Home medics q?

[Count Steer]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

[Count Steer]

Nobody? Oh well, if anyone ever does need to monitor blood glucose, I bought a Roche Accu-chek Instant (from Boots on offer at much less than Amazon) and it's

(Having done that I could have saved money. My blood glucose levels are absolutely bonzer. Still, it's fun measuring stuff and it's cheaper/more use than joining the Zoe programme ).

[Mr. Dazzle]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

Yeah I have a family member who does. They've got one of those things from Boots which looks like 1990's mobile phone, you stick a little single use tab in the end and put a single drop of blood on said tab. AFAIK it's actually a tiny fuel cell!

I'm really describing it well here aren't I?

I believe it's like your Garmin based heart rate - long term trends with regular sampling are more important/interesting than absolute values.

[Count Steer]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

Yeah I have a family member who does. They've got one of those things from Boots which looks like 1990's mobile phone, you stick a little single use tab in the end and put a single drop of blood on said tab. AFAIK it's actually a tiny fuel cell!

I'm really describing it well here aren't I?

I believe it's like your Garmin based heart rate - long term trends with regular sampling are more important/interesting than absolute values.

Sounds v like the Accu-chek. The test sticks are quite whizzy. The business end is a tiny capillary and the end that goes in the device looks like a tiny PCB.

In the interests of science I'm doing 'fasting' level (no food for 8hrs ie before breakfast) and 2hrs after meals readings for a week. It's interesting to see how the 2hr readings vary depending on what the meal was and how just a full fat cappuccino bumps the reading up. Just carrying on out of interest now + using up the sticks 'cos they have use by dates.

[Mr Moofo]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

I used to, still do occasionally- as “diabetic” according to the NHS - but not by blood sugar levels
I used a pin prick meter. The pin prick thing doesn’t bother me - but I can imagine it does for some

[Count Steer]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

I used to, still do occasionally- as “diabetic” according to the NHS - but not by blood sugar levels
I used a pin prick meter. The pin prick thing doesn’t bother me - but I can imagine it does for some

Is a pin prick meter continuous? Mine has one of those clickers with a cassette of 6 mini-lancets in. Just click, squeeze a bit and get a tiny blood droplet.

(There has been diabetes (IDD) in one side of the family and I have had some similar common symptoms so I decided to test rather than faff about with the health service appointments. Definitely not diabetic with a fasting level of 4.8 to 5.0mmol/l).

[Mr Moofo]

No - one off snapshot result

So not what you want

[Noggin]

A mate has something implanted!!! So probably a sensor thingy. He turns on an app on his phone and wave it vaguely near the sensor and it tells him how much insulin (?) he needs to inject!!

Sorry, I read the post and meant to contact my mate to quiz him and forgot - still haven't as you can tell from my description!!

[Count Steer]

No - one off snapshot result

So not what you want

Mine just does one-off. 2 readings/day seems fine. The Zoe monitor thing seems to focus on the 2 hours after food to find out what foods do what. Has a bit of a fad for the 'worried well' feel about it to me.

[Mr Moofo]

Personally I think the whole Zoe thing is a bit obsessive
And makes them a lot of money

[Slenver]

A mate has something implanted!!! So probably a sensor thingy. He turns on an app on his phone and wave it vaguely near the sensor and it tells him how much insulin (?) he needs to inject!!

Sorry, I read the post and meant to contact my mate to quiz him and forgot - still haven't as you can tell from my description!!

Pretty standard for diabetics nowadays, my sister has the same... Apple Watch syncs to the sensor and sends alerts and updates. Big improvement in quality of life rather than having to do finger prick tests all day every day.

[Horse]

rather than faff about with the health service appointments.

Fairly sure I read that NHS testing for diabetes in more involved than snapshot readings.

[Count Steer]

rather than faff about with the health service appointments.

Fairly sure I read that NHS testing for diabetes in more involved than snapshot readings.

The full testing regime can be quite long-winded although Type 1 is pretty easy....particularly if it goes untreated!

T2 is more difficult and requires random venous plasma glucose measurements. If >11mmol/l or a fasting level >7 detected then a glucose tolerance test might be done. (Fixed amount of glucose ingested and blood monitored).

Either way, with T2 they're always going to say healthy diet/weight loss/exercise. I just wanted to know if my measurements were normal 'cos I've got the healthy diet, BMI is pretty good and I do endurance type exercise.

Wonder what I can measure next?

[Horse]

As well as blood sugar, it's a fairly good idea to have awareness of your typical heart rate, O2 sats and pulse. Possibly breathing rate too.

And have them written down, not just memorised

On that theme, if anyone (self, significant other, family member) has complex medical history & regular meds, have it written down.

Putting the history into mindmap format makes it really ease to scan quickly. [Condition, date, current meds, with a list of meds on the back]

[katana]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

Never buy a meter, as most all manufacturers give them away as they want you or the NHS to buy the strips and lancets. Some makers have better lancets (prick things) while others have test strips that feel like they need less blood. Most machines have a memory function for the last 7 or 28 days.

Anyone in London wants one I have several that I have been trying to get rid of and not go to landfill. Tho you will need strips.

Are your meter readings in mg/dl or M/mol?

[katana]

rather than faff about with the health service appointments.

Fairly sure I read that NHS testing for diabetes in more involved than snapshot readings.

Nope, as it is pretty clear, with one blood test.

[Count Steer]

Anyone monitor their own blood glucose levels?

What are you using? Any thoughts/issues?

Never buy a meter, as most all manufacturers give them away as they want you or the NHS to buy the strips and lancets. Some makers have better lancets (prick things) while others have test strips that feel like they need less blood. Most machines have a memory function for the last 7 or 28 days.

Anyone in London wants one I have several that I have been trying to get rid of and not go to landfill. Tho you will need strips.

Are your meter readings in mg/dl or M/mol?

It's a good point and probably why the one I got was much reduced in price...because the rest of the shelf was full of little packs of lancet cartridges and test strips. So over time they'd probably make their money from those. A bit like they could actually have given away Polaroid cameras (and printers until they were stopped from blocking third party cartridges...although some still seem to).

It's in mmol/l. It'll log and average up to 90 days worth and report 7 day averages etc.

[ZRX61]

I take one stab at it every morning. 5 weeks ago my numbers were 190-210 region. Then the Dr put me on Ozempic. Starts with a small dose to check for issues/allergy etc at 0.25mg for 4 weeks (one dose a week), then it goes to 0.5mg for another 4 weeks. Full dose is 1mg, I think I'll stick with 0.5 for a while.
BS numbers were 109 this morning & 107 yesterday.

Side effect is explosive squirts*, but not every day...Other days I don't crap. I'm also eating less, apparently because it causes your stomach to feel full (Gastro Paresis).

In the US it costs $1600/month if you don't have insurance (so $400 per injection). In the Middle East it's $100 & you can buy it over the counter.

*I guess that's how the exact same drug works for weight loss.

It also has heart benefits & one guy I know takes it for sleep apnea.

[Horse]

rather than faff about with the health service appointments.

Fairly sure I read that NHS testing for diabetes in more involved than snapshot readings.

Nope, as it is pretty clear, with one blood test.

This what I'd read:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-th ... r-diabetes

Testing for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
If diabetes is confirmed by the results of a blood test the type of diabetes you have is usually determined by factors like weight , age at diagnosis, family history and how quickly any symptoms came on.

The test results can also indicate if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes even if you don’t have it now.

If you’re being tested for type 1 diabetes then further blood tests can check your blood ketone levels. Following this you may be sent to hospital for further assessment.

A simple new test developed by researchers called C-peptide can help identify if someone has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Testing for your risk of type 1 diabetes
Scientists have developed a type 1 diabetes risk test that looks for markers of diabetes in your blood that can show up months or years before any symptoms appear. These markers tell us that the immune system has started to plan an attack against the pancreas. If you have them, it means you’re at a high risk of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in your lifetime.

This test is not the same as a finger-prick test, that a doctor might do to diagnose type 1 diabetes if you already have symptoms.

[Count Steer]

I take one stab at it every morning. 5 weeks ago my numbers were 190-210 region. Then the Dr put me on Ozempic. Starts with a small dose to check for issues/allergy etc at 0.25mg for 4 weeks (one dose a week), then it goes to 0.5mg for another 4 weeks. Full dose is 1mg, I think I'll stick with 0.5 for a while.
BS numbers were 109 this morning & 107 yesterday.

If I've got my numbers right you were about double the expected level at 11mmol/l and now you're pretty much down to where you should be first thing in the morning at 5.5. That's pretty impressive! Probably worth having the squits for a while.