"Seventy percent of patients reported performing self-monitoring of blood glucose at study entry, with an average of four tests per week. Predictors of blood glucose monitoring included shorter diabetes duration; attending diabetes education sessions or diabetes-related clinics; seeing medical specialists; taking insulin with or without glucose-lowering oral drugs; and self-reporting episodes of low blood sugar."
"Current American Diabetes Association recommendations are that self-monitoring of blood glucose should be performed three or more times per day for type 2 diabetic patients using multiple insulin injections, but that for patients using once-daily insulin, oral (glucose-lowering) agents, or diet alone, there is low-level evidence of benefit," Davis and colleagues note."
Self monitoring doesn't help for type 2 because studies done on the individuals is not taking more seriously. Testing four times a week is a joke. They should be testing at least three times a day if they are under control, and more often if they are not under control. Diabetes may have a different number attached for each group... (type 1 and 2) But the disease is still called diabetes, and should be treated the same for both types. Having type 2 diabetes doesn't mean your diabetes is any less than a type 1. Not monitoring can have devastating effects on their body.
I can't laugh at these studies because diabetes is a serious disease, and should be taken serious regardless of the type. But at times I wish there was a butt to kick because between the ADA and lots of doctors, you might think the patent had just a ingrown toenail vs. a infected ingrown toenail. There is a problem, but its only Type 2, so we don't have to treat it the same as the type 1.
For me the first six or so months was learning what foods affect my sugar levels the most. learning to spot the signs that my sugar was up was also a plus. Because this enabled me to realize that I needed to test, and note what I had at a meal. Like for instance, for me I can't eat carrots very well. I limit them to like five or six slices, because anymore will send my sugar over the edge. Rice also sends me over the edge, but I found out if I rinse the rice before cooking it, and limit the portion I can handle it a lot better. Diabetes is not a no warning sign disease. They all have warning signs that their sugar is up. It's learning the signs your own body has that will benefits you, along with good meal management, and testing, exercise, and staying under a doctors care.
I sure wish I had the means to start my own diabetes support clinic. I would follow these guidelines for all the type 2's in my clinic. Hell with what the ADA thinks is best they to me have no clue on how to handle a type 2 patient. Plus their studies are a joke. The studies are set up to fail for the type 2 because they use the bare minimum of testing etc to do their studies. They for some reason think a type 2 should be treated differently. I would like to see a study done with my approach for the patient. The only way to do such a study is to have them go into a controlled environment, where their testing, food, and the like are all monitored. I bet they would see a change then. I also bet quite a few would be able to loose the diabetes drugs. Except for those that clearly have a body system out of control. I don't expect this approach to work for everyone, but from the other diabetics I have met, and observed this past year and a half a lot of the misconceptions about type 2's would be solved and this would flush out who really needs more drug management under a doctors care. For you die hard's that think the ADA is G-d sorry I busted your bubble. I wont recant on my stance for the type 2.
I have seen plenty of type 2's that have a clear disregard for diet, and so on. For some it was the spouse that was causing the problem, or it was the patient that caused the problems. Lack of caring about their diet is number one reason why some of them have the diabetic complications. Some don't monitor what they eat, and expect their doctor to fix them. Then they wonder why later they lost a foot, or their toes, or worse a leg. I know several people like this that are type 2's.
