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IF I was to test once a day

bluejeans98

bluejeans98

Well-Known Member
Messages
235
Location
Manchester
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
When is the best time to test, If I wanted to test just once a day. Fingers are a bit sore after doing tests last week. I'm type 2 so feel very sorry for those people with Type 1 who have to test after every meal. You have my greatest sympathy. My blood sugars are a little higher today for some reason. Highest was 10.5 after breakfast. Down to 5.5 before lunch and 8.5 two hours after lunch.
 
What would you learn if you tested once a day?

Once you get the hang of which foods raise your blood sugars/what happens when you exercise,/are stressed/unwell then you will be able to relax more with the testing.
 
Unfortunately there is not much point in testing once a day as all it will tell you is what your bg level was at that time of that day!!

To get the best from testing you really need to test just before you eat a meal and again 2 hours after you finish eating that meal, this will tell you how the carbohydrate portion of that meal affected your bg levels.

You are then able to do something positive should your postprandial (after food) level be much higher than your pre meal level. Armed with your 2 test results you can adjust the carb portion in that meal (potato, rice, bread, cereal, flour/pastry down so that the next time you eat the same meal again and test it you can see if you have reduced the carbs to a level that see your bg levels returning to close to your pre meal level.

If you then repeat this for another meal and another and so on and so forth within a few months you will have a good idea of what portion sizes are best for you and your bg levels.

This is a proactive method of using test strips and should see you gain better control in a time period dependant on how often you are able to test meals.
 
I would have to agree with what others are saying, there is little to be gained from testing once a day.

If your fingers are suffering then maybe try other sites, the side of the hand just below the little finger or the ball of the thumb are ones I have seen recommended. Alternatively you may be better to have a day off testing all together to let your fingers recover then go back to testing either side of meals. Just make sure you don't subconsciously decide that as you aren't testing you don't need to watch what you eat, you need to be even more careful.

My meter recommended testing at the side of the finger tip not at the front, this means that you have 20 locations before you have to repeat a place, I can also work out about 3 different sites on each side, one right at the tip almost against the nail, one between the base of the nail and the first joint, and one between these but slightly more to the front of the finger, which normally means I can find a place to stab that isn't too tender.

You might also want to check your lancing devise, mine (the one that came with the codefree meter) has several settings so I can find the one that gets to the blood but doesn't go too deep.
 
I was told by a DN to test once a day, first thing in the morning for my fasting bloods. Apparently, as you lose control of your diabetes your fasting blood will rise. However, having tried this, I have to agree with everyone else. You never know how much that pizza spikes your bloods until you test two hours after eating it, same goes for garlic bread :((.

Wash your hands in warm water prior to testing and use the lowest possible depth setting on your lancing device and never use the same lancet twice...it hurts!

Best wishes :)
 
KELI said:
I was told by a DN to test once a day, first thing in the morning for my fasting bloods. Apparently, as you lose control of your diabetes your fasting blood will rise. However, having tried this, I have to agree with everyone else. You never know how much that pizza spikes your bloods until you test two hours after eating it, same goes for garlic bread :((.

Wash your hands in warm water prior to testing and use the lowest possible depth setting on your lancing device and never use the same lancet twice...it hurts!

Best wishes :)
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Cheat on your garlic bread/ Do a round of bread in the toaster. Then slice it down the middle so you end up with two extra thin slices. Then smoother in garlic butter before popping in the oven. Tastes great. Thinner bread. Less carbs.
 
bluejeans98 said:
Cheat on your garlic bread/ Do a round of bread in the toaster. Then slice it down the middle so you end up with two extra thin slices. Then smoother in garlic butter before popping in the oven. Tastes great. Thinner bread. Less carbs.
Click to expand...
I'll give it a go, thanks ;)
 
I test once a day first thing in the morning to see what my fasting level is and occasionally after a carby meal. When I first got my meter I tested many times a day and figured out I need to keep my carb intake very low (less than 25 g a meal). So the point of testing really is to figure out what and how much of different foods you can eat without spiking your blood sugar. Once you have figured that out you can drastically reduce how often you test. :cyclops: Remember, you are not just testing for the fun of seeing numbers, but rather with the purpose of keeping your blood sugar levels in check by changing your eating habits, also known as "eating to your meter". :clown:
 
bluejeans98 said:
When is the best time to test, If I wanted to test just once a day. Fingers are a bit sore after doing tests last week. I'm type 2 so feel very sorry for those people with Type 1 who have to test after every meal. You have my greatest sympathy. My blood sugars are a little higher today for some reason. Highest was 10.5 after breakfast. Down to 5.5 before lunch and 8.5 two hours after lunch.
Click to expand...

It really depends what you want to test for. If you just want to keep a general check then i find the best time is pre breakfast. If you want to check how certain foods affect your bg levels then 2 hours after eating. If you are detecting hypos, test when you feel low.

Testing shouldnt hurt at all. I am changing insulin at the moment so am testing 6 times a day and i get no pain. Different lancing devices feel different so might be worth trying a new one.
 
As already mentioned, at first to know what's good and not for you you need to test fasting, pre and post meals, it's the only way we can get in control and stay in control. 20weeks on from diagnosis I am now finding I can sometimes test less after meals if it's something I have tried and tested and tested several times before and know it's safe for me!
 
For me, self testing is psychological. If I test regularly before or after meals I am more conscientious about what I eat. When I don't test for a few days or weeks even I fall into old habits (that one slice of pizza turns into half a pizza or worse, and I constantly crave carbs because I'm not keeping it in check, then I wonder why I'm feeling so exhausted >_< !

When I was in hospital in Feb, the nurses always took your bloods before each meal (and not two hours after which I found strange).
 
I think it has been asked on here before as to when people stop testing before and after every meal . I think the answer is when you are happy in knowing what you can eat ok and feel you are ready to stop testing so frequently and just test when you feel you want to or after trying a new food
 
bluejeans98 said:
When is the best time to test, If I wanted to test just once a day. Fingers are a bit sore after doing tests last week. I'm type 2 so feel very sorry for those people with Type 1 who have to test after every meal. You have my greatest sympathy. My blood sugars are a little higher today for some reason. Highest was 10.5 after breakfast. Down to 5.5 before lunch and 8.5 two hours after lunch.
Click to expand...
I'm type 2 diabetic and I test before and after meals also before and during driving, more than 60 times a week. I dream of getting my blood below 10.
 
bluejeans98 said:
When is the best time to test, If I wanted to test just once a day. Fingers are a bit sore after doing tests last week. I'm type 2 so feel very sorry for those people with Type 1 who have to test after every meal. You have my greatest sympathy. My blood sugars are a little higher today for some reason. Highest was 10.5 after breakfast. Down to 5.5 before lunch and 8.5 two hours after lunch.
Click to expand...
The more you test the better control you have over your b.g you get to know which foods has the bigger impact on your b.g .when you can eat them and when you shouldn't so test before a meal and. 2 hours after watch your carbs. When finger pricking don't prick the pad prick the side of the finger it is less sensitive I find
 
you're eating too many carbs by those numbers, I don't want the meal to spike me more than 2mm

you have to work to get the drop..if it just bleeds you are going too deep..turn the number on your lancet pen down to 1 or less and milk your finger from the base up to get a drop, if you can't get a drop...go to 1.5
you click the side of your pad, not the middle..that gives you 20 sites and as been said, the fleshy bits of your hands are accurate too

before breakfast test 2x a week
before tea 2 x a week
new meal test..1, 2 and 3 hr and then 4hr if it's not back down ..google : diabetes pizza effect
checking on existing pre tested meals ..few times a week at 2hr

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

it's also easier if you use the thumb to push the pad over towards the pen, like this when you click

diabetes.jpg
 
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It depends on what treatment you are on and what you do for a living.

If you are on insulin, you should probably be testing to calculate your insulin dose.

If you are a vocational driver (taxi / LGV / PCV) (BG lowering tablets or insulin), then you should be testing in the 2 hours before driving and every 2 hours whilst on driving, to comply with the conditions of your licence. Have you had to fill in any of the DVLA forms (DIAB1, VDIAB1GEN, VDIAB1SG or VDIAB1I),?

But using a test meter while actually driving would be similar to driving and using your phone.
A very strict no No NO NO! :eek: ... :banghead: ... :dead:

Otherwise, If you are T2 treated with Tablets or Diet alone, then testing is much less required and done for other reasons as already noted above in earlier (or even later) posts.
 
10 weeks in I now have a rough idea which foods spike my sugars, I still get some off days with slightly higher readings but have not gone over 8 since writing the initial post. Today though I am having major pangs for proper chocolate and crisps. Both things I have not bothered with since being diagnosed. I think I need to knuckle down a bit more. Try and get a few extra low carb days in.
 
bluejeans98 said:
10 weeks in I now have a rough idea which foods spike my sugars, I still get some off days with slightly higher readings but have not gone over 8 since writing the initial post. Today though I am having major pangs for proper chocolate and crisps. Both things I have not bothered with since being diagnosed. I think I need to knuckle down a bit more. Try and get a few extra low carb days in.
Click to expand...
Well done if you're not going over 8 2 hours post meal. You're doing a good job
 
My BG up till about 11 seems to be higher, but drops from 12 noon onwards. I think it's a day time liver dump with only having a very small breakfast.
 
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