T2 Obsessing About the Numbers

[SunnyExpat]

Readings change with meter temperature, body temperature, whether you've been sitting previously, whether you've walked upstairs, whether you've been awake, whether you've just nodded off, to name but a few.
I test occasionally now, and don't particularly worry about the readings, as I also know 'normal' people have a wide range of numbers they'll be at. You can spend your life trying to artificially control your BG into an unnatural range if you're not careful.
At to metformin, again, don't get hung up on the side effects that 'would' curtail your exercise. It happens in a few people, there are thousands more posters on this forum who haven't posted about the lack of side effects, (I'm one) than the handful that experienced them.

You're doing really well, but relax, and enjoy the fact you're doing well.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Another vote for being obsessive... when we were away on hols I was anxious as I couldn't update my spreadsheet although still recorded everything.. first thing I did when we got back was spend a morning getting all up to date..I've been recording for 6 months now although don't include mood.. drat you've one one better, but I find it really useful. Its all part of being in control which I find the best motivator.. like you I have no intention of taking meds if humanly possible. Keep up the great work!
Us obsessives are proud of you.
All the best
Mark

Snap! When away I write it all down on paper in the old fashioned way, then enter it all up when I get home. I can beat you, though. I've been doing it for 2 years and the obsession is still there. This last holiday was so much easier - I wore a Libre sensor and apart from some calibration tests against my finger pricker, I didn't test at all, and nothing much to record when I got home. The Libre did it all for me every 15 minutes, logs, graphs, averages, the lot. Wonderful!
For us obsessives I can recommend a sensor.

 

[walnut_face]

I am just glad I am not the only obsessive @Lindy1706 . ATM it seems like it is me Vs the World (and I like it that way) The Doc insisted I take metformin, so I do (for now), yes there have been side effects but in no way has it stopped me going swimming or the gym. In fact my gym times are up from 40 to 90 mins a session and 3 times a week instead of 2. Right now my BS are on an upward trend, back into the 6's from high 5's. My weight did that too, I failed to obsess about that, and look where I ended up

 

[ickihun]

I've obsessed and not. Nothing changes the fact we are diabetic. Are you sure you've come to terms with your diagnosis? Transferred attention from accepting your new diagnosis.
You are tactling your condition brilliantly. 5 star in fact but have you accepted your condition?
Talk it through as burn out can happen to anyone. Even the most methodical of people.
Don't burn your enthusium dry. It's a walk not a run.
Brilliant fbg/bgs. Well done.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Snap! When away I write it all down on paper in the old fashioned way, then enter it all up when I get home. I can beat you, though. I've been doing it for 2 years and the obsession is still there. This last holiday was so much easier - I wore a Libre sensor and apart from some calibration tests against my finger pricker, I didn't test at all, and nothing much to record when I got home. The Libre did it all for me every 15 minutes, logs, graphs, averages, the lot. Wonderful!
For us obsessives I can recommend a sensor.

You've got me thinking that for holidays the Libre might be worth it. I'm in France for 3 weeks over the summer, the thought of not constantly checking myself and relaxing a little about my diabetes (not that I'm stressing all the time) is very encouraging!

 

[Bluetit1802]

You've got me thinking that for holidays the Libre might be worth it. I'm in France for 3 weeks over the summer, the thought of not constantly checking myself and relaxing a little about my diabetes (not that I'm stressing all the time) is very encouraging!

Yes, give it a go, but you will need to do some finger pricking to see if your sensor is behaving as it should and how much, on average, it reads higher or lower. Most of them seem to be lower. These can be entirely random cross checks, so you aren't tied to clock watching after meals. I cross checked my fasting, bedtimes, and after any meal when I thought I may be high due to too many carbs. They certainly free you up to enjoy your holiday without constant finger pricking, clock watching, or whatever. Very stress free and also illuminating. You just forget you are wearing one.

 

[Brunneria]

You've got me thinking that for holidays the Libre might be worth it. I'm in France for 3 weeks over the summer, the thought of not constantly checking myself and relaxing a little about my diabetes (not that I'm stressing all the time) is very encouraging!

I recommend the Libre too. Worth its weight in gold.

In fact, I now hardly test at all (T2, diet and exercise). The Libre has given me so much info, and increased my confidence that I AM managing this, and my standard meals ARE ok, that when I am not wearing the Libre I hardly bother with testing (and no, I wouldn't know how to be obsessive for more than 5 mins, even if I tried, lol)

I wear the Libre for the 2 week life of a sensor, then give myself a7-10 day break, no testing, then slap another on. I try and kid myself that it gives me a sense of proportion, but what it really gives me is a holiday. I do still carry a prick test meter, and use it occasionally, if I scoff something iffy, but I thankfully forget about it most of the 'holiday'.

Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word 'holiday', because on a REAL holiday I think the sensor is invaluable, because I am not fully in control of foods etc. and it provides a wonderful little conscience, sitting on my arm, a mere scan away...

 

[martin9]

I think most ppl do obsess about figures .. i do and yours are going very well but remember if you stress about it its a driver of bad results . Keep up the good work

 

[Susikav]

Hi Everyone,

I was officially diagnosed T2 on the 15th March following a test on the 3rd March which showed an HbA1c of 118 with a fasting BS of 17.7.....Ouch.

I was already eating a variation of LCHF (I had cut down on processed carbs for lent!) but since diagnosis have become much stricter, have incorporated intermittant fasting and an eating window and have started regular excercise, And am getting good results.

I decided from the beginning of testing that I would mesure daily and weekly averages so that I did not get overall concerned about the odd high reading (Walnutgate where my BS want up by 3 mmol for instance!). And have been recording daily averages of mid 5's to low 6's with the exception of one day last week where I managed a 5.3. My weekly averages have been 7.6, 6.4, 6.0, 5.7, 5.9 And 5.8 respectively And my first monthly average 15/3/15 - 15/4/16 was 6.4.

The last two days I have had averages Of 6.0 And 6.2 respectively, both days I have been really active, long walks, And feeling really good And I am having to remind my self quite forcefully that 6.2 is only .5 higher than the average 5.7's And 5.8's I have been getting And is a **** long way from 17.7. But another part of me is saying "its going the wrong way DANGER"

My Husband is firmly in the "for the love of god woman you are stable to within half a mmol stop fretting camp"

Does anyone else obssess about the numbers, I even find myself crossing my fingers as I wait for THE result to come up on the meter .......sigh!

Hi Lindy... Yep... I obsess too - or that's what my husband says! Easy for him that can eat anything - and does... Your range is remarkably similar to mine... if your numbers go up a bit is often means a small infection, or something like a migraine, stress etc, that pushes it up... try not to worry too much, it will probably go down again quite quickly.... You have done amazingly well - bravo... Susi

 

[Westie58]

Hi Everyone,

I was officially diagnosed T2 on the 15th March following a test on the 3rd March which showed an HbA1c of 118 with a fasting BS of 17.7.....Ouch.

I was already eating a variation of LCHF (I had cut down on processed carbs for lent!) but since diagnosis have become much stricter, have incorporated intermittant fasting and an eating window and have started regular excercise, And am getting good results.

I decided from the beginning of testing that I would mesure daily and weekly averages so that I did not get overall concerned about the odd high reading (Walnutgate where my BS want up by 3 mmol for instance!). And have been recording daily averages of mid 5's to low 6's with the exception of one day last week where I managed a 5.3. My weekly averages have been 7.6, 6.4, 6.0, 5.7, 5.9 And 5.8 respectively And my first monthly average 15/3/15 - 15/4/16 was 6.4.

The last two days I have had averages Of 6.0 And 6.2 respectively, both days I have been really active, long walks, And feeling really good And I am having to remind my self quite forcefully that 6.2 is only .5 higher than the average 5.7's And 5.8's I have been getting And is a **** long way from 17.7. But another part of me is saying "its going the wrong way DANGER"

My Husband is firmly in the "for the love of god woman you are stable to within half a mmol stop fretting camp"

Does anyone else obssess about the numbers, I even find myself crossing my fingers as I wait for THE result to come up on the meter .......sigh!

Hi there I am type2 taking 20 units lantus daily diagnosed October 2011.
It is perfectly normal at first to be anxious about your figured in my case I was very ill at 34.9!!!
In the early days I was forever testing and as I regained control worried about hypos etc.
Now I at good levels and test only occasionally to keep an eye on between check ups etc or if I am ill with cold upset tum etc so don't fret sounds to me like you are doing brilliantly!!

 

[bkr]

Im the same too, I often get told by my other half that I dont need to check so much although I like to keep tabs on my levels. Most of the time I dont feel its necessary as the readings are within range, even the doctor/nurse at my GP said I only need to check it a few times a week if that. However I learned on here that its good to do if it helps build a better understanding, as after all its us that ‘live’ this every day.

 

[SunnyExpat]

Im the same too, I often get told by my other half that I dont need to check so much although I like to keep tabs on my levels. Most of the time I dont feel its necessary as the readings are within range, even the doctor/nurse at my GP said I only need to check it a few times a week if that. However I learned on here that its good to do if it helps build a better understanding, as after all its us that ‘live’ this every day.

I don't test more than a few times a week now.
I don't particularly think I live diabetes though. I've got it, but it's well in the background.

 

[KevinPotts]

These are superb, very encouraging stories. Thanks

 

[bkr]

I like your style, thanks Sunnexpat - I hope to slip into that way of thinking/living in due course too.
I behave myself & my levels are pretty good for the majority of the time, would like for them to be a little lower so I could be off the register though - work to be done on that visceral fat I think

 

[SunnyExpat]

I like your style, thanks Sunnexpat - I hope to slip into that way of thinking/living in due course too.
I behave myself & my levels are pretty good for the majority of the time, would like for them to be a little lower so I could be off the register though - work to be done on that visceral fat I think

They have never offered to take me off the register.
It's something I would strongly resist if they did though.

 

[eddie1968]

I'm going to buck the trend but you can get obsessed with BMs and meters without really needing to. I'm not saying don't test but some people on the forum go overboard and don't need to. Some of the weekly figures posted aren't of any interest to me unless they are way out of kilter for example very high or low. I do test 4 times daily but have to check as I am on insulin but I hate it. Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly. I know I am not going to be poplar saying this.

 

[SunnyExpat]

I'm going to buck the trend but you can get obsessed with BMs and meters without really needing to. I'm not saying don't test but some people on the forum go overboard and don't need to. Some of the weekly figures posted aren't of any interest to me unless they are way out of kilter for example very high or low. I do test 4 times daily but have to check as I am on insulin but I hate it. Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly. I know I am not going to be poplar saying this.

I agree entirely

 

[Daphne917]

I don't test more than a few times a week now.
I don't particularly think I live diabetes though. I've got it, but it's well in the background.

Same here - I test most mornings for my FBS and that's usually it unless I'm eating a food that I haven't had before or one that has caused a spike in the last which I want to try again. For example I love dates and used to eat quite a few but, since becoming T2, I haven't had any until last week when, on a whim, I decided to try them and test to see what effect they had. 2 dates were fine but 3 raised my BS more that I liked - I repeated the test with similar results so I now know that, as a treat, I can have a date or two!!

 

[AndBreathe]

I'm going to buck the trend but you can get obsessed with BMs and meters without really needing to. I'm not saying don't test but some people on the forum go overboard and don't need to. Some of the weekly figures posted aren't of any interest to me unless they are way out of kilter for example very high or low. I do test 4 times daily but have to check as I am on insulin but I hate it. Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly. I know I am not going to be poplar saying this.

The one point I would be picky on would be to state "....Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly." should read, "Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin, and have grasped decent control, should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly."

Those who choose to do more, after their initial period do so for varying reasons, including using the testing as both carrot and stick to remain with their lifestyle changes. In that scenario, where the person in self-funding, who am I to say it's not a good idea, and more than it's my place to say spending one's own money on anything is a good or bad thing?

 

[eddie1968]

The one point I would be picky on would be to state "....Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly." should read, "Doing tests in the beginning are good for a lot of reasons but people who are diet only etc and not on oral hypoglycaemics or insulin, and have grasped decent control, should check their BMs but periodically and not incessantly."

Those who choose to do more, after their initial period do so for varying reasons, including using the testing as both carrot and stick to remain with their lifestyle changes. In that scenario, where the person in self-funding, who am I to say it's not a good idea, and more than it's my place to say spending one's own money on anything is a good or bad thing?

I knew there would be nit pickers but I do agree with the statement you made, of course if you are not achieving proper control then keep testing. I think most on the forum got the gist of what I meant.