Type 1 -Testing per day

[hanadr]

My T1 husband tests about 4 times a day, which equates to 28 - 30 times per week. this is once before each injection [to work out the dose]. If your husband also tests after each meal, that could easily tot up to 70. The important thing is what he does with the results. If he doesn't use them to take actions, they are pointless, but if they help him modify his behaviour and insulin dosing, it's to the good.

 

[SamJB]

Good point, Hana.

 

[Charlie1]

Thank you for all your replies. Are the Gp's going to be made to cut back on providing tester strips for diabetics then?, as several of you have mentioned not being able to get them or Gp restricting how many boxes you have per month?.

 

[Charlie1]

My Husband doesn't know when his sugar levels are low without testing, this can become a problem if he is fitting or getting too low that I have to administer a Hypo stick which I did twice a couple of weeks ago.

 

[JontyW]

For new diabetics I would expect them. or their carers, to be testing many more times than longer term T1s, so 7-10 times a day would be part of the learning curve, particularly with children who are unable to recognise low BG state etc.

BUT if you have been T1 for many years there is no justification to test, on a normal regular basis, more than FIVE times a day:
1) On waking
2) Pre-breakfast
3) Pre-lunch
4) Pre-dinner
5) Pre-bedtime

This is vitally necessary to know what your BG is before next meal to assess if previous bolus was correct and also know what correction bolus is needed to add to the carb bolus for next meal. Simples ...

 

[paul-1976]

BUT if you have been T1 for many years there is no justification to test, on a normal regular basis, more than FIVE times a day:
1) On waking
2) Pre-breakfast
3) Pre-lunch
4) Pre-dinner
5) Pre-bedtime

Obviously you haven't heard of 'Ketoacidosis' or 'Sick day rules' then..No justification to test more than a '5's the ceiling at all EVER? Very dangerous IMO..That is all.

 

[Deleted member 45091]

Everyones entitled to there opinion having diabeties for 43 years still do not make you right, from my personal opinion when i was younger i didnt hardly test as i knew what my body was doing but as ive got older had diabetes around 23 years i dont really get hypo feelings and i can still feel hungry when bloods abit high there should not be any sort of restriction you should be able to test as many times you feel comfortable, you may well be ok to test 5 times a day along with alot of other diabetics but from being diagnosed and its progression it can effect people in so many different ways so to pin point exactly how many times you should test is beyond me.

 

[Hilary52]

I am type 1 and test about 4 times a day before meals. The insulin I take depends on my readings and I test before bed to make sure I am not going to have a hypo. At the moment my strips are not limited by the doctor.
[SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]


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[paul-1976]

Everyones entitled to there opinion having diabeties for 43 years still do not make you right, from my personal opinion when i was younger i didnt hardly test as i knew what my body was doing but as ive got older had diabetes around 23 years i dont really get hypo feelings and i can still feel hungry when bloods abit high there should not be any sort of restriction you should be able to test as many times you feel comfortable, you may well be ok to test 5 times a day along with alot of other diabetics but from being diagnosed and its progression it can effect people in so many different ways so to pin point exactly how many times you should test is beyond me.

+1 and well said :thumbup:

 

[glaves_r1991]

4 tests are enough as long as the carb portions are corect when snacking and then also before and after exercise, driving, and then if you have a hypo or feeling I'll

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[KieranP]

I always test 4 times a day: before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner and before bed. And ofcorse if and when feeling low.

Best way to gain good control!


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[Switch2501]

Depends on if you are carb counting or on a pump. Carb counting is especially difficult when out for a meal and the carbs aren't printed on the food.

Before and after meals is a must for testing for me.


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[Charlie1]

Thanks everyone! If you have been a Diabetic for several years, what sort of warning signs would you get if you had low sugars?.

 

[pugsnumber1]

My fingers are red raw from testing, but to me now its how I help to control my type 1.I guess I can test 10--20times a day

 

[glaves_r1991]

4 tests are enough as long as the carb portions are corect when snacking and then also before and after exercise, driving, and then if you have a hypo or feeling I'll

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If you test between meals you will get a false reading because insulin will still be working only testing just as the rapid insulin is tailing off is the only way to be correct is test after 4 hours of taking quick insulin then the only other times your blood should be checked is before MEALS,BEFORE BED, BEFORE DRIVING, BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE, IF YOU FEEL LOW, IF YOU FEEL HIGH, AND SICK DAY RULES
there are no other reasons to test all you are going to do is run the risk of a hypo when testing if there is insulin still working these are the guidelines set by DAFNE
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[DunePlodder]

If you have been a Diabetic for several years, what sort of warning signs would you get if you had low sugars?.

I think they vary from person to person but I get some or all of these hypo symptoms:

Phase 1:
Feeling that "Something's not quite right"
"Tingling"
Clammy - mildly sweating.
Difficulty concentrating.

Phase 2:
Difficulty focusing.
Sometimes affects sight, like a migraine coming; blank areas/patterns in my vision.
Feel strange, shaky, harder to think.
Angry! Especially if I know I've been careful, & done everything "right".
(Sometimes I'm so sure I shouldn't be having a hypo I refuse to accept it at first.)
Fed up, if it's a bad one I know I'm probably going to feel tired & down for the rest of the day.
Hungry.

Phase 3:
Very sweaty - smelly sweat!
Worried./Scared?
Really need to eat & sit/lie down.
A very bad one leaves me fighting to stay conscious.

Phase 4:
Haven't been there.
Never lost consciousness - so far..

Usually, I catch it in phase 1 but if the room/weather is hot and/or I'm very busy, I can miss phase 1 completely.

 

[James12]

My Husband is a Type 1 Diabetic and is testing sometimes over 70 times per week!!!. I was wondering what other type 1 diabetics were doing?, as my Husband thinks its okay to do this. I feel is far too many tests!!!.

Any feed back or advice would be great, thank you in advance

Charlie, a diabetic must test as many times as he or she needs to in order to try and normalise their blood sugar levels.

Having normal blood sugar levels dramatically decreases the chance of any diabetic complications arising.

Please be patient with your husband, when managed properly Type 1 diabetes will take a certain amount of commitment. Its easy to think that less care is needed over managing type 1 diabetes because of the slow onset of complications however the reality is, its a serious disease that needs serious looking after. Fortunately we are in an age where where technology is advancing rapidly and in the next 5 years there will be an artificial pancreas on the market (hopefully), however until then its best to stay as healthy as possible, regardless of amount of blood testing.

 

[donnellysdogs]

I personally on blood tests alone could not manage with doing the basic 5 tests as stated above...
If basal testing on a pump I would test every hour for 5 hours.
I drive at leadt 4 times a day.. Another 4.. And then eat 3 times a day...
I been dxd a long time. But want to live without complications .. Which so far I have done with my good, regular blood testing only being the thing that has saved my body from diabetic decline.
Oh and night time test too!!
I have a cgm currently, but due to its inaccurate readings at times.. I still have to test.. But now it is to check that cgm is giving me accurate readings.
I now have to have 2 lots of strips on prescription!!
Thank goodness my gp is decent.

 

[MrsKitch]

Hi
I was only diagnosed type 1 in October and I had the same worry as the first post. Am I testing too much? But as I am still learning about my condition and how to control it, I'm going to do whatever gives me piece of mind.I agree that test strips are a vital bit of kit and should not be restricted or withheld. I'm really lucky as my GP does a repeat prescription for my strips.

 

[LemonTree]

If you test between meals you will get a false reading because insulin will still be working only testing just as the rapid insulin is tailing off is the only way to be correct is test after 4 hours of taking quick insulin

This might depend on the insulin you take. I have novorapid and find the bulk of it works within 2 hours and trails off for the next 2.

I did an experiment for a couple of days testing on the hour every hour and the results were amazing. I highly recommend it, but maybe not all the time if you don't need to - sore fingers... :sad:

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