What AM I meant to be doing???

[poppyowner]

Hi all

Diagnosed in Jan 2009 but still feel in the dark as to what I should be expecting etc re. blood testing etc.

I was prescribed Metformin twice daily and told to self-test daily.

I was told that I should try to get my levels to between 4 and 7 before breakfast and under 8.5 two hours after meals - I told my Diabetic Nurse at my last review that every morning my blood is OVER 7 yet she just told me to not get excited about the readings!!!!

What is the point of finger pricking ? Is it just to make sure I am aware I could be entering risk areas of under 4 or over 11 ?

In the past I have been told to test before then 2 hours after a food to see what affects but then when I did this the results were never the same on different days - what is the point?

I was told somewhere that if you are under 7 in the mornings then the progression is slow for side effects / complications BUT that at over 7 it speeds up - am worried as already experienced sight problems (lost some sight in left eye due to retinal detatchment thanks to Diabetes!) and don't want anything else bad to happen to me......

SO MY QUESTIONS :

What do you suggest I do re pricking?
For what Benefit?
When should I see help re. readings and who should I see?
What do I do if ever my levels go under 4?
What do I do if ever my levels go over 11?

I feel soooooo confused yet this is a year and a half now!

Can you help? PLEASE!!!

Jill

 

[jbavin]

Hi Jill

I'm new to these boards, but having been diagnosed for a couple of years, totally understand your frustrations.
It seems that everybody is given different advice about everything.
I have a machine to test blood sugars but have been advised that as I take Metformin not to test on a regular basis and only test if you think you have problem (you're poorly or you feel strange), due to the fact that you cannot do anything about it anyway.

I will be interested to read others experiences and suggestions.

Julie

 

[Sid Bonkers]

been advised that as I take Metformin not to test on a regular basis.........
due to the fact that you cannot do anything about it anyway.

Hi Julie & Jill.

Why test?
You will find it really useful if you test regularly, despite what your doctors and diabetic nurses may say, but you do need to be testing for a reason not just to see what your blood glucose (bg) is.

If you test before a meal and again 2 hours later, you will see what that meal has done to your bg. it may have gone from say 6.5 before you eat to 10.8 two hours later in which case you know that that meal contained too many carbohydrates (carbs). Eat the same meal a day/week/month later and reduce the amount of carbs, ie. potato, rice, pasta, bread etc and do the before and after test again and you should see less of a peak, if it is still too high reduce the carbs again and re test that meal and keep testing it until your two hours after numbers are under 8.5 .


It may help you to read the advice given to newly diagnosed members by Sugarless Sue & Cugila.

"Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.


The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!
If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

⁠Sue/Ken"

 

[Daibell]

Hi

I've had type 2 for 6 years now. My understanding is that an early morning BS test may not prove much as the liver does a glucose 'dump' into the system before you rise for the day and it varies between people. I tend to test during or later in the day. Yes, try 2 hours after a meal and see what the effects of different carbs and quantities have on your BS. Metformin doesn't increase insulin levels but helps reduce blood glucose in various ways. If you've been diagnosed with Type 2 i.e. higher than normal BS then hopefully you won't go below a reading of 4 with just Metformin. If your BS regularly goes above 8 or thereabouts then you should see your GP for further advice such as additional medication. I keep my carbs under control, have low-GI ones when I can and spread my eating through the day. I excercise down the gym and manage to keep my HBA1c just below 7. My GP did have to add Gliclazide to my Metformin a few years back when the HBA1C kept going up (in theory it helps produce more insulin but had little effect in my case) but as you will find on the forums everyone's diabetes is different!

 

[IanD]

You will have been given diet advice - "eat starchy carbs with every meal." Mostly wholegrain foods & 5 a day fruit & veg, & low sugar/salt/fat. That is the standard NHS Diabetes UK advice.

I followed that advice for 8 years & was develolping the predicted complications - slight retinopathy & peripheral neuropathy. Leg muscle pains were becoming crippling. Chronic tiredness was a problem. My overnight fasting readings were about 7, & HbA1c 6.7.

Then I found this forum where many were advising that the standard NHS/DUK diet advice was wrong. Carbs metabolise to blood glucose, so we should cut right down. My fasting readings immediately fell below 6, & within 3 months I was well, out of pain & had lost 7 Kg.

My advice - from experience - is not to eat bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, & not to drink fruit juice. Increase meat/cheese/nuts/veg/fresh fruit.