meal (I do not) I was told not to test, it would make me paraniod and depressed (it has not), I was told that my test results meant little (really?) and the HbA1c was the only one that matters!
So plough your own path, I now just nod and smile when the usual advice is given yet again, and then do what I think is right for me.
It's my body and my T2, I will manage it and all I need is a bit of help now and then.
You might want to consider how you want to manage your diabetes?
H
Cathyn is right. Testing is the only way you can work out what you can eat and how much.
It's common for HCPs to criticise self testing of T2s. How the hell do they think I have managed to control my BGs over 10 years and get HbA1cs of 5.4% etc? Not by not testing and sitting back and waiting for six months for a HbA1c test, that's for sure.
If I did what I was told to do I would be well out of control by now. I was told to eat complex carbs with every meal (I do not) I was told not to test, it would make me paraniod and depressed (it has not), I was told that my test results meant little (really?) and the HbA1c was the only one that matters!
So plough your own path, I now just nod and smile when the usual advice is given yet again, and then do what I think is right for me.
It's my body and my T2, I will manage it and all I need is a bit of help now and then.
You might want to consider how you want to manage your diabetes?
H
