Type 1 -Testing per day

[iHs]

If diabetics are meant to try and keep their bg levels balanced according to the NICE information then the only way of achieving those levels is by frequent bg testing and either adjusting the amount of carb eaten or by adjusting the amount of insulin. But will bg levels always be the same once carb and insulin have been adjusted correctly...... Well no..... bolus/basal can have unpredictable results unfortunately and diabetics have to adjust according to stress, heat (weather temp), illness, medication other than insulin, .... loads of things can affect bg levels.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Like IHs says too...our bodies, no matter what we do are different everyday.. Wherher its hormones, illness. faulty equipment, foods, exercise.. Doesnt matter what I do.. I 90% of time cook for 2 days. Reheat 2nd day.. And have same breakfast lunch etc...Sometimes also stretching to a 3rd day... I have NEVER had the same bgs on any day of same food for all of 'D'. So I thank my lucky stars that my gp is great. If we could all get same levels from same food and living wouldnt we all have such a positive, glorious outlook that we had beaten science, med companies and HCP's - and that we had found the way to stabilise type 1's and make ourselves a load of money as well??
**** sure nobody achieves it... Please let me know if you can get perfect levels for 2 / 3 days on same foods.. Then we can all enjoy a great time with neglible test strips.. Actually that would make it about 10 a week...
I will willingly give up all my time to market the food with a 50% cut of the profits...LOL!!!

 

[Belzedar]

I test b4 food sometimes a hour or so after food and b4 bed and 1st thing in a morning. I think its a personal choice on how many test you do

Yup, that's my routine, too. If I suspect my levels are too high before I take my evening pre-dinner shot, I don't bother testing then and wait until the postprandial window a couple of hours later.

 

[kjw123]

Danny I'm sure that being limited to 1 box at a time is just down to your Doctors practice and not NHS guidelines I would kick up a fuss and if they don't increase the amount of strips they allow you move to another Doctor. if there is a reason you need to test so many times i.e struggling to keep control then ask to see a Diabetic specialist and not the so called diabetes nurse at your practice that has probably done a weeks course on diabetes care and is now the so called practice dabetic nurse. Ask to see someone who's been trained, experienced and properly qualified.

Don't be fobbed off

Good luck

Hi iam type one and probably do the same, my problem is they will only issue me one box a week that i have to collect the same day every week its annoying, hence i buy beg and borrow extra strips just so i have them in. Its a personal choice every diabetic is different. For some people few times a day is more than enough...What i think there missing the point is strips should not only be perscribed for geting better control etc for me as my diabetes has changed alot i like to test just to know where my sugars are. Years back all the way through school i never took my meter with me once because i knew where my sugars was, had great HBA1cs.. I spose i can be a sucker for double testing sometimes one after the other just to compare numbers, As before as my diabetes has changed i rely and feel more confident when knowing where my sugars are so il test as often as i like within reason...one GP said because i tested around 7/10 times a day its borderline self harming wow lol. Iam not even working but il still keep paying for for extra strips at 10 to 20 quid a box its financially killing me off, even if my sugars dont dramatically improve it still gives me peace of mind...And as ive just bout ran out again and cant get my perscription till monday i know what il be doing today first try and borrow the money then go buy some more.. britain 2013 wow

 

[candiloo]

Hi - It seems a bit much to me too! Is he really overworrying do you think? I carb count, so I test at each meal, calculate the carbs and insulin to counter them plus a corrective dose if needed if I am a bit high, so that is 3 tests, then one before bed, just in case it is a bit low then I might have a little something to take me through. If I don't feel right, I will test in case I am heading for a hypo. It takes a couple of hours for the insulin to work on the food, so if he is testing 10 times a day, he will be worrying unnecessarily over readings that will probably be ok in an hour, and his fingers will be raw. If he is feeling unwell, but the readings are ok, maybe he should go to his doctor and tell him of what he is feeling. There may be another reason. Good Luck.

 

[maxies-mom]

whoah...my son is newly diagnosed and we have found "over"testing exceptionally helpful.
Little ones need testing more often, pre and post prandial, bedtime and in the middle of the night, at minimum. that's 8 tests a day.
Little ones also like testing (well mine does) so we averaged 14 tests a day,and here, we pay for our strips so that's 15 pounds per 50 strips...the first month has been astronomical! Thank heaven the novelty is wearing off.
We are now down to 10 tests a day which are pretty routine. Pre and post prandial, end of school day, bed time, 2am and on waking.
Max only tests outside of this if he feels wobbly and only to gauge where his Hypo thresholds are.
Bottom line is I don't have T1, my son does, and if testing 30 times a day gives him confidence and lets him feel in charge and on top of this condition, then so be it.
I can guide, I can coach, I can cook the right meals and soothe him through the rough stuff, but I can never ever relate to what he lives through, feels and will endure all his life. I therefore go with what makes his life easiest in managing his disease in the least complicated way possible. It is not my call how much is too much testing. That's his call and always will be.

 

[Riesenburg]

Hi Charlie,

I'm a type 1 for 32 yrs as well and I too test a lot, maybe not as much as 70 times per week but I do get to 50+ practically weekly. The longer you have type 1 the less hypo warning signs you have after a while, and some of us tend to be a little too sensitive to hypers for instance as soon as I hit the 10 mmol/L reading I start to feel awful.

He's probably just trying to navigate in between those two issues, which does require a lot of testing. I know that I tend to also test before I go out, before I go for a gym workout a few times afterwards... So depending on if it is an exercise day (3-4 times per week) I could end up checking up to 10 times on that very day. After all better safe than run into trouble. Often dealing with possible hypos is only half the issue, being able to detect and immediately action hypers is just as vital (especially since hypers cause more cognitive impairments and brain problems than mild hypos).

Just let him find his own pace and follow it, the sugars in some type 1s will never be stable, it's called brittle diabetes all we can really do is navigate the ups and downs as best as we can

 

[taffy_63]

If your son feels happy to test so often, then as you say, you just have to go with the flow - there may come a time when you wish he would just do the occasional test. I was diagnosed at 10 and was very good to start with, but blood/urine tests just became a chore in my teens, although I never missed my injections (unlike my friend who used to get herself sent home from school when she 'forgot' her insulin!) If you are paying for test strips then I hope you are claiming DLA for your son, but if your GP won't prescribe sufficient strips then speak to your consultant or SDN and ask them to write to the the practice - diabetes specialists are usually very happy to take on your GP if necessary!

 

[maxies-mom]

Thanks Taffy but we are in South Africa and no NHS. Our private Medical Aid insurance is great but only covers 4 packs of strips a month and only allows you to have T1 diabetes one year at a time, but apart from all that, we're good. The point I was making is that I really don't care how often Max tests. I rather that he set his mind at ease knowing his own limits and how he feels so that he can be confident and confident in managing his condition. I can't feel that for him. The lady that started this thread, was concerned that her husband tests upward of 70 a week. My feeling is each to their own. I cannot begin to imagine what it feels like to have a high or a low or the anxiety that comes with either one. If testing gives confidence and relieves the anxiety and helps manage tight control, test away!
And I have carefully noted what you said about your teens.... hmmmm i will have to set some protocols there so he at least follows some small routine...
Much love from our rainy forest
Philly

 

[donnellysdogs]

I hope that everyone who tests 4 times a day arent drivers!!