Is it ok to cut back on testing?

[Paulm80]

Curious to know how often people test ?
Obviously testing has been key in learning about reactions to food etc and controlling what you eat , however......
I’ve learned my fasting can be anything from late 4s - 6s and what I eat doesn’t really make any difference
My pre and post meals are always pretty good so as I self fund like most do you think it’s really necessary to keep testing 2-3 times a day?
Obviously it’s handy to keep an eye if you’ve eaten something different but we have pretty much the same things week in week out.

Just curious to what other people do and do they always get more or less the reading they are expecting?
Thanks

 

[Member496333]

The only rule for testing frequency is to test wherever you want to know. It's a personal thing. Sometimes I don't test for days, but other times I will test three or four times per day, if only as a sanity check.

The one thing I would say, though, is to continue testing at least occasionally, otherwise complacency may creep in. Keep your eye on the ball, is my advice, but otherwise just test whenever you're curious.

PS. some cool numbers there. Good job.

 

[Paulm80]

The only rule for testing frequency is to test wherever you want to know. It's a personal thing. Sometimes I don't test for days, but other times I will test three or four times per day, if only as a sanity check.

The one thing I would say, though, is to continue testing at least occasionally, otherwise complacency may creep in. Keep your eye on the ball, is my advice, but otherwise just test whenever you're curious.

I think it becomes a bit of a obsession, sometimes I’m itching to get to my kit so I can check and it’s always roughly the same

 

[Paulm80]

The only rule for testing frequency is to test wherever you want to know. It's a personal thing. Sometimes I don't test for days, but other times I will test three or four times per day, if only as a sanity check.

The one thing I would say, though, is to continue testing at least occasionally, otherwise complacency may creep in. Keep your eye on the ball, is my advice, but otherwise just test whenever you're curious.

PS. some cool numbers there. Good job.

Ps thanks ! Woke up to a 6.5 though my fasting ones are a pain!

 

[Brunneria]

I would say that testing timing is more important than frequency.

sometimes health professionals advise patients to test once a day, fasting blood glucose.
If I did that, it would be stunningly misleading. My fasting readings are often the highest reading of the day, and bear no relation to my levels throughout the rest of the day.

someone else might have great, low fasting readings, yet spike massively after food, and testing just before breakfast wouldn’t give any indication.

my suggestion to test as often as you think you need, to ensure you understand what your bg is doing, with no ‘blind spots’. If you are confident you’re not missing anything, and your bgs are consistently good, then endlessly repeating tests that don’t add to your knowledge is a waste of time and money.

just for heavens sake bear in mind that sometimes ppl get complacent, carb intake creeps up, and control slips...

 

[Paulm80]

I would say that testing timing is more important than frequency.

sometimes health professionals advise patients to test once a day, fasting blood glucose.
If I did that, it would be stunningly misleading. My fasting readings are often the highest reading of the day, and bear no relation to my levels throughout the rest of the day.

someone else might have great, low fasting readings, yet spike massively after food, and testing just before breakfast wouldn’t give any indication.

my suggestion to test as often as you think you need, to ensure you understand what your bg is doing, with no ‘blind spots’. If you are confident you’re not missing anything, and your bgs are consistently good, then endlessly repeating tests that don’t add to your knowledge is a waste of time and money.

just for heavens sake bear in mind that sometimes ppl get complacent, carb intake creeps up, and control slips...

I agree but I’m more than happy with my low carb way of eating now I don’t see why I’d ever go back!
I did steal 3 of my wife’s chips Saturday after a few drinks- felt so decadent

 

[Daphne917]

@Paulm80 it’s up to you. Since learning what I can/should not eat I only tend to test if I’ve eaten something new or have a particularly carby meal. However I do sometimes test out of curiosity and use it for experimental purposes eg I decided I’d like a jacket potato a couple of weeks ago so diligently took readings before eating and, for 4 hours, every hour afterwards to see it’s affect.

 

[JimPD]

Tested regularly for about 15 months post diagnosis. 4-6 times per day and kept log of meals & test results on mySugr.
Got used to a low carb diet and achieved HbA of 37 from 102 at diagnosis.
Stopped testing at the start of 2019 (went away for a few days and forgot my test kit). Not tested since - so 14 months or so.
I have kept fairly constant with my diet since and HbA since has been 37 & 39.

 

[EllieM]

eg I decided I’d like a jacket potato a couple of weeks ago so diligently took readings before eating and, for 4 hours, every hour afterwards to see it’s affect.

So what was it's effect? Was it T2 kryptonite or can you cope with it?

As a T1 I'm stuck with using 50 strips a week. I test
1) whenever I inject/eat to calculate my bolus
2) At bed time so that I can either bolus to correct a high or eat to correct a low
3) whenever I go out to avoid hypos

So testing is vital because it guides my food and insulin choices. If I'm too high I can correct fairly fast. As I have reduced hypo awareness it also keeps me safe from hypos....

But my 89 yo T2 dad has fairly stable sugars on a low carb diet and he doesn't test much at all. He keeps his meals under 30g of carb and hasn't had any hypos. Occasional testing shows he's stable and I can't see the point of doing more....

 

[Deleted member 308541]

I test fasting, and before and after meals so I can keep a reasonably tight control of my bgl.

I have no intention of slipsliding off of the straight and narrow path of recovery as happens to a fair few of the T2 diabetics on this forum...

 

[Jollymon]

I test a lot. The more I know, the more I know, and so I test. Based on my testing frequency, I can pretty much guess my a1c. I test almost 17x per day. It’s about 1x per hour, and then whenever I drive. It’s my routine and I use this manage hypoglycemic unawareness.

 

[Tophat1900]

Testing is a personal thing, you will over time end up running to your own format on testing. Complacency is the hidden danger, but test whenever you feel you need to. It's your life, you decide. I test quite a bit, taking prednesalone makes life much harder for glucose control. This drug is always trying to elevate numbers, so for me it's a monitoring game. Your control looks great, I'd love to be running at those numbers all the time.

 

[Walking Girl]

At first, I tested maybe 10x per day, tapering to 2 or 3. Then about 9 months in, the Freestyle Libre became available and I got it so i could see what was happening 24x7 and really lock down my plan. Now, for the past year or so, I use a Libre sensor every 2 months or so. Basically 6 weeks off, then use a 2 week sensor. I almost never test between sensors. It’s the best of both worlds to me. I get a detailed picture of what my BG is doing, but I don’t have to poke my fingers anymore.

I guess if I couldn’t get the Libre, I would probably test 1 day every two weeks or so and test fasting, pre and postprandial on that day.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

View attachment 38727

Curious to know how often people test ?
Obviously testing has been key in learning about reactions to food etc and controlling what you eat , however......
I’ve learned my fasting can be anything from late 4s - 6s and what I eat doesn’t really make any difference
My pre and post meals are always pretty good so as I self fund like most do you think it’s really necessary to keep testing 2-3 times a day?
Obviously it’s handy to keep an eye if you’ve eaten something different but we have pretty much the same things week in week out.

Just curious to what other people do and do they always get more or less the reading they are expecting?
Thanks

Entirely up to you. I tested my little heart out that first year, where my diet was sometimes still hit-and-miss. Now I only test when I'm eating something I'm not 100% sure about in a restaurant, or when I'm feeling off. My bloodsugars know I have a cold before my nose starts running. And while we haven't been on a proper vacation for a while, I know I'll test a lot when we finally make it to Venice later this year, because I'll have no idea what I'm ordering. It's also worth it to check sugars every once in a while just to make sure there's no carb-creep occuring, but... Other than that, if you're seeing consistent numbers all the time, save your strips for when you need them.

 

[KK123]

I test a lot. The more I know, the more I know, and so I test. Based on my testing frequency, I can pretty much guess my a1c. I test almost 17x per day. It’s about 1x per hour, and then whenever I drive. It’s my routine and I use this manage hypoglycemic unawareness.

Gosh, your poor fingers! Have you thought about asking for a libre Jollymon? x

 

[DenverGarth]

For T2’s. Just follow the PHCUK graphs. No need to test.

 

[bulkbiker]

For T2’s. Just follow the PHCUK graphs. No need to test.

Not sure iI can agree with you there.. do you drive a car without looking at the speedo?

Self monitoring is not only a great motivator but also makes sure you aren't "slipping".

 

[DenverGarth]

Not sure iI can agree with you there.. do you drive a car without looking at the speedo?

Self monitoring is not only a great motivator but also makes sure you aren't "slipping".

No, but I use a map of some sort to tell me where I am heading, rather than checking my co ordinates.

 

[lucylocket61]

Given that we are all different, and have different responses to foods at different times, only my finger prick test tells me where I am at any given time, so I can tailor my next meal to suit my results.

The graph is a map. My finger prick test dictates my journey. Just as we change our journey based on accidents or roadworks, or congestion.

My blood glucose meter is an invaluable tool for me.

 

[lucylocket61]

No, but I use a map of some sort to tell me where I am heading, rather than checking my co ordinates.

Welcome to the forum. It is helpful to update your profile to say what type of diabetes you have, and what diabetes meds you are taking. Then posters can avoid giving inappropriate advice or suggestions to you.