More to Help with Testing

There were other topics I had wanted to include with the four parts of Tips for Blood Glucose Testing, but found that they were becoming too long. Therefore, I adding another blog to lay out some other sources for you to read and to give you some sources that you may wish to download for carbohydrate counting and some logs you may wish to use. I downloaded several when I started my diabetes; however, they did not meet my needs, so I used them as examples and designed my own spreadsheet that holds my blood glucose log, daily food log, and daily health log. I have added to this over the years to include test results from the doctors and more information to track my health.

I have a friend that works with databases and he had developed his own application, which he uses. I would encourage people to start with paper and pull together information that you need and want to use and then if you are good at spreadsheets or databases, then convert to one of these. Even a few of our informal group have developed notebooks they prefer to use and others have developed spreadsheets. Only two are into databases and use them. David Mendosa has a listing of software that you may explore. Or, use your search engine and search for software you can use.

For readers outside of the USA there are conversion tables for converting units used by Americans to the units you use. This is a quick one for diabetes, this is an extensive table, and I use it quite often. There is one other calculation that I like to use, the hand calculation is here - near the bottom, and the easy calculator is here.

There are many sites for help in counting carbohydrates plus books that will help. I use this site and really like it – there are two links – link 1 and link 2. Like most sites, you need to join to use it, but most are free. There are some that charge a monthly fee, but I will not join them. One piece of information you need to know is that almost all sites are linked the USDA charts and the grams of carbohydrates is taken from there. Some of the sites that are useful include site 1, site2, site 3, site 4 and site 5. Use your search engine and use these key words to help find other sites - “carb counting aids” and “carb counting for recipes” or use your own key words.

I realize I am putting many links in this blog, but it is my desire to give you other reading sources that may assist in learning about topics that will serve you well in the future. I have a writing style and the others have a different style of writing. Therefore, if I give you information that they have written that you like and understand, then you will learn and I have at least helped you to find a writer you like. Not every writer covers the same topics at the same time, but eventually we can all cover many of the same topics and it would be to everyone's advantage to know about other writers. I have been reading all of these for several years and do enjoy reading them all. Granted, all of them are people with type 2 diabetes and in general write about type 2 diabetes. Now and then, some of us write about a topic that encompasses more types of diabetes and I do write about other topics that have a relationship to type 2 diabetes, but are not type 2 focused.

As example, go to the website of David Mendosa. In the subject bar at the top and on the right side there is a search box. Type in a key word or two and see the different topics that appear. This is how I found this link – by typing “spreadsheets.” Now I knew this existed as I have found it many times. Typing in software will maybe find this link, but it did not for me on the first two pages. David has a very large website and I have not even read all of it, but there is not much left that I haven't read. David writes for Health Central here.

I found Tom Ross on a diabetes forum and really liked his thought process. I still like reading his blogs. Here is a link to one of his blogs and my blog about it.  I have done this many times when he has written about something that fits with a topic I am writing.

Alan Shanley I also met on the same diabetes forum. He is from Australia and also writes in a style I enjoy. I might as well list the blogs you may wish to read – blog1, getting started; blog 2, what-to-eat-until-you-get-your-meter; blog 3, on-various-forums-i-visit-one-of-most; blog 4, breakfasts; and blog 5, breakfast-on-run. I have linked to his blogs on many occasions.

Gretchen Becker I learned about shortly after diagnosis and was looking for books on diabetes. Her book The First Year - Type 2 Diabetes, New York, Marlow & Company, 312 pages, by Gretchen Becker was one of two books purchased about a month after diagnosis. I now have the second edition of that book as well. Then I discovered her blog on Health Central when I found David Mendosa's blog. Then shortly afterward, I found her blog site. Because of her activities, her blog site has been inactive for about a year. Her Health Central activity is still great. I urge people to join so that they may get emails notices of new posts from diabetes writers they wish to follow. This is accomplished in your settings part of your profile.