Diabetes Testing

P

Patnono

Member
Location
Whittier,Ca
I have type 2 diabetes, I haven’t had good experiences with doctors. I found out on accident from a urgent care doctor. I go for physicals every year and no one ever told me. I was told I didn’t need to check my sugar. I only go every 3 months for blood work, So far So good. So I never learned how to check it. But it makes Sense to test myself. Where do I go to learn??? Every professional says their Busy. My MEDICARE just gave me a new glucose meter. Any info is appreciated 😊
 

In my experience, no doctors show a diabetic how to test. My doctor didn't even show me how to use insulin; I had my sister show me. And the advice my doctor gave me about how much & how often to take insulin almost cost me my life due to low blood sugar.
I learned early on that diabetes is a self-managed condition & it's different in everybody.

Your meter will come with detailed instructions. Testing is simple; just go step-by-step, take your time & it will become automatic. Meters are cheap but test strips are expensive. The "Embrace" brand, however, is very reasonably priced.
 
win231 said:
In my experience, no doctors show a diabetic how to test. My doctor didn't even show me how to use insulin; I had my sister show me. And the advice my doctor gave me about how much & how often to take insulin almost cost me my life due to low blood sugar.
I learned early on that diabetes is a self-managed condition & it's different in everybody.

Your meter will come with detailed instructions. Testing is simple; just go step-by-step, take your time & it will become automatic. Meters are cheap but test strips are expensive. The "Embrace" brand, however, is very reasonably priced.
Click to expand...

WOW that’s Scary, I’m looking to get a referral for a diabetic doctor to answer questions for me. I feel overwhelmed by All the conflicting information? I even took a class, there were a lot of people in the same boat. They didn’t show us either. Guess I’m on my Own??? Thanks
 
Yeah, I took three "Diabetes Education Classes."
The diabetic classes are usually run by CDE's (Certified Diabetes Educators) who spent a few months to become certified. Most of them are not diabetic themselves, so they'll provide the same "Cookie Cutter Information" most doctors provide.
Each class was 3 hours, in which 2.5 hours were spent telling us all about the various drugs to treat diabetes & handing out literature advertising the drugs so we can ask our doctors for them. Well, that was a disappointing surprise for me.....until I learned that drug companies pay for the "Education" in Diabetes Education Classes. And also decide the subject matter.
 
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You don't need a doctor to explain how to test your blood. The instructions that come with your meter tell you just how to do it. There are even videos on youtube that show you exactly what to do. It's not rocket science.

You can ask your pharmacist to help you be sure you have all the supplies you need.

Around here, at least, there are very few endocrinologists (diabetes doctors), and they don't see people just to teach them how to test their blood. They see people with serious complications from diabetes and people whose diabetes hasn't been responsive to control with normal measures.

And yes, you are in a sense on your own and you need to take charge of your diabetes and learn what you can about it and how to control it. Nobody is going to hold your hand 24/7.
 
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I see by older posts that you've been dealing with diabetes for several years now. Buy a good up-to-date book on the care. Amazon has several.
 
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