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Sorry, are you offering me advice or the OP?
Clearly advice only for the obsessive. I was obsessed during my first couple of weeks. I felt like a science experiment to myself. But the cost of strips was not an issue for me and I wake once or twice a night to pee being very pregnant and having toddlers in the house who also wake me so there was not much adjustment to my lifestyle, except I do have sore fingers now...
You only have to test like this for a day and then do the night time thing a week later and you can find out a lot. I think once you work out what your regular meals are doing to you and tweak them (lower the carb element and up the fats and maybe proteins, or just eat a few more veges) you won't have to test much after that once you get confident that what you've just put in your mouth isn't going to give you too much of a rise. Is that how you feel?
And for sure, if you are not sleeping well, that probably affects your morning fasting levels, and possibly overall blood sugar levels, doesn't it? Don't wake yourself up for a test then if you are sleeping soundly. But if you happen to be up in the night for some other reason, do a quick test and see, otherwise if my morning fasting levels were in the normal range, I wouldn't worry about it.
That’s 6 per meal x 4 tries at each test. That’s 24 per mealTest at 30 mins and 60 mins as well as just before eating, 90 mins and 120 mins. And then at 3 hours and/or before next meal. Cover all your bases. Then you might see the rise and fall and be able to make a graph and compare it to what looks normal and what looks diabetic. But if your metre is anything like mine, it can vary by 0.6 of a point (probably even more) so the readings may not always be accurate. So check by testing once 3 or 4 times in a row with the blood from the same pin prick. Waste of strips if you have to pay for them
The OP, but I was responding to you at the same time. You would know better than me I'm sure.Sorry, are you offering me advice or the OP?
That’s 6 per meal x 4 tries at each test. That’s 24 per mealThat’s a pot of strips for 2 meals ! No wonder your fingers got sore. No meter is exact. Retesting 4 times trying to make it do something it’ll never do is pointless, expensive and painful. Wash and dry your hands well and unless it’s totally rogue accept it.
Adding in the others you recommend that’s in the region of 75 a day. a libre would be cheaper by lots and a lot less sore
The OP, but I was responding to you at the same time. You would know better than me I'm sure.
I wasn't offering you advice. I was just talking to you about the situation and asking if you thought any of what I said was right. You're the expert here afterall. I figured the OP would read it and make of it whatever he will.It is kind of you to offer me advice but I have the question on testing all sorted thank you.
As the OPs diagnosis is ambiguous I feel that advising him to become obsessed with testing serves no purpose, indeed, it serves no purpose to become obsessed with anything. And while I know that developing GD must be very worrying in terms of the health of the baby and your own future health testing to the point that your fingers are sore would have me seriously considering a cgm.
Sorry I must have missed that point in your post. So you knew a lot about those 2 meals I’d agree. You however knew next to nothing about other meals, or other carbs, or other quantities as a result of this two meal test. A more rational approach across more meals on more occasions would likely teach the op far more about his responses to various carbs on different occasions. Also much more affordable as it’s less overal testing and has the option to be spread over time (eg a meal a day) rather than all at once cost wise.To be honest, I wasn't suggesting he do this every day... Just do it for 2 different meals, one with carbs and the other low carb. Of course this is a crazy amount of testing that none of the care providers would recommend. I just got really interested to know what my meals were doing to me at the start and ended up testing a lot but now know a lot about what I can safely eat and what I should avoid. I have only ever had this one metre so you'd know better if there is something more effective. And when I tested 4 times in a row to see how accurate the metre was, I tried to use only the first pin prick. It is brutal otherwise. But if he can't afford many strips, he should stick with the basics. How does this advice sound? https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/what-are-blood-sugar-target-ranges/
I wasn't offering you advice. I was just talking to you about the situation and asking if you thought any of what I said was right. You're the expert here afterall. I figured the OP would read it and make of it whatever he will.
Sorry I must have missed that point in your post. So you knew a lot about those 2 meals I’d agree. You however knew next to nothing about other meals, or other carbs, or other quantities as a result of this two meal test. A more rational approach across more meals on more occasions would likely teach the op far more about his responses to various carbs on different occasions. Also much more affordable as it’s less overal testing and has the option to be spread over time (eg a meal a day) rather than all at once cost wise.
We tend to go by uk guidelines, https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html though many of us prefer to stay lower believing these to be less than optimal.
How does a Libre work? If I buy it, and I attach the thing to my arm once, then it can stay on there for as long as I live, or do those things have an expiry? lolThat’s 6 per meal x 4 tries at each test. That’s 24 per mealThat’s a pot of strips for 2 meals ! No wonder your fingers got sore. No meter is exact. Retesting 4 times trying to make it do something it’ll never do is pointless, expensive and painful. Wash and dry your hands well and unless it’s totally rogue accept it.
Adding in the others you recommend that’s in the region of 75 a day. a libre would be cheaper by lots and a lot less sore
They are quite expensive and the sensors last roughly two weeks. In my opinion you are not in need of one.How does a Libre work? If I buy it, and I attach the thing to my arm once, then it can stay on there for as long as I live, or do those things have an expiry? lol
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