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Tracedemain1967

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Hi, I take 500mg metformin once daily and have been for 7 years, but not once has the doctor told me to check sugar levels or given me a machine to do so. Do you think I should ask x
 
Most type 2's cant get testing strips (or the meter) on prescription in England so have to fund it themselves, but getting one will help you with your control and mean you can find out what foods do to your sugar level which is very important if you wan't to keep your sugar levels as close to normal as possible - I'm sure some of T2 members of the forums will come and let you know which ones are the cheapest you can get.
 
Tracedemain1967 said:
Hi, I take 500mg metformin once daily and have been for 7 years, but not once has the doctor told me to check sugar levels or given me a machine to do so. Do you think I should ask x
Click to expand...
Doctors don't usually offer meters to patients who aren't on insulin, as the NHS won't pay for them. Most T2's here self-fund. It is invaluable in knowing where you're at, how you're doing, and most importantly, what certain foods do, so you know what is going to spike you and what's a better choice to eat. If you do go shopping for a meter, testing works like this: Some people like to test their fasting bloodsugars in the morning. I don't usually, because my dawn phenomenon is usually present, and I already know that. Old news. But that's a choice you can make, especially when you begin and want to know what your starting point is in the a.m.. What I find more important is testing right before a meal and 2 hours after first bite. If your levels go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, then there were more carbs (which turn into glucose once ingested) than you could process back out. By eating to my meter I've put my T2 into remission. i'm medication and complication-free. And I rather enjoy that. I never would've managed that without a meter to tell me where my mistakes were, and what was absolutely perfect for me. So it is something to consider.

Good luck!
Jo

PS: I'm stealing a bit @Bluetit1802 wrote, because it is an excellent piece of information. The meters aren't expensive, but the strips can be. So these are affordable to use:

The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2 because the strips are much cheaper than other meters, and you need a lot of strips. You can't buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk. (applied at the check out stage)
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here and the meter is free.

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/

Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for either meter)
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. Five hundred milligrams a day is a lot less than what most type IIs take, what are your HbA1c tests like?

It's always a good idea to be aware of what your BG is doing, saves waiting until the results of what can be an annual test, the HbA1c.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
Doctors don't usually offer meters to patients who aren't on insulin, as the NHS won't pay for them. )
Click to expand...
NICE guidance is that meters and test strips should be prescribed to any Type 2 who is on medication that can cause hypos - insulin, sulfonylureas ( like Gliclazide ) and one of the newer class of meds ( meglitinides?)
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Tagging @daisy1 for the info pack offered to all newcomers.

May I ask what your last HbA1c result showed, please?
 
Boo1979 said:
NICE guidance is that meters and test strips should be prescribed to any Type 2 who is on medication that can cause hypos - insulin, sulfonylureas ( like Gliclazide ) and one of the newer class of meds ( meglitinides?)
Click to expand...

My GP stopped prescribing test strips way before I stopped taking Gliclazide. So much for NICE guidelines. There again, NICE guidelines would have most of the country taking statins, and from a younger and younger age.

My personal opinion is that if you are on any medication at all for diabetes, then you obviously have issues with your blood glucose levels and therefore should be making some effort to control it and monitor it.

Another personal opinion is that some people can tolerate more carbs than others and that those who have a diagnosis of being type II are among those who couldn't tolerate as much as the NHS guidelines (Eatwell Plate). A lot of type II diabetics are eating too many carbs, some of my friends included, but seem be more than happy to just take the tablets. Sadly I have watched some of them become more and more unwell, gaining weight, having higher blood pressure, so more medication. I strongly believe that cutting carbs is the way forward. Sorry, I'll now vacate my soap box.
 
@Tracedemain1967

Hello Trace 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 like and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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.
 
Thanks for tthe info/ Newly found pre-diabetic wanting to know as much as possible.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
Doctors don't usually offer meters to patients who aren't on insulin, as the NHS won't pay for them. Most T2's here self-fund. It is invaluable in knowing where you're at, how you're doing, and most importantly, what certain foods do, so you know what is going to spike you and what's a better choice to eat. If you do go shopping for a meter, testing works like this: Some people like to test their fasting bloodsugars in the morning. I don't usually, because my dawn phenomenon is usually present, and I already know that. Old news. But that's a choice you can make, especially when you begin and want to know what your starting point is in the a.m.. What I find more important is testing right before a meal and 2 hours after first bite. If your levels go up more than 2.0 mmol/l, then there were more carbs (which turn into glucose once ingested) than you could process back out. By eating to my meter I've put my T2 into remission. i'm medication and complication-free. And I rather enjoy that. I never would've managed that without a meter to tell me where my mistakes were, and what was absolutely perfect for me. So it is something to consider.

Good luck!
Jo

PS: I'm stealing a bit @Bluetit1802 wrote, because it is an excellent piece of information. The meters aren't expensive, but the strips can be. So these are affordable to use:

The most popular meters for self funding T2's are the Codefree and the Tee2 because the strips are much cheaper than other meters, and you need a lot of strips. You can't buy them in pharmacies.

Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk. (applied at the check out stage)
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here and the meter is free.

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/

Don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for either meter)
Click to expand...

Just to clarify the Tee 2 from Spirit Health is no longer free, it’s £9.99 so cheaper than the Code Free from Home Health but the strips work out more expensive.
 
DavidGrahamJones said:
My GP stopped prescribing test strips way before I stopped taking Gliclazide. So much for NICE guidelines. There again, NICE guidelines would have most of the country taking statins, and from a younger and younger age.

My personal opinion is that if you are on any medication at all for diabetes, then you obviously have issues with your blood glucose levels and therefore should be making some effort to control it and monitor it.

Another personal opinion is that some people can tolerate more carbs than others and that those who have a diagnosis of being type II are among those who couldn't tolerate as much as the NHS guidelines (Eatwell Plate). A lot of type II diabetics are eating too many carbs, some of my friends included, but seem be more than happy to just take the tablets. Sadly I have watched some of them become more and more unwell, gaining weight, having higher blood pressure, so more medication. I strongly believe that cutting carbs is the way forward. Sorry, I'll now vacate my soap box.
Click to expand...
Then again some of us who started from ourageously high BG (28/29 in my case), combine low carb diet with v low dose of gliclazide ( see signature) as diet alone and diet with Metformin do not control BGs and have managed to return hba1c’s in the pre / non diabetic range for over 20 years.
If you read NICE guidance then you will see what it says - if your GP ( or more probably his / her practice manager) chooses to ignore it, then that is a different matter.
Each to their own soapbox.
 
Boo1979 said:
Then again some of us who started from ourageously high BG (28/29 in my case), combine low carb diet with v low dose of gliclazide ( see signature) as diet alone and diet with Metformin do not control BGs.By doing that I for one have managed to return hba1c’s in the pre / non diabetic range for over 20 years.
If you read NICE guidance then you will see what it says - if your GP ( or more probably his / her practice manager) chooses to ignore it, then that is a different matter.
Each to their own soapbox.
Click to expand...
 
Boo1979 said:
Then again some of us who started from ourageously high BG (28/29 in my case), combine low carb diet with v low dose of gliclazide ( see signature) as diet alone and diet with Metformin do not control BGs and have managed to return hba1c’s in the pre / non diabetic range for over 20 years.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to suggest Gliclazide or similar isn't necessary. In my own case the low carb alone stopped working about 2 years ago but I found the major problem I personally was having was the dawn phenomena with some highs in the mid teens and that was 12 hours after eating a low carb meal. My GP could have just prescribed more medication, but I found another way. What I personally found was that a restriction of meats has helped me enormously, "straightened out" my dawn phenomena and my last HbA1c was 46.

I took Gliclazide for many years before the low carb diet and my issue with that and similar drugs is the effect it had on my weight. It as good as ruled out any chance of losing weight, in fact I can tell when I started taking and stopped taking Gliclazide just by looking at my weight charts. Like all drugs, they affect different people in different ways.
 
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