# Diagnosed T2 one week ago



## Catlady (Dec 15, 2021)

Hello everyone

I am 63 and was diagnosed with diabetes a week ago. I’m guessing it’s Type 2 as nobody has said differently. Apparently the blood test flagged it up and a urine test for protein and ketones confirmed it. All I know is that I’d had months of an exceptionally dry mouth, plus other very uncomfortable symptoms. If I hadn’t reminded the GP that there was a family history of diabetes then I wonder if it would have been checked. The diabetes nurse rang and said my hba1c was 89 (which means diddly squat to me as I don’t know what it should be) and I was given a prescription for Metformin and some test strips to use after meals to check sugar levels. The first test I did showed a level of 55.5> and currently it’s come down to around 8.3 and 2.8 with the odd 1.1. I was having 1000 mg Metformin and have now started taking 2000 mg Metformin per day.

I know diabetes is serious and my brother had it, developed heart disease and died young. There are children in the family with Type 2 also. So I’ve been given a jolt! I’d already been working at losing weight but the side effects of the Metformin is making this hard as I keep feeling ravenous - especially after meals - and nauseous plus I’ve an ongoing headache.  I guess this will wear off and I’ll get used to it.

I’ve had a little advice from other T2s regarding what I can and can’t eat and I’ve been cutting out sugar but I don’t know much else. I had a look at some recipes here but some seem to be very loaded with sugar so I’m confused as to whether I should or shouldn’t have it.

Sorry for going on but I feel like I’m wandering round in the dark with this. There aren’t any of the courses running apart from virtually and I’m waiting to hear. I wouldn’t mind knowing if I should limit just sugar or all carbs and by how much.


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## Drummer (Dec 16, 2021)

Hello @Catlady. My Hba1c was 91 at diagnosis.
I had been eating a high carb low fat diet, to reduce cholesterol, but it was not working, so I returned to an Atkins type way of eating, 50 gm of carbs a day and that soon got things back to normal.
I was so very ill taking the tablets prescribed back at this time of year in 2016, and after realising that my mind was affected I stopped them - I did the Christmas shopping twice and could not remember so many things - I now realise.
At the first retest I was no longer diabetic and back to normal at 6 months, so I have declined any further medication for diabetes.
Basically, the 'safe' foods are meat, seafood, eggs, cheese, and full fat dairy.
I add foods which are 10 percent carbs or less, so salads, stir fries, casseroles and stews, I make curries  - not with premade sauces, and I serve them on chopped steamed cauliflower.
I make cauliflower cheese with cauliflower, cheese, more cheese, and various herbs and spices.
There is no need to go hungry, just keep on eating protein and fat - eventually there is just not one thing more you could possibly eat and then the time between meals begins to lengthen.
These days I eat every 12 hours, sometimes I eat very little, but it seems fine.
The recipes on the site are not controlled by the forum, so we recommend testing blood glucose after meals and adjusting the carbohydrates according to the results.


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## janw (Dec 16, 2021)

Hi and welcome
Just to add that f you are looking for good meals to cook, you could google keto recipes, they are low carb, and you will be quite surprised at what you can eat! There  are alternatives to the high carbs - cauliflower rice instead of normal rice, courgetti instead of spaghetti, different types of baking from cakes to breads to pancakes....it's a whole new world out there to try whilst being healthier and losing any excess weight if needed.  Please cut the carbs slowly to avoid feeling a bit under the weather and/or getting blurry vision - change the food or lower the portion size, bit by bit.


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## Docb (Dec 16, 2021)

Hi @Catlady and welcome to the forum.  A HbA1c of 89 is heading up into what I call the red zone, where some serious attention should be paid to getting it down.  Without that, the risks of developing complications in the long term come into play, and those complications you could well do without.  If you read around the forum you will find lots of members (including me) who with a bit of understanding and a bit of effort have come down to below diagnosis from those levels. You need to work out a plan which will suit you and we can help with that.

First off, I have a question. I don't understand the blood glucose readings you have given.  Were these from a meter?


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## Lucyr (Dec 16, 2021)

What are you you using to get these readings and have you been shown how to use it properly? No blood glucose meter would be capable of reading 55.5 and I’m not sure any could read as low as 1.1.


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## Rocky dog (Dec 16, 2021)

Hello catlady good to hear from you. You have been given some very good advice in the other threads. When I first found out I was diabetic I knew I had to change my eating habits, I loved junk food. These days I only eat lean meat and fish with a good helping of vegetables. I cook all my meals, even though my wife is a chef. This is a good time to practice some new recipes but always check your blood sugar levels. Let me know your first new recipe. Regards John


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## Windy (Dec 16, 2021)

Morning @Catlady Sorry to hear about your diagnosis of T2, it didn't come as a complete shock to me when I was diagnosed in October, but still a bit of a shock.
I'll try and explain what the numbers mean (hopefully someone else can correct me if I've got it wrong).
HbA1c is the number that the doctor would have used to diagnose you. It's a value which shows what your glucose levels were like for the last 3 months. So mine was 80mmol/mol, and for a non-diabetic person, it would be less than 47, and you'd be prediabetic if you were 42 or above. 
There's a different reading that you can take yourself with a blood glucose monitor, by finger pricking (or I think, urinating on a test strip?). This gives you a reading in mmol/L, so a non-diabetic person's normal fasting level would be between 4 and 7, and if they ate a big cake, it might be a bit higher than that.
I've also gone for a low carb diet, so mostly excluded: bread, breakfast cereals, potatoes, biscuits, crisps, cakes, parnips, crackers etc. and replaced them with low carb alternatives like cauliflower mash, corgette spaghetti, or food like omelette, curry and roasted cauliflower/cauliflower rice and home made soup. 
NHS guidance is to eat from the "eatwell guide" which has 1/3 of it's plate is carbs. However, this sends my blood glucose levels way upwards, so I'm aiming for a medium to low carb diet to keep my BS levels as low and steady as possible. I'm also hoping that I can lose weight, as I'm aware that me gaining weight has brought on my diabetes, and losing weight will help to control it better.
Best wishes, Sarah


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

Hopefully the effects of the metformin will pass before too long, it is usual to build the dose up a bit more slowly than you have been told to help your body adjust.
As others have said making some adjustment to your diet will also be needed as the metformin doesn't act directly on food but enables your body to use the insulin it is producing more effectively to metabolise the glucose produced by the carbohydrates you eat. Reducing those in your diet to a level that you can tolerate will go a long way to bringing down your HbA1C.


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## Felinia (Dec 16, 2021)

Hello and welcome Catlady
Excellent advice from Windy and others.  We all felt pretty devastated when first diagnosed but have learned a new way of living.
I suggest you educate yourself by working through the Learning Zone (orange tab above) one module a day so you can take it all in.  If Metformin does not settle down, I suggest you ask for the slow release version, which is kinder on the inner workings.  The best way to take them is in the middle of a meal so they are surrounded by food in your tummy.
My next suggestion is to keep a food diary alongside your glucose monitoring, so you can see what foods spike your glucose level.  There are free apps online and others.  I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month, less than a cup of cafe coffee a week.  It was the first thing I did on diagnosis.
The foods to cut down on are all carbs, not just sugar, and others have mentioned looking for alternatives.  Everyone is different so it is trial and error what suits you best.  I experimented between 50gm and 130gm a day, settling on 90gm.  Some are very sensitive so go much lower, but it is suggested to be below 130gm.
I don't know how active you are, but exercise is also important.  I went from nothing to 3 x Aquafit classes a week and that has worked wonders for my wellbeing and waistline!  But even a short walk each day will help.  My 80+ year old neighbour goes out for a cycle a couple of times a week, and an 80+ year old friend will do 25 lengths of her local pool twice a week as well.  Age is no barrier and water supports all those creaking joints.
Now you are in the system you will be referred for annual eye and foot testing, plus regular blood tests including cholesterol, liver and kidney functions and your HbA1c.  You will also have your weight and blood pressure checked.  But with things as they are at present, it may take time, so best to help yourself as much as possible.
My forum name also refers cats, and I'm known locally as Catwoman!  Best wishes


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Docb said:


> Hi @Catlady and welcome to the forum.  A HbA1c of 89 is heading up into what I call the red zone, where some serious attention should be paid to getting it down.  Without that, the risks of developing complications in the long term come into play, and those complications you could well do without.  If you read around the forum you will find lots of members (including me) who with a bit of understanding and a bit of effort have come down to below diagnosis from those levels. You need to work out a plan which will suit you and we can help with that.
> 
> First off, I have a question. I don't understand the blood glucose readings you have given.  Were these from a meter?


Thank you for the reply Docb.

The test strips were to test the sugar in urine 2 hours after eating to see if there was too much sugar in the meal. Sorry the picture isn’t very clear but they measure Glucose mmol/L.


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Lucyr said:


> What are you you using to get these readings and have you been shown how to use it properly? No blood glucose meter would be capable of reading 55.5 and I’m not sure any could read as low as 1.1.


Hi Lucy, I’ve posted a picture of what was prescribed. I don’t have a meter. 
Thank you


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Rocky dog said:


> Hello catlady good to hear from you. You have been given some very good advice in the other threads. When I first found out I was diabetic I knew I had to change my eating habits, I loved junk food. These days I only eat lean meat and fish with a good helping of vegetables. I cook all my meals, even though my wife is a chef. This is a good time to practice some new recipes but always check your blood sugar levels. Let me know your first new recipe. Regards John


Thank you John. I’ll start experimenting once this awful nausea passes. I haven’t actually posted in any other threads as I’ve only just joined here but give me time.…. ;D


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## grovesy (Dec 16, 2021)

Where in the world are you? 
When people here refer to test strips , they mean the ones that test blood, not urine ones.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

grovesy said:


> Where in the world are you?
> When people here refer to test strips , they mean the ones that test blood, not urine ones.


When I did a MYDESMOND face to face course several years ago they handed out a pot of urine test strips to everybody and told people to check using those, needless to say I bought a blood glucose monitor.


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## Bruce Stephens (Dec 16, 2021)

Leadinglights said:


> When I did a MYDESMOND face to face course several years ago they handed out a pot of urine test strips to everybody and told people to check using those, needless to say I bought a blood glucose monitor.


How odd. I wonder if (for T2 who don't qualify for blood testing) there's evidence that urine testing is helpful?


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

Bruce Stephens said:


> How odd. I wonder if (for T2 who don't qualify for blood testing) there's evidence that urine testing is helpful?


I suppose it is useful as an initial test if people present with symptoms of diabetes and would indicate pretty high blood glucose levels if glucose was also present in a urine sample. If not present, it would not exclude diabetes especially if there were symptoms evident.


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## Bruce Stephens (Dec 16, 2021)

Leadinglights said:


> I suppose it is useful as an initial test if people present with symptoms of diabetes and would indicate pretty high blood glucose levels if glucose was also present in a urine sample. If not present, it would not exclude diabetes especially if there were symptoms evident.


Yes, as a one-off test it makes sense: sugar in the urine is a bad sign.

I'm less sure about continued use, but maybe it's useful then as it could show when you're going really too high even if it doesn't really help when you're a bit too high. I presume the DESMOND people will have looked at the evidence and decided that it is (or was) worthwhile.


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## Docb (Dec 16, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Thank you for the reply Docb.
> 
> The test strips were to test the sugar in urine 2 hours after eating to see if there was too much sugar in the meal. Sorry the picture isn’t very clear but they measure Glucose mmol/L.
> View attachment 19442


Ah, thought it might be something like that.

They are something rarely mentioned on the forum because as a general thing, nobody uses them!  This lack of general experience makes it hard to make sensible comments on the number you have found.  In any case, as far as I know, they tell you how much sugar is in your urine, not in your bloodstream and again from my limited knowledge you will  get glucose in your urine when the glucose level on your blood is much higher than desirable and the kidneys have started start to work overtime to try and get rid of it.  I have no real idea if you can relate the two but I doubt you can.

When most of us talk about glucose readings we are talking about glucose in the blood.  This is obtained by pricking your finger with a lancet and transferring a drop of blood onto a test strip which has been inserted into a reader.  This gives you a direct reading of blood glucose and is far, far better when it comes to checking the effect of food stuffs on blood glucose as well as giving you a general idea about whether your blood glucose is high.  So, with an HbA1c of 89 you would expect to see readings on a blood glucose meter in the teens; highish teens after you have eaten and lowish teens a couple of hours after.  Thats where mine were.  These days they are in the range 5 to 10 and mostly nearer 5 than 10 and my HbA1c is around 40.  

Did you get the test strips from your GP?  If so you might try and talk him/her into giving you a proper test meter.  They are not obliged to, but some see the sense in prescribing one.

Takes time to get a proper perspective on things and I hope that helps with getting your head round the numbers and what they mean.  Take it a step at a time and just keep on asking questions.


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Windy said:


> Morning @Catlady Sorry to hear about your diagnosis of T2, it didn't come as a complete shock to me when I was diagnosed in October, but still a bit of a shock.
> I'll try and explain what the numbers mean (hopefully someone else can correct me if I've got it wrong).
> HbA1c is the number that the doctor would have used to diagnose you. It's a value which shows what your glucose levels were like for the last 3 months. So mine was 80mmol/mol, and for a non-diabetic person, it would be less than 47, and you'd be prediabetic if you were 42 or above.
> There's a different reading that you can take yourself with a blood glucose monitor, by finger pricking (or I think, urinating on a test strip?). This gives you a reading in mmol/L, so a non-diabetic person's normal fasting level would be between 4 and 7, and if they ate a big cake, it might be a bit higher than that.
> ...


Thank you, Sarah.

It is the urine test strips I’m using (picture posted) but not for fasting as nurse said to use them two hours after eating. I’m also working on the weight loss as I was doing before diagnosis so I think I wasn’t expecting to find I am diabetic. 

Have you done the course? Was it helpful?


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

grovesy said:


> Where in the world are you?
> When people here refer to test strips , they mean the ones that test blood, not urine ones.


I’m in the UK and these are strips to test sugar in the urine as prescribed by the diabetes nurse.


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Felinia said:


> Hello and welcome Catlady
> Excellent advice from Windy and others.  We all felt pretty devastated when first diagnosed but have learned a new way of living.
> I suggest you educate yourself by working through the Learning Zone (orange tab above) one module a day so you can take it all in.  If Metformin does not settle down, I suggest you ask for the slow release version, which is kinder on the inner workings.  The best way to take them is in the middle of a meal so they are surrounded by food in your tummy.
> My next suggestion is to keep a food diary alongside your glucose monitoring, so you can see what foods spike your glucose level.  There are free apps online and others.  I use NutraCheck which is £7.99 a month, less than a cup of cafe coffee a week.  It was the first thing I did on diagnosis.
> ...


Thank you Felinia, that’s a lot of useful information. I know Nutracheck having used it in the past and they are a very good organisation. I thought there might be something to help with carb monitoring on this site rather than paying elsewhere but I may not have come across it yet.

Exercise wise I prefer a walk to the gym and I like swimming but haven’t used a pool in ages thanks to covid.
Nice to meet a fellow cat lady!


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

Urine dip sticks are not the usual way of monitoring your glucose levels after food. It would not be until your blood glucose levels were above 10mmol/l that it would show in urine. The aim for testing the effect of food/meals on your blood glucose would be not to be above 8mmol/l 2 hours after your meal. To be at a level that would show on a dip stick would not be doing you much good in the long run.
So really a blood glucose monitor would be much more appropriate.


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Leadinglights said:


> When I did a MYDESMOND face to face course several years ago they handed out a pot of urine test strips to everybody and told people to check using those, needless to say I bought a blood glucose monitor.


Do they both give the same results and if so, which is a good one to buy?


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Thank you Felinia, that’s a lot of useful information. I know Nutracheck having used it in the past and they are a very good organisation. I thought there might be something to help with carb monitoring on this site rather than paying elsewhere but I may not have come across it yet.
> 
> Exercise wise I prefer a walk to the gym and I like swimming but haven’t used a pool in ages thanks to covid.
> Nice to meet a fellow cat lady!


If you don't want to be paying then arm yourself with Carbs and Cals book (about £10) or do internet search for Total Carbs of X and a notebook and pencil for a low tech option.


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## Catlady (Dec 16, 2021)

Docb said:


> Ah, thought it might be something like that.
> 
> They are something rarely mentioned on the forum because as a general thing, nobody uses them!  This lack of general experience makes it hard to make sensible comments on the number you have found.  In any case, as far as I know, they tell you how much sugar is in your urine, not in your bloodstream and again from my limited knowledge you will  get glucose in your urine when the glucose level on your blood is much higher than desirable and the kidneys have started start to work overtime to try and get rid of it.  I have no real idea if you can relate the two but I doubt you can.
> 
> ...


Thank you that’s very helpful. If I can’t get a meter on prescription then I’ll look into buying one. If you have any ideas which are best I’d be glad to know.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 16, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Do they both give the same results and if so, which is a good one to buy?


Dip sticks do not measure the same thing as from a blood sample.
The GlucoNavil is a inexpensive relable monitor with the cheapest test strips as it will be those you will use lots of to start with. You get a few strips and lancets in the kit but you should buy extra at the start. You can get from Amazon or Home Health website. You do not need to pay VAT.


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## Windy (Dec 16, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Thank you, Sarah.
> 
> It is the urine test strips I’m using (picture posted) but not for fasting as nurse said to use them two hours after eating. I’m also working on the weight loss as I was doing before diagnosis so I think I wasn’t expecting to find I am diabetic.
> 
> Have you done the course? Was it helpful?


I'm a newish diabetic, I've never seen urine test strips. I did the DESMOND course (two days ago, as it happens), and we didn't get given any test strips there.
Bits of the course were helpful, in particular about foot care, which I didn't know about. I told them how I like to dry my feet with the hairdryer, and that's not a good idea apparently! We also went over cholesterol levels and mine weren't even on the chart that they showed as the scale didn't go that far.
The eatwell guide I was a bit dubious about, but didn't stick my oar in about how much carbohydrate was meant to make up my plate. I used to love carbs, but like a break up from a bad relationship, I don't want them in my life at the moment.

I'd recommend going, but I trust the "lived experience" of the people on the forum who've managed to get their diabetes controlled over the lovely trainers who told me it was ok to eat bread etc. as I can't see how eating something that my body can't process very well is a good idea.

Also, I bought "Pocket Carbs and Cals", and track my meals on a spreadsheet, along with my blood sugar levels - bought a Gluco Navii and got the practice nurse to do the first test with me as I'm a wimp. Since then, I'm fine with using it. Thought the finger pricking would be nasty, but I can't tell which finger I've done ten minutes later. 
I've lost 9Kg (approx 18Lbs) so far, getting diagnosed has concentrated my mind on getting it done. Still another 30Kg to go, but I can do it if I keep going.


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## Alan S (Dec 17, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> I am 63 and was diagnosed with diabetes a week ago. I’m guessing it’s Type 2 as nobody has said differently. Apparently the blood test flagged it up and a urine test for protein and ketones confirmed it. All I know is that I’d had months of an exceptionally dry mouth, plus other very uncomfortable symptoms.


snip.


Catlady said:


> I feel like I’m wandering round in the dark with this. There aren’t any of the courses running apart from virtually and I’m waiting to hear. I wouldn’t mind knowing if I should limit just sugar or all carbs and by how much.


I wrote this to help you begin: Getting Started. I know you will have lots of questions after you read that and the pages it links to. Come back and ask them all.


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## Drummer (Dec 17, 2021)

I was given dip sticks at the  'education' course I did - i did use them as instructed, never got any reaction as I went low carb from the moment of diagnosis.
I have a Spirit Healthcare Tee 2 + blood glucose tester which usually shows 6 or 7 mmol/l after meals.


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## Felinia (Dec 17, 2021)

Catlady said:


> Thank you Felinia, that’s a lot of useful information. I know Nutracheck having used it in the past and they are a very good organisation. I thought there might be something to help with carb monitoring on this site rather than paying elsewhere but I may not have come across it yet.
> 
> Exercise wise I prefer a walk to the gym and I like swimming but haven’t used a pool in ages thanks to covid.
> Nice to meet a fellow cat lady!


I went back to the pool after reading that the WHO said chlorine rendered COVID inert.  But I must admit with this current  spike many people are staying away, including me, and 2 of the pools have cancelled their classes.  Back to the home exercise bike!


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## JackyAM (Dec 18, 2021)

I am type 2, on metformin. I asked my diabetic nurse if I could have a meter and she told me they are only given out to people who are type 1 or type 2 on certain medications that may cause a spike - ie not metformin.
I was not offered urine strips as an alternative.


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## rebrascora (Dec 18, 2021)

JackyAM said:


> I am type 2, on metformin. I asked my diabetic nurse if I could have a meter and she told me they are only given out to people who are type 1 or type 2 on certain medications that may cause a spike - ie not metformin.
> I was not offered urine strips as an alternative.


Urine strips will be of little help to you. Most Type 2s have to self fund if they want a BG meter but it is a very worthwhile investment for allowing you to take control of your diabetes management and enables you to *see *how your body responds to various foods/meals which then allows you to make informed decisions about what to eat to manage your diabetes well. Trying to manage your diabetes without one is like driving a car without a speedometer. You can do your best but still get a nasty surprise when a speeding fine lands on your doormat or you get a higher HbA1c result than you would like in 3/6months time when you get your next blood test...... or you can keep an eye on your levels day by day and meal by meal and adjust so that you keep within the limits and don't risk getting any nasty surprises.


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## Windy (Dec 18, 2021)

I bought my own meter and test first thing in the morning, and before and then two hours after meals. However, if it's a meal I've had before (so I have mushroom and cheese omelette most days for breakfast, or home made soup for lunch), I don't test for that, as I've got a fair idea of what it's going to do to my BS levels. If I cook something new, I'll test still, and adjust either the recipe or portion size if I get a higher reading. 
The nurse at my practice said they could have given me a BS meter, so it seems a bit random and inequitable if you can or can't have one on the NHS if you're a T2.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 18, 2021)

JackyAM said:


> I am type 2, on metformin. I asked my diabetic nurse if I could have a meter and she told me they are only given out to people who are type 1 or type 2 on certain medications that may cause a spike - ie not metformin.
> I was not offered urine strips as an alternative.


Urine strips for glucose are not usually something given out now, the recent mention of them is not something people have even mentioned in all the time I have been looking at the forum.


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## Leadinglights (Dec 18, 2021)

Windy said:


> I bought my own meter and test first thing in the morning, and before and then two hours after meals. However, if it's a meal I've had before (so I have mushroom and cheese omelette most days for breakfast, or home made soup for lunch), I don't test for that, as I've got a fair idea of what it's going to do to my BS levels. If I cook something new, I'll test still, and adjust either the recipe or portion size if I get a higher reading.
> The nurse at my practice said they could have given me a BS meter, so it seems a bit random and inequitable if you can or can't have one on the NHS if you're a T2.


It does seem to be pretty random, may depend on what budget the practice has for diabetic support, not that it should be.


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## trophywench (Dec 18, 2021)

Testing urine for glucose is not a precise science since it doesn't distinguish whether the person has a normal renal threshhold or not.  If you do have a normal renal threshhold, glucose spills over into your urine when your blood glucose reaches c. 11.0 - ie DOUBLE what it ought to be.  If your renal thresshold happens to be more or less, your blood glucose could be anything.

Utterly useless in this day and age - and pretty useless in the first place really TBH. (how the hell are some of us still here.....)


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## Alan S (Dec 19, 2021)

JackyAM said:


> I am type 2, on metformin. I asked my diabetic nurse if I could have a meter and she told me they are only given out to people who are type 1 or type 2 on certain medications that may cause a spike - ie not metformin.
> I was not offered urine strips as an alternative.


That is terrible advice. Are you able to change your doctor or nurse? Read this to see why: Test, Review, Adjust

How long ago were you diagnosed and has the advice you have received led to improvement?


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## Catlady (Feb 19, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> Urine strips for glucose are not usually something given out now, the recent mention of them is not something people have even mentioned in all the time I have been looking at the forum.


My T2 was diagnosed in Nov 2021 so not long ago. The nurse just said use them 2 hours after eating. I guess it depends on area? 

Also, I had a text message from the surgery to book a blood test - 1st one since starting metformin. I asked what would happen and whether I should ring for the results. Receptionist just said if the nurse is concerned she’ll call you otherwise she won’t. Not helpful. My friend had a call from her pharmacy shortly after starting metformin to see how she was doing. I got nothing. Wouldn’t it be nice if care was consistent?


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## Lucyr (Feb 19, 2022)

Catlady said:


> My T2 was diagnosed in Nov 2021 so not long ago. The nurse just said use them 2 hours after eating. I guess it depends on area?
> 
> Also, I had a text message from the surgery to book a blood test - 1st one since starting metformin. I asked what would happen and whether I should ring for the results. Receptionist just said if the nurse is concerned she’ll call you otherwise she won’t. Not helpful. My friend had a call from her pharmacy shortly after starting metformin to see how she was doing. I got nothing. Wouldn’t it be nice if care was consistent?


Do you have the nhs app with access set up to view your test results? Ask your surgery how to get access to your test results online if you don’t have it.


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## Catlady (Feb 19, 2022)

Lucyr said:


> Do you have the nhs app with access set up to view your test results? Ask your surgery how to get access to your test results online if you don’t have it.


That’s a whole other issue! I’ve been trying to get access now for the past month. I’ve had a lovely lady in admin trying to solve the problem as the surgery say they can see I have access but I don’t have it from my side. It’s been referred to some techy person in the company that runs their online access.


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## Leadinglights (Feb 19, 2022)

Catlady said:


> My T2 was diagnosed in Nov 2021 so not long ago. The nurse just said use them 2 hours after eating. I guess it depends on area?
> 
> Also, I had a text message from the surgery to book a blood test - 1st one since starting metformin. I asked what would happen and whether I should ring for the results. Receptionist just said if the nurse is concerned she’ll call you otherwise she won’t. Not helpful. My friend had a call from her pharmacy shortly after starting metformin to see how she was doing. I got nothing. Wouldn’t it be nice if care was consistent?


Blood glucose test strips for use with a home testing monitor would be something you would use to test 2 hours after eating to see if you have tolerated the food you have eaten, but Urine strips for glucose would not be of much use for that purpose as it would only be if your glucose levels were much much higher than you want it to be would it be detectable in your urine. Are you sure they are not ketone test strips, but even then you would not use those to test 2hours after food.
I'm sure it is not usual practice.


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## Catlady (Feb 19, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> Blood glucose test strips for use with a home testing monitor would be something you would use to test 2 hours after eating to see if you have tolerated the food you have eaten, but Urine strips for glucose would not be of much use for that purpose as it would only be if your glucose levels were much much higher than you want it to be would it be detectable in your urine. Are you sure they are not ketone test strips, but even then you would not use those to test 2hours after food.
> I'm sure it is not usual practice.


They’re urine glucose test strips. That’s all I know. I’m going to ask the nurse about a monitor but I understand, from what I’ve read, that T2s don’t really need them unless they take Insulin meds.


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## Windy (Feb 19, 2022)

Catlady said:


> They’re urine glucose test strips. That’s all I know. I’m going to ask the nurse about a monitor but I understand, from what I’ve read, that T2s don’t really need them unless they take Insulin meds.


The national guidance from NICE/ the NHS is that T2s don't need monitors unless they're on medications which can cause hypos. But if you want to see what's going on with your meals and what they're doing to your blood glucose levels, they're really helpful.
Somebody on the forum explained it was like driving a car without checking the speedometer if you don't use one.
I have self funded mine, and am happy to be my own laboratory rat, testing my BG to see what particular meals do so I can keep my levels lower. Some T2a don't test, and some do, I guess there isn't a right and wrong answer, but I know that testing is the right answer for me. It's something to consider, or maybe do for a short while to get an idea of which meals are ok and which are a bit less ok.
Best wishes, Sarah


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## Catlady (Feb 19, 2022)

Thank you Sarah. I really appreciate all your information and advice.


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## Mrs Mimoo (Feb 20, 2022)

Leadinglights said:


> Dip sticks do not measure the same thing as from a blood sample.
> The GlucoNavil is a inexpensive relable monitor with the cheapest test strips as it will be those you will use lots of to start with. You get a few strips and lancets in the kit but you should buy extra at the start. You can get from Amazon or Home Health website. You do not need to pay VAT.


second recommend for GlucoNavii it's cheap and easy to use - my GP gave me a meter but it has expensive test strips so I left in the drawer. 

there are videos on this site for how to use finger prick devices and how to do the readings.

PS I am also a cat lady.


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