Testing

[Goldenoldy]

Hi all. Thanks for replies to my previous post. I notice that some members seem to be able to test their progress re prediabetic Hba. The diabetic nurse advised against getting a blood sugar monitor. I was told that they only check this reading annually. Is there a way to monitor your progress more often as I would hate to get to a year down the line and find little change. Excuse my ignorance, but does a daily reading of blood sugar give any indication at all? If not then the nurse is maybe right. Thanks. G

 

[Guzzler]

The HbA1c is a test that shows the average blood glucose over the previous 8-12 weeks.
A home monitor is like taking a snapshot of what your blood glucose is doing now. Please note that the measurement values are different.
Testing at home can teach you how your body reacts to the foods you eat making it easier to decide on which foods to cut down on, which foods are best avoided and which foods you can eat to your heart's delight. Without a monitor, as you say, 12 months is a long time to wait until you know if the changes you have made have been beneficial or not.

 

[EllieM]

Hi all. Thanks for replies to my previous post. I notice that some members seem to be able to test their progress re prediabetic Hba. The diabetic nurse advised against getting a blood sugar monitor. I was told that they only check this reading annually. Is there a way to monitor your progress more often as I would hate to get to a year down the line and find little change. Excuse my ignorance, but does a daily reading of blood sugar give any indication at all? If not then the nurse is maybe right. Thanks. G

I think (and this is my opinion only) that there are two main reasons why doctors tell T2s and prediabetics not to do blood tests.

1) Cost. If they tell them to do the tests than the NHS would have to fund the meters and strips

2) Behaviour. As a T1, I need frequent blood sugar results to determine my next dose of insulin. If a T2 or prediabetic doesn't act on their blood sugar results (eg by changing their diet) then there's not that much point in knowing them. Of course, the T2s on here who achieve remission do act on their blood sugar results : they use them to determine what they can safely eat. But I reckon that there are a lot of T2s out there who don't do this, but whether this is caused by the NHS's refusal to recommend blood testing is up for debate.

And honestly, an Hba1c is just an average of blood sugar results, in many ways you can tell more by actually doing the blood tests.

 

[Mike d]

I'll keep this brief ... the nurse is completely wrong, Every bit of advice you get here is completely right

Tells you something that you're in a forum of experts