(sorry for length of this post
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the thing that bothers me is that your insulin doesn't work that quickly. if you are testing as someone above says 'when waking, before b'fast, before driving to work' - that can only be a space of an hour at most. Insulin works for around 3 hours after taking it - it peaks 1.5 hours after taking it. So for example, you get up at 8am. Do a blood test, take your Lantus. Get showered, dressed, etc. Prepare your b'fast, do a blood test, take the appropriate amount of insulin for your bs and food. Eat b'fast, clear up, get ready to leave for work. Do anther blood test - is this 3 hours after you've eaten b'fast? Or 30 mins later? The result you get will be affected.
Maybe this only works for the insulin I'm on,though. As I said, I feel my treatment here in France is way superior to that I was getting in the UK. The doctor has no problem with me testing my blood as many times as I like. However, she has told me that testing before eating, and three hours after if it's felt necessary is ample.
You should know your own body. You should be able to feel if you are running high or low. When you test your bs, and it's normal, make a note of how you feel. Do the same when you test and it's high/low. Once you know how you are feeling, you should know when you need food/insulin/nothing.
I'm not having a go at any of you who prefer to test your sugars more frequently, but I can't help feeling it is a real restriction on your life, and how much you enjoy it.
Try to speak to a nutritionist, and your doctor. They should be able to tell you how much insulin you need for the amount you are eating. Stick to the recommended number of carbs they are telling you to eat each meal, and take the appropriate amount of insulin for that amount of carbs. You should then be able to know 'ok, I had 30 carbs for b'fast, therefore I need * units of insulin' After a while, you'll find your sugar levels level out - eat the right amount of carb, take the right amount of insulin, and you will rarely need to adjust stuff, and will therefore not need to do the bloodtests so often.
Although cost obviously comes into it, I know that my doctor is more concerned with my quality of life than how much I am costing the health service. To her, if I prefer to reduce the number of tests I do, and I am usually balanced ok, there is no need to 'hurt' myself doing unnecessary tests every half hour.
Secrettheature - you need to speak to your doctor/nutritionist - find out how many units of insulin you need for the amount of carb, and how many units of insulin you need to reduce your blood sugar by a particular amount ie humalog (for me, anyway) 1 unit = 2,3 BS. I have no idea whether this is the same for everyone, but can't be far out.