Type 2's Do you test or not

When I first got my tester (about 3 weeks after being diagnosed) I was testing before eating and 2 hours after eating to see what food I could tolerate. Now I just test if I'm eating something new, or if I feel a bit iffy

I think it's important to test. I have a friend who has type 2 and when I was diagnosed she advised me to harrass my doctor into giving me a meter and I'm glad I did. Now I know what food is good for me I can live without thinking about it too much, if that makes sense!

I test fasting and then two hours post-breakfast every morning.

I bought a meter after being dignosed and reading all the info in the forum. I test in the morning (fasting), before dinner and 2 hours after dinner. I tested today at a random time as I didn't feel too good. 3.2-hypo. I am definitely in favour of type 2s testing after my experience today. I had thought you could only get a hypo if on insulin. I contacted DN and she explained hypo probably due to drastic change in eating habits (I have cut out all chocolate and rubbish that I used to live on)
AND SHE GAVE ME A METER TO TEST. The same nurse told me 2 weeks ago that I don't need a meter!!

I didn't get prescribed a meter or strips and am out of work so can't test, but I have learnt some of my body reactions to high sugar-1st thing I get is itchy skin on my legs. This hasn't happened for quite some time now and docs reading show good control-if I get high readings at future reviews I'm pushing hard as I can for a meter!

I was diagnosed earlier this year and refused a meter and test strips. I bought my own as I believe that I need to know how food affects me. At first I tested before and 2 hours after every meal, now I sometimes test first thing so that I get an idea of my fasting level, not very often after breakfast as I now know my usual breakfast is okay. If I have something different at lunch I will test before and 2 hours after, I usually test in an evening 2 hours after dinner, partly to see if dinner was okay, but also to see what level I'm at after the days activities.

Ann

I was also told I did not need to test being a type 2, I pushed and finally got one from the doctor but I have to pay for the strips and lancets (which is not cheap). I am not on medication and control by diet alone, I always get a high reading in the morning and always over 8, lowest lately was 5.3 but that was because I hadnt eaten all day and was being to feel a little sick and dizzy. I strongly feel that anyone with type 2 should be given a monitor and the strips and lancets..... we keep getting told this is a progressive condition and we should be doing this, that and the other but from my experience I dont feel I get the help and guidance I need. I finally get to see a dietician at the end of October after waiting 18 months!!

We don't get free prescriptions because we are not on medication ..... what is that all about they throw statins at us and aprin from the beginning - are they not medication that you otherwise would not be taking??

So many questions so few answers from the people who should be helping us understand and looking after us!

Sorry rant over lol

Colette

I get symptoms if I have high b/s, my eyes feel like they're full of sand, and my limbs feel like lead weights. But I do test if I have something new to eat, or unusual symptoms. I've had to buy my own meter, and strips, I've tried to get them on prescription, but told the guidelines say type 2 don't need to test. I am on medication, so get my prescriptions free, I live on benefits, so the cost of strips and lancets are a big expense to me, so I do try to eke them out. I cannot understand how they expect us to be pro-active in our illness IF they won't give us the means to help ourselves.
Maybe rather than type's being segregated, the cost of strips should be reduced drastically. Mind you we are quite lucky, my daughter needs to go on Warfarin for life, but is resisting, as she is notoriously hard to bleed, she has been told she can have the finger prick test, the hospital can do it, but that's a 20 mile round trip, the GP surgery don't have the facilities, and to get her own meter is around £900, and the strips are about £!00 for 50 and no financial help is available for them!

Ive been type 2 now for approx 20 months. I bought my own meter but got my strips on prescription. I control myself by diet and excercise, and test like most other T2s, in the morning before and after meals. I got a phone call at the start of the month from the health centre receptionist to say that I wont be priscribed any more strips, and only patients that are on insulin will be prescribed strips. She couldnt give me an appointment to see the doctor until 24/10/2011, and I couldnt see the nurse until November. What really pisses me off, is if I hadn't got strips from the start, and I had have taken the advice of my GP and nurse i.e. eating starches, and carbs etc I would probably be on insulin and strips by now. No wonder diebetes is going through the roof!!! Mondays appointment should be interesting

I now get my strips on prescription, as I am now on insulin...before that I had to beg,borrow and purchase my strips...the joke is that if I was not testing myself, then I would still have very high blood sugars and would not have been put on insulin when I was,as my next HBA1C is due in March 2012.

Even so, my diabetic nurse only wanted me to test once daily. I have been testing 4 times a day and my insulin dose has gradually been increased. Without my regular testing I doubt that my insulin would have been increased, as it is only by testing so often that it could be seen how my blood sugars were behaving!

It's about 5 years since I was diagnosed as Type 2. I had already bought a Freestyle Mini tester but was told by my GP that I didn't need to test regularly - so I didn't. Over the years, my HBA1c has risen and at my annual review in July this year it was 8.9. At that time, I was on 4x500mg metformins and both glimepiride and sitagliptin.

It was after that review that I discovered the Newcastle research study - and following further reading decided that I should go on a low-carb diet. I started on the diet when I got back from holiday at the end of August - and began testing again to see what the effect was. Since then, I have tested on average twice a day. Last week I had my blood tested again and my HBA1c is now down to 6.7 (in just over a month of dieting). My target is to get below 6%, which should be a doddle as it would have been below 6 if I had been dieting for 10 weeks instead of just 4 or 5.

One thing I did do - and anyone with an Abbott Freestyle might consider doing the same - is to go on their website, register and order a (free) download cable for the Freestyle monitor. You can also download their Copilot Health Management system software (again free) which should make it a whole heap eaiser to monitor what is going on with your BG. I had a phone call from them earlier today and they are also sending me a FreeStyle Lite montor F.O.C.

I'll probably come across as opinionated, but I believe that all diabetics should test their blood sugar at least a couple times a day. If you don't test regularly, you can't know what effect your diet and/or medications are having on your blood sugar. It's really not enough to just get an A1c test every few months at your doctor's office. Diabetes is an illness that requires constant monitoring, and the only person who can do that is the patient.

I'm in the U.S., and things are probably a little different here. Meters are sold very cheaply because the manufacturers make most of their money on the strips. However, strips are readily available on eBay for one-third to one-half the full retail price. I don't know whether that is also true in Britain. In the U.S., there are apparently many people who get strips that they don't use that have been paid for by insurance, so they sell them on eBay to make extra money. I have never had a problem with strips that were bought that way.

I always test in the morning. I take insulin, so I will test four to five hours after injecting and eating to see if my blood sugar returned to normal (it takes regular insulin that long to work its way through your system). Sometimes, if I have eaten something unusual or especially high in carbs, I will test an hour or two after a meal to see what effect the food had on me. During times when I am focussed on improving my health, I may test up to 8 times in a day, but that is simply to satisfy my curiosity.

The more you test, the better your control of your diabetes will be.

I'm T2 and have recently received the results of my HBA1c at 7.2 mmol/L.
Unfortunately, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to control my weight, and have been advised that the 30mg glitazone daily tablet may be exacerbating my weight problem, and therefore my blood sugar levels. At my review, it was suggested that I commence insulin!

Naturally, I'm concerned at this milestone, and wonder if anyone can enlighten me, or may be offer me the benefit of their experiences - good or bad!

For the time being I've requested that I attempt to reduce my levels on my present regime, but TRY to control my weight better, and may be take more exercise - problem is I'm 63 and getting increasingly tired.

I have just taken a reading (which I tend to do about 10 - 16 times weekly), and the score on my trusty meter reads 13.4 mmol/L.

I really would welcome some feedback.

My thanks.

I'm a confirmed low-carber, and use a slight variation of the Atkins diet to lose weight - it's the one I'm happiest on and find the easiest. It also keeps my blood glucose readings well on target.

I'm lucky in that my practice gives all diabetics, whatever type, a BG meter and strips on prescription - 50 a month usually. When first diagnosed I was testing first thing in the morning (fasting), just before and 2 hours after each meal, and at bedtime. This was to find out what my BGs were doing, and also to find out what different foods did to them.

Now I know how my way of eating affects my blood glucose, I don't test so often. I keep track of my fasting BG readings because this is often the highest of the day. I test 2 hours after different foodstuffs. Sometimes I'll do a couple of days full testing just to make sure everything is okay.

There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have been able to achieve the control I have without being able to test so regularly. Don't let them fob you off by saying NICE guidelines say Type 2's shouldn't test - they in fact say that testing is an essential part of self-management within a structured education programme for Type 2s! :shock:

I hope someone with more computer expertise than me can find the link for that so people can read it for themselves - maybe the NICE guidelines should be a sticky thread somewhere?

The cost of strips for us Type 2s is much cheaper in the long run than having us on extra meds, or amputating our feet, or giving us all the help we'll need when we go blind. I am determined to manage my diabetes in such a way that I get minimal progression of the condition, and minimal complications, and in my opinion no-one can do that without being able to self-test their blood glucose readings.

I need a stamping feet and having a tantrum smilie :lol:

Viv 8)

Snurger, taking insulin is a good idea. A blood sugar reading of 13.4 is high enough to develop serious complications. However, you should also immediately lower your daily consumption of carbohydrates (meaning starches and sweets). If you are one of those people (like me) who just can't go without carbs, then it is doubly important that you start insulin.

I recommend regular insulin. The way to take it is as follows: Start with a small dose and work your way up until you are seeing decent blood sugar numbers. Take your injection 45-60 minutes before you start to eat. It takes regular insulin 4-5 hours to work its way out of your system, so it's possible to have 2 small meals on it -- say, one small meal an hour after you inject, and then another small meal two hours later. (Or a small meal and a large snack.) It's up to you how you do it, but having two small meals will lessen any blood sugar spikes. If you don't want to take 3 injections a day, then have one meal which is carbohydrate-free, such as bacon and eggs for breakfast (no toast or juice). (If you still have some pancreatic function, then a small amount of carbs could be had at the low-carb meal. Your meter will tell you how many carbs you can eat without a shot.)

Please note that for a period of days, weeks or months (depending on how low you get your carbohydrates), your liver will continue to pump large amounts of sugar into your blood every day. Thus, your blood sugar may remain elevated for weeks after you start your injections. Also, if you continue to eat a high-carbohydrate diet (200 grams or more per day), your liver will continue to store sugar, and will continue to release it into your blood at unexpected times. In other words, you should see an immediate improvement when you start taking injections, but near-normal blood sugar numbers may elude you for weeks.

When I started injecting half a year ago, I started with about 6 units per injection. I now take 25-30 units twice a day, on which I can eat 4 small meals. (My carbohydrate consumption is around 200 grams a day, which is higher than it should be. If I were eating 100 carbs a day, my injections would be smaller.) I was injecting insulin for about 2 months before I started to see really good numbers.

I have written my own article, the address to which is in my signature. You'll find much more information in there.

viviennem said:

I'm a confirmed low-carber, and use a slight variation of the Atkins diet to lose weight - it's the one I'm happiest on and find the easiest. It also keeps my blood glucose readings well on target.

I'm lucky in that my practice gives all diabetics, whatever type, a BG meter and strips on prescription - 50 a month usually. When first diagnosed I was testing first thing in the morning (fasting), just before and 2 hours after each meal, and at bedtime. This was to find out what my BGs were doing, and also to find out what different foods did to them.

Now I know how my way of eating affects my blood glucose, I don't test so often. I keep track of my fasting BG readings because this is often the highest of the day. I test 2 hours after different foodstuffs. Sometimes I'll do a couple of days full testing just to make sure everything is okay.

There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have been able to achieve the control I have without being able to test so regularly. Don't let them fob you off by saying NICE guidelines say Type 2's shouldn't test - they in fact say that testing is an essential part of self-management within a structured education programme for Type 2s! :shock:

I hope someone with more computer expertise than me can find the link for that so people can read it for themselves - maybe the NICE guidelines should be a sticky thread somewhere?

The cost of strips for us Type 2s is much cheaper in the long run than having us on extra meds, or amputating our feet, or giving us all the help we'll need when we go blind. I am determined to manage my diabetes in such a way that I get minimal progression of the condition, and minimal complications, and in my opinion no-one can do that without being able to self-test their blood glucose readings.

I need a stamping feet and having a tantrum smilie :lol:

Viv 8)

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Totally agree with everything you say and do Viv. I do exactly the same. On our local radio station (Cool FM Northern Ireland) reported this morning about the diabetes epidemic in Northern Ireland, and i'm saying to myself no bloody wonder when the Health Service and Goverment bodies keep telling us to eat the wrong foods and stop us from testing. When will they listen!!!!!! :x :x :x

Yes, I'm sure that the refusal to prescribe test strips to diagnosed t2s massively contributes to the increase in diagnoses.
You ask when they'll listen? Simple - when there is evidence to back up your claims, and not just a theory based on e.g. Bernstein's flawed understanding of evolution (cunningly prefaced by customer testimonials to lure gullible people)

Hmm, I'm not sure what you have against Bernstein. I admire him, except that I think his recommendations are too extreme. I certainly think he's sincere in all his beliefs.

Here in the U.S., more doctors seem to be on board with doing blood tests. In England, it seems that your national health service doesn't push testing because of the expense. But doctors don't work for a national health service in the U.S., so they don't have any economic incentive not to recommend testing.

AMBrennan said:

You ask when they'll listen? Simple - when there is evidence to back up your claims, and not just a theory based on e.g. Bernstein's flawed understanding of evolution (cunningly prefaced by customer testimonials to lure gullible people)

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Your answer was to Eastman, so what's your point? Apart from being confrontational? (I understand your first point about diagnosis, even though expressed in a cynical way)

AMBrennan said:

Yes, I'm sure that the refusal to prescribe test strips to diagnosed t2s massively contributes to the increase in diagnoses.
You ask when they'll listen? Simple - when there is evidence to back up your claims, and not just a theory based on e.g. Bernstein's flawed understanding of evolution (cunningly prefaced by customer testimonials to lure gullible people)

Click to expand...

If you google the internet I think you will find there are umpteen theories of the disadvantages of high carb diets for t2 diabetics. Each to their own, but I know with my testing and experementing, I have found a massive difference in a low carb diet. And I'm sure if I had have stuck to the NHS diet advice I would be now be on insulin