When to prick test 50 shades of diabetes

Mike_Gasken

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
I have the two charts of 50 shades of Diabetes
I under stand the HbA1c number that are blood tests done in hospital and local GPs
My question is when should I prick test in order to show mmol/L on 50 shades chart?
My daily reading varies from 5.6 to 11.5mmol/l
 

paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
morning pre and possibly post meals and bedtime.
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have the two charts of 50 shades of Diabetes
I under stand the HbA1c number that are blood tests done in hospital and local GPs
My question is when should I prick test in order to show mmol/L on 50 shades chart?
My daily reading varies from 5.6 to 11.5mmol/l
That is an average level, which it is difficult to measure, as theoretically you would have to take readings through the night. Unless you have a CGM you just have to average as many readings as you can to get an approximation.
 

mo53

Expert
Messages
7,869
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@Mike_Gasken Hello. I will tag @daisy1 who will kindly post some excellent information which will answer your question and give lots of other information.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Mike_Gasken

Hello Mike and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.



BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,808
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Are you wanting to convert your finger pricks tests you do at home to an HbA1c? If so if you put your finger prick test results into the app MySugr. When you’ve put in enough results it will approximate your current HbA1c. You must remember it’s only approximate because it depends how much you test. I test betwen 4-7 times per day and my last two lab HbA1c tests were within 1-2 of the MySugr estimate.
 

Mike_Gasken

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Thank you all for the information
I am on LCHF diet. this has worked and my last (Dec2017) HbA1c was 39 mmol.
I very much like my new diet, large breakfast then only small snacks (nuts) to dinner pre BS 4.5
My question is recently I had a urine test and my KETONES were very high. Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Thanks
 

Jix200903

Member
Messages
22
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm told the bodily process for converting non-carbs to glucose is "quite dirty" and higher ketones is normal. This page has something of interest.
 

Robbity

Expert
Messages
6,683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Mike_Gasken: When you eat LCHF you'll sometimes see waste ketones in your urine when you start to burn fat. When things are finally working as they should you may well find that these ketones are all getting used as fuel by your body, so no longer get disposed of in this way...

Robbity