Testing

[Suffolk gal]

Ive seen many of you talking about testing before and after meals. My dr just gave me a prescription for Metformin but didn't mention testing or what were good or bad foods. My day long appointment with the consultant is mid August. Should I be testing? When? How? Sorry to sound so naive. I'd be really grateful for advice.

 

[kaylz91]

Do you have a meter and strips? if you haven't been prescribed these then self funding can become quite expensive, the cheapest we know of to self fund is the sd codefree, there is no right or wrong answer to good or bad foods however you may want to look at your carbohydrate intake as it's the carbohydrates that effect us, so be wary of the likes of bread, pasta, rice, porridge and things like that, if you eat a lot of fruit maybe reduce that and stick to lower carb fruits like raspberries, blackberries etc, bananas tend to be a no no for most
Good times to test are waking, before and 2 hours after meals and before bed but many that self fund cant afford to do so but this allows you to work out what effects you so its a great shame that many type 2's miss out on this opportunity
What is a general day food wise to you?
xx

 

[Rachox]

Generally GPs won’t advocate testing for Type 2s due to costs providing prescriptions and/or people “worrying” about the results. Personally I would worry if I didn’t see what effect different foods have on my blood sugar. I also take Metformin but the greater effect on my blood sugars has been from cutting carbs. I tested a lot when first diagnosed on waking, just before a meal and two hours after first bite to see if the meal was suitable for me and at bedtime. I don’t test so much now 13 months on.
If you decide to start testing we can give you details.

 

[dbr10]

Ive seen many of you talking about testing before and after meals. My dr just gave me a prescription for Metformin but didn't mention testing or what were good or bad foods. My day long appointment with the consultant is mid August. Should I be testing? When? How? Sorry to sound so naive. I'd be really grateful for advice.

You can't tell how foods affect you unless you test. It's really the only way to get some control.
@Rachox is right.

 

[Guzzler]

Just to add, the difference between your pre meal reading and your reading 2 hours after your first bite of food should be no more than 2mmol and preferably less than that.

 

[Suffolk gal]

Do you have a meter and strips? if you haven't been prescribed these then self funding can become quite expensive, the cheapest we know of to self fund is the sd codefree, there is no right or wrong answer to good or bad foods however you may want to look at your carbohydrate intake as it's the carbohydrates that effect us, so be wary of the likes of bread, pasta, rice, porridge and things like that, if you eat a lot of fruit maybe reduce that and stick to lower carb fruits like raspberries, blackberries etc, bananas tend to be a no no for most
Good times to test are waking, before and 2 hours after meals and before bed but many that self fund cant afford to do so but this allows you to work out what effects you so its a great shame that many type 2's miss out on this opportunity
What is a general day food wise to you?
xx

Thank you. Maybe I need to pester dr for a testing kit then.
I'm a vegetarian without a cause. Breakfast=muesli with fruit juice as I don't like milk, a chopped nectarine on top and hot water to drink.
Mid morning = cereal bar or satsuma.
Lunch is either salad of 5 cherry tomatoes, celery, about 10 grapes, small amount of beetroot, sweet corn, peas, radish and cheese. Muller light Yogurt.
Mid afternoon = the cereal bar or satsuma I didn't have mid morning.
Tea = currently its salad as weather is so hot. Otherwise jacket potato with a little cheese or baked beans.
About 9 pm = an orange.
I drink about 3 mugs hot water and 6 mugs de cafe tea per day.
I've cut out all biscuits. I've never been overly fond of cake or chocolate and no certainly no sweets.
My dr didn't give me my bloods results. I think I saw 7.6.
Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you again.

 

[kaylz91]

Thank you. Maybe I need to pester dr for a testing kit then.
I'm a vegetarian without a cause. Breakfast=muesli with fruit juice as I don't like milk, a chopped nectarine on top and hot water to drink.
Mid morning = cereal bar or satsuma.
Lunch is either salad of 5 cherry tomatoes, celery, about 10 grapes, small amount of beetroot, sweet corn, peas, radish and cheese. Muller light Yogurt.
Mid afternoon = the cereal bar or satsuma I didn't have mid morning.
Tea = currently its salad as weather is so hot. Otherwise jacket potato with a little cheese or baked beans.
About 9 pm = an orange.
I drink about 3 mugs hot water and 6 mugs de cafe tea per day.
I've cut out all biscuits. I've never been overly fond of cake or chocolate and no certainly no sweets.
My dr didn't give me my bloods results. I think I saw 7.6.
Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you again.

I'm afraid as the medication your on doesn't cause hypo's you will more than likely get denied a kit and strips, my MIL's prescription for strips was ended due to cost cutting
I'd be very wary of muesli, fruit juice and a nectarine, especially all at once as these are very carb high, also cereal bars, what are they? most people here would go for a nature valley protein bar or the likes as these are under 10g carbs a bar whereas cereal bars can be very high, lunch could be quite high in carbs too depending on portion sizes of certain things, the higher of these being the beetroot, peas and sweetcorn, grapes can be known for being little 'sugar bombs' too, muller lights are quite high in sugar, most of us tend to eat full fat natural yoghurt as fat slows the absorption of the carbs we consume
Salad is fine, a lot struggle with jacket potatoes and find they can only tolerate a few new baby potatoes boiled with skin left on
I'm not trying to be picky or anything just trying to give the best advice I can so please don't take any offence at anything I say! xx

 

[Suffolk gal]

I'm afraid as the medication your on doesn't cause hypo's you will more than likely get denied a kit and strips, my MIL's prescription for strips was ended due to cost cutting
I'd be very wary of muesli, fruit juice and a nectarine, especially all at once as these are very carb high, also cereal bars, what are they? most people here would go for a nature valley protein bar or the likes as these are under 10g carbs a bar whereas cereal bars can be very high, lunch could be quite high in carbs too depending on portion sizes of certain things, the higher of these being the beetroot, peas and sweetcorn, grapes can be known for being little 'sugar bombs' too, muller lights are quite high in sugar, most of us tend to eat full fat natural yoghurt as fat slows the absorption of the carbs we consume
Salad is fine, a lot struggle with jacket potatoes and find they can only tolerate a few new baby potatoes boiled with skin left on
I'm not trying to be picky or anything just trying to give the best advice I can so please don't take any offence at anything I say! xx

I certainly am not offended, only grateful. I didn't realise beetroot was high in carbs! I guess I realised the others weren't as good as I might be eating, but thought I was being fairly good. I have an egg and soya allergy so struggle with food anyway. Perhaps I should have been a snail and could have lived on lettuce! I'll do more homework on what I can/can't have because I really want this to work. Thanks again.

 

[Guzzler]

Lots of info on Dietdoctor.com, lovely recipes for meals and snacks.

 

[Suffolk gal]

Lots of info on Dietdoctor.com, lovely recipes for meals and snacks.

Thanks Guzzler, I will check that out as I am definitely struggling with what I can/can't eat. There was I thinking I was quite good

 

[Guzzler]

Thanks Guzzler, I will check that out as I am definitely struggling with what I can/can't eat. There was I thinking I was quite good

I think a lot of us thought we were good and while diet plays a big part it is not the whole story. There is no blame attached to our diagnoses. As you learn more about Diabetes you will come to know that there are a few factors involved and some as yet unknowns. You may find it hard to beleive but quite a few folk in the forum say that being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes has actually done them a favour in terms of improving their overall health after the initial shock. "A kick up the backside" is a phrase oft written here!

By the way, there is a vegetarian section of this forum, you will find it near the bottom of the forum list page. Good luck.

 

[Rachox]

I think a lot of us thought we were good and while diet plays a big part it is not the whole story. There is no blame attached to our diagnoses. As you learn more about Diabetes you will come to know that there are a few factors involved and some as yet unknowns. You may find it hard to beleive but quite a few folk in the forum say that being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes has actually done them a favour in terms of improving their overall health after the initial shock. "A kick up the backside" is a phrase oft written here!

By the way, there is a vegetarian section of this forum, you will find it near the bottom of the forum list page. Good luck.

I have used the phrase “kick up the backside” and also “blessing in disguise” many times about my diagnosis, I am far more healthy than I was before

 

[Phoenix55]

Hello @Suffolk gal as well as the Diet doctor website, which is excellent for a quick reference, may I also suggest that you look online at the range of cookery books that are available through your local library. I know Sudbury have various books available and across the county they can be ordered in for free. There is no 'good' or 'bad' about our past diet, we all do the best we can given our circumstances. There is only what is good for me to eat in future? To determine this you need to have a bg monitor which you will need to self fund, so check out the cost of the strips first before you order the meter - these work out to be the most expensive part in the long run. We are all different and need to test to find out the foods our body has taken a dislike to us eating. A simple spreadsheet of the results and to keep a food diary on for a while soon shows the main culprits for you. Read around the forum, there is a lot of good advice to be had here and good luck.

 

[Suffolk gal]

Thank you for all the support and advice. I'm spending the weekend doing my diabetes homework, finding a tester, finding recipes and obviously lots of exercise, which I do anyway.
Well done to everyone who is managing their diabetes.
It's been a bit of a shock but think I'm coming to terms nos, just wish I'd been given more advice with my prescription.

 

[Rachox]

Here’s some info about testing kit:
Taken from a post by @Bluetit1802 as she wrote it so nicely:

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/
Currently out of stock but available from Amazon too, link below.

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.

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

Link to the Code Free via Amazon:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/...d+codefree&dpPl=1&dpID=51iTbplucgL&ref=plSrch

 

[Suffolk gal]

I think I'm a total wimp. The thought of the testing really freaks me out, but I know I have to do it and it's for my own good, so I need to grow up. Several ops and injuries over the years, so why does this freak me? How daft.
Thanks for the monitor info.