Knowledge is Power

I’d taken action, which I hoped would get my Diabetes under control and this was going well.

The next obstacle I encountered was how would I know if progress was being made.

I’d already spoken to the Diabetic Nurse about having another Blood Sugar Test and she explained that you only get them 3 monthly on the NHS via the surgery. This left me in a quandary and somewhat puzzled. If, I’m taking all these actions to mitigate the effects of my Diabetes, how will I know if I’m on the right course and if it’s working? I am dieting, exercising more and have cut numerous things from my diet - mainly carbohydrates. I think I’ve done the right things. But, I was still left with the uncertainty of not knowing if this was making a difference.

At the time I must admit, this did raise my anxiety. I was aware of the quote, which is the title of this blog, 'Knowledge is Power' and it felt appropriate in my circumstances. The need to know what is happening seems essential to me, especially when it affects your health. This was particularly important to me as I have no real symptoms for my condition. I was puzzled as to why I couldn’t have further tests so looked for ways to resolve the problem. Numerous internet searches and YouTube videos seemed to present an accessible answer. I needed to purchase a Blood Sugar Testing System.

I looked into this and saw that there are 2 options available for this, these are:-

• Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGM) - with a CGM the device is permanently attached to your body (usually your underarm). This links with an app on your phone. It then continually monitors your blood sugar levels. It’s very helpful as it shows things in real time and tells you when something ‘spikes’ your Blood Sugar. This means you can take the necessary action immediately or avoid the food/activity in future. They are very useful devices but come at a cost (the cost being that they are not cheap). Whilst this seems a good option for some. To me, and for my purposes it seems to be a bit unnecessary at the moment. So I looked at the alternative.
  

• Blood Glucose Meter/Monitor Test Kit - this involves pricking your finger when you want to test. Putting some of the blood on a test strip, which is inserted into a monitor. After 10 seconds this will give you a reading. The test kit comes with everything you need. A finger pricking device, Lances, Test Strips and a Blood Glucose Test Monitoring device. This is the less costly option. You can use it as and when you want to and replacement Lances and Test Strips are readily available on Amazon or at Chemists.

CGM Blood Glucose Test Kit

The Test Kit option was my chosen method. I decided to purchase one as it suited my current needs. I've been using it for a few weeks now, it's working well for me and giving me the information and reassurance I require.

Having found a way of gathering information, I then looked for a way of recording and monitoring the information and my progress. I searched the iOS app store. There are many options for this, but I wanted a basic way of doing this which preferably didn’t cost me anything. I came across a free app called ‘Gluco Tracker’. This does everything I need. The user enters Blood Sugar Levels, Blood Pressure and Weight and a record is kept, which it also converts into a Graph. This visually tracks the user's progress and is uploadable as a PDF or CSV. This seemed perfect and is the one I’ve been using for these past few weeks and I must say I’m very happy with it.

The information I’ve acquired from doing this is proving an invaluable tool to me. I currently test once or twice a day (you do need to be careful that this doesn’t take over your life). My intention is that when things are under control and I know what is going to ‘spike’ my blood sugar I will reduce this and just use it for maintenance and as an occasional check.

For me, it must be said, ‘Knowledge is Power’. The reassurance and learning regular testing of my Blood Sugar gives me has been well worth the expense and is helping me cope with my recent diagnosis.