'Discussion' with my doctor about glucose testing

secrettheatre

Active Member
Messages
30
LittleSue said:
If secrettheatre can explain her reason for doing each test, and how the result was used, that's what matters.

I probably can't give a good reason for every time I've been tested, beyond anxiety about what my BG is (whether I'm going low without really knowing it). I am testing much less often now, actually - yesterday only 4 times. But I went up to 12.3 at one point, and had to give a corrective dose. And I woke up with a reading of 11.2, presumably due to the apple I had just before going to bed. I am quite fearful of the prospect of going to sleep when my sugars are on the way down. I used to get a lot of night-time hypos when my BG was see-sawing a lot (which it's done for 10 years, since my initial diagnosis, until a few weeks ago when I was stung into taking action by a report of retinal changes). I would often wake up in a cold sweat with very low blood sugar, but these days I'm not so sure if that would always happen...

Oh, by the way Sue secrettheatre is very much a he, last time I checked. :D
 

LittleSue

Well-Known Member
Messages
647
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
secrettheatre said:
I probably can't give a good reason for every time I've been tested, beyond anxiety about what my BG is (whether I'm going low without really knowing it).

I am quite fearful of the prospect of going to sleep when my sugars are on the way down. I used to get a lot of night-time hypos when my BG was see-sawing a lot (which it's done for 10 years, since my initial diagnosis, until a few weeks ago when I was stung into taking action by a report of retinal changes). I would often wake up in a cold sweat with very low blood sugar, but these days I'm not so sure if that would always happen...

Oh, by the way Sue secrettheatre is very much a he, last time I checked. :D

Sorry, I thought I'd picked up from previous posts that you were female. :oops:
Think yourself lucky you don't have menstrual hormones!

Obviously one has to beware of getting obsessed, but if a few extra tests reassure you or helps you identify hypo symptoms (and doesn' t make you even more anxious) that seems a valid reason for testing, as long as it doesn't get ridiculous.

I understand your anxiety. GP put me on some tablets recently which resulted in needing 3x usual insulin with food, high bs for several hours after eating, then an alarming drop. I could drop by 10 between leaving work and getting home, without feeling the drop. (Fortunately I don't drive!) Also had a hypo whilst shopping alone. Symptoms were out of proportion to the bs level, I really felt drunk and unsafe. Went to a cafe and deliberately asked staff to help me get something sweet, mentioning I was diabetic - in the hope that if I collapsed they'd remember me mentioning diabetes.... That scared me, even after all these years.
 

willogs

Well-Known Member
Messages
97
I have been diagnosed for about 2 years and have had very erratic sugars due to me still honeymooning. My nurse said that 4 times a days is helpful for keeping good control, and to test at other times e.g feeling hypo if required. At 1 point I was tesing at least 8 times a day and it did become an obsession and my nurse picked up on this and reduced me down to 4 times a day and now I stick at it. Each to their own though!!
 

acron^

Well-Known Member
Messages
143
Dislikes
Diabetes?
I'm pretty sure that NICE guidelines say something like (or words to the effect of) "diabetics should test as many times as day as they feel to be necessary". If your GP gets really funny just throw the book at him.
 

cugila

Master
Messages
10,272
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People who are touchy.......feign indignation at the slightest thing. Hypocrites, bullies and cowards.
Unfortunately NICE guidelines are routinely ignored by the Medical Profession.

They stick to them when it suits. You just have to argue your case time and again until you get what you want.

The whole point of reluctance to prescribe anything is just COST. The GP's don't want to spend more than the budget allows, and the PCT's are telling GP's to stop spending in certain areas. Until that changes we will always have this problem.

Ken.
 

Jen&Khaleb

Well-Known Member
Messages
820
Dislikes
Not having enough time. Broken sleep.
I have a 2.5 yr old and test 6 to 7 times a day. The 7th would be at 2am if his 10pm figure wasn't in a safe figure that I knew would get him through the night. I was testing about 5 times a day and he had a Hba1c of close to 9 and now it is down to 7.2 with the extra tests. I can pick up on some of his hypo's but with increasing amounts of exercise his bs can plummet. I've met people that test their kids every 2 hours but don't have very good control. They tend to just swing from hypo to hyper by giving insulin too early for a high figure only to be treating a hypo from insulin stacking later on.

When my son is sick I really have to test every hour or two and this soon does some finger damage and uses up a heap of strips. I try to use his toes a bit also.

It would be much cheaper to have more test strips than call an ambulance or spend time in hospital. If you are getting good results from the extra tests it would also be a lot cheaper than fixing the damage in the latter years. Maybe explain some of those facts to your doctor.

Anyway, hope you sort out the problems. Having a good health team is really important.

Jen.
 

caitycakes1

Well-Known Member
Messages
154
Some of us are on pre-mix, not basal/bolus. I test when I get up to ensure no DP. I then take my insulin and have to wait a couple of hours to see if I am at an appropriate level to eat breakfast. My morning dose of insulin only covers the inevitable rise after getting up. This dose covers that and then starts to lower so that I can eat. I am up at 7 am. I then usually can eat around 9.30am. I usually am low enough to eat lunch between 12.30pm and 1.30pm (just depends on how active I have been). I leave for work at 2.30pm (work part time) so I will test before I drive. I then test around 5pm to see if I need to snack. I test before driving home (7pm). If I have had to snack before driving home I will then test a bit later to see If I am low enough to eat dinner. I will then test before bed (around 11pm). So you see it's not always that simple. Some days I am out shopping all morning and have to test more often as I will go lower quicker.

I don't believe anyone should be told that there is an upper limit for testing. It's what you are comfortable with and what allows you to live your life without fear of hypo. Nobody knows my body better than I do, but with the best will in the world being on pre-mix, having an hba1c in the low fives and not having a hypo or hyper at all in the last 8 months depends upon testing frequently.



Caitycakes x