Testing

Nightwishing1984

Well-Known Member
Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Right now I have had just over a week for it to sink in.
Blood sugar testing?
I am debating on a monitor as I believe type 2 on tablets do not recieve one as part of management.

So how many times a day do you need to test?

If for example i had weetabix everyday for breakfast is there a need to test if it doesnt spike BS?
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi,

A meter is essential if you want to learn which foods spike you. Test immediately before you eat, then again at 2 hours after your first bite. Ideally the rise should be less than 2mmol/l. Much more and that meal contained too many carbs for you. Many of us also test at 1 hour after food because, depending on what we have eaten, the spike may come earlier than 2 hours. Confusingly, it may also come later than 2 hours, but in time you will get used to it and know when is best for you. The 2 hour mark is the one normally used.

You will be very lucky if Weetabix doesn't spike you!

Keep a food diary and record your levels alongside. Eventually a pattern will emerge and you will find you don't need to test as much.

You can also test first thing in the morning as soon as you get out of bed to keep an eye on your fasting levels. I also test before I go to bed.
 
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Nuthead

Well-Known Member
Messages
986
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Right now I have had just over a week for it to sink in.
Blood sugar testing?
I am debating on a monitor as I believe type 2 on tablets do not recieve one as part of management.

So how many times a day do you need to test?

If for example i had weetabix everyday for breakfast is there a need to test if it doesnt spike BS?
Welcome. Bluetits advice is spot on. If you cannot get a meter from your doctor, many here use the codefree meter because the strips are the cheapest. Go here.....
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/
Don't forget the Lancets and lots of strips. I believe there is a code for extra discount. Search codefree on the forum to find it somewhere. Try harassing your doc first.
Avoid or servearly reduce, bread and anything with wheat. Rice, sugar and pasta.
Carbohydrate = sugar. Many here eat a low carb high fat diet. (Lchf). I find it good for me. Wheetabix or any breakfast cereal including porridge put my bg (blood glucose) into high earth orbit.
 
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stephiesut

Well-Known Member
Messages
61
It depends on the tablets. I was given a meter when put on gliclazide as that can lower your bg quickly so i was given a meter to test for hypos. If its metformin alone, you may struggle to get anything from your gp.
As for testing, it depends what you are testing for. If you want to eat to your meter like many on here do then test before and 2 hours after meals. If you dont want to do that, and just want to keep a general check then test first thing. If you are worried about hypos, test if you feel unwell.
Once you know what spikes you (for what its worth weetabix doesnt spike me at all, never has!) you dont need to retest everytime.
 

Nuthead

Well-Known Member
Messages
986
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
It depends on the tablets. I was given a meter when put on gliclazide as that can lower your bg quickly so i was given a meter to test for hypos. If its metformin alone, you may struggle to get anything from your gp.
As for testing, it depends what you are testing for. If you want to eat to your meter like many on here do then test before and 2 hours after meals. If you dont want to do that, and just want to keep a general check then test first thing. If you are worried about hypos, test if you feel unwell.
Once you know what spikes you (for what its worth weetabix doesnt spike me at all, never has!) you dont need to retest everytime.
Not really. It depends What you eat. This is why you need to test before and after food. Build up a dairy of what you can tolerate and eat accordingly. Keep within bg guidelines. Then only when you know how different foods affect you can you ease off the testing. Hope I make Sense.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hello @Nightwishing1984 and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 over 100,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.