how often do you check sugar?

[winkz]

my husband was recently diagnoised with type 2 diabetes. he was told to check his sugar only once a week? shouldnt he have to check it at least once a day? he was also started on metformin--500mgs--once a day. looking for some information. amy help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

[stel2006]

my husband was recently diagnoised with type 2 diabetes. he was told to check his sugar only once a week? shouldnt he have to check it at least once a day? he was also started on metformin--500mgs--once a day. looking for some information. amy help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

Once a week:eek:? In type 2 DM? Nice one, but that's weird.

Winkz, diabetes is a life-long disease; once you get it, you can't get rid of it; however, you can successfully control the disease and thus have a normal life;

Testing your blood sugar levels once a week is not only insufficient, but truly dangerous:eek: !!! The blood sugar levels can have so many variations during 24 hrs...and if you don't have a tight even aggressive control of them, they are definitely going to destroy your body slowly but very effectively;
That is why it is imperative to test your blood sugar levels at leat 4 times a day (all values are glucosemeter readings, not lab values):

1. in the morning (between 6 am and 7.30 am) - that's with one condition: you should eat at least 6-8 hrs before measuring that; that's called a jeun glycemia; it has to be tested 15-30 mins before you eat;

values --> recommended: 80 - 110 mg/dL (poor control if 130mg/dL or more)

2. random values (measured 2 hrs or more after you finished eating or before meals or before going to bed at night) - at least once a day (morning or evening); one testing must be before going to bed!!!

values ---> recommended: 80 - 120 mg/dL (poor control if 140 mg/dL or more)

3. "after eating" values (measured 2 hrs after you started eating or 1,5 hrs after you finished eating - that is you eat for 30 mins or less) - at least once if not twice a day

values ---> recommended: 140 mg/dL or less (poor control if 180 mg/dL or more)

If his values fall within the recommended interval, he is ok; the complications will be less likely to occur;

Remember this:

1. the glucosemeters test the whole blood; the lab tests the plasma values !!!. Normally, the plasma blood sugar levels are 12% more than the whole blood values; so, you must add abt.10 mg/dL to the values by the glucosemeter to get an idea of the real plasma values (the lab might tell you)

2. besides controlling his blood sugar levels, he must also do the following things (controlling the blood sugar levels protects only against damage of the small vessels and nerves in his body; the large vessel damage is largely unaffected):

a. keep blood pressure levels within the following intervals:

Systolic blood pressure (SBP): 110 - 129 mmHg
Diastolic blood pressure (DBP): 60 - 79 mmHg

If these values cannot be achieved through diet and physical exercise, he should take pills to lower his blood pressure; always talk to your doc abt treatment of high blood pressure;

b. reduce salt intake to maximum 6 g/day (the fruits and vegetable contain this amount if eaten daily, so he does not need to add extra salt in the food)

c. do physical exercise regularly (30 mins daily at leat 3-4 times a week)

d. eat healthy food:

avoid salt / fat / sugar - rich foods
eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
meat - eat chicken and fish
boil your food; don't fry it
oil: olive oil

e. keep blood cholesterol levels in the safe limits:

total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL
good cholesterol (HDL); more than 50 mg/dL
bad cholesterol (LDL): less than 100 mg/dL
Tryglicerides: less than 120 mg/dL


Hope it helped a bit:D.

[MeadowLark]

OH !!!! WINKZ!!!
I hope you can change Doctors!!! That is so horrible!!!
Get him another doctor.
I totally agree with Stel.


I test first thing in the morning before I even move out of bed.
I test again before I eat;because the time may vary up to 2 hours.
( that is just a personal thing.)
I test before lunch.
After lunch.
Before dinner.
After dinner.
Before bed.


My doc is willing to prescribe 6 test strips per day. I asked for him to let me test that much. He asked why? I told him that if I test more... I will know how to choose my foods wisely. I will know when I need to walk an extra block to help my numbers stay in control. He agreed. ( Insurance must have a doctor state that it is needed! They get cranky about forking over more money.) I am blessed. :) My doctor is a doctor for a professional hockey team. He happens to have a personal desire to work with specific chronic diseases, one of them being diabetes.

Please, get another doctor. Get better help.
Meanwhile, Stel's advice is awesome.:)
Take care.
MeadowLark by the way...I'm type 2 and started with Metformin and am now using Januvia.

[Serra]

my husband was recently diagnoised with type 2 diabetes. he was told to check his sugar only once a week? shouldnt he have to check it at least once a day? he was also started on metformin--500mgs--once a day. looking for some information. amy help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.


I'm not sure he can monitor his blood sugar level closely enough checking once a week.

Perhaps checking his fasting level once a week would give him a good idea of how he is doing in the short term and then the doctor could give him an A1C test one a month or every other month to chart how well he is doing overall.

However, that sounds risky to me. As a diabetic its important to know how different food is effecting blood sugar levels. You can't do that testing once a week. I've found I can eat some things without issue and others are about as safe as running down the freeway naked and drunk.

Exercise seems to play an important role as well. If I'm exercising regularly, I can eat borderline stuff without any issues, but if I skip exercise, those things send my BS way up.

Really the only way to learn the effects of food and exercise is to monitor BS levels often. Once that your husband knows his limits, they he can cut back on monitoring.

The first three months after I was diagnosed, I used more test strips than I have in the year since. I monitor more closely when there is a problem than I do when its boring.

Remember fasting levels tell you you've been, after meal levels tell you how food is effecting your levels. Its important to understand both.

Of course, thats just my opinion...

[fighter]

winkz,
just wanted to find out how things are going now ?