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Over testing - is there such a thing?

I reckon I test about 8-10 times a day (also on a pump) this includes the standard meals so Breakfast, lunch, tea and then bedtime. The other tests are either if it's before exercise or driving. My GP seem ok giving me strips so I can usually get 250 for the month which is lucky. I try not to over test but sometimes you have to if your high/low or not feeling right.
 
Roberto, whether you use meter-read sticks or whatever, I certainly don't want to discourage you from testing as much as you like.

To address your initial question, I test more than you do, and I don't believe I test excessively.

My point about waste would apply to myself (at least in the past) as much, or more, than anyone.

I believe the main problem lies with diabetic experts and GPs who simply don't want to know about the more economical visually read strips.

If anyone should question whether NHS resources are being wasted on the excessive prescription of expensive meter-read sticks, I suggest they take a look at ebay and search for 'testing sticks'.
 
Right I'm going to try and have a proper pattern for testing.

Before meals, 2 hours after, before bed, before gym or football and driving.

I always test during night as well. I'm at 5.4% now so about 10g of carbs should cover me for football at 5pm!

Thanks MD!
 
Roberto said:
Right I'm going to try and have a proper pattern for testing.

Before meals, 2 hours after, before bed, before gym or football and driving.

I always test during night as well. I'm at 5.4% now so about 10g of carbs should cover me for football at 5pm!

Thanks MD!
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That would seem a sensible amount and should give you a good overall pattern of your BG levels. As you can see from all previous comments, there is no right amount of testing. It's a very personal thing and always will be. One thing I would like to add was regarding the advice given by Michael. The visual read test strips are just an alternative to the "normal" strips available. Most T1's are very fortunate to get strips free on prescription. However, there are many that don't. T2's seem to struggle obtaining them and some from outside the UK. It's not just T!, UK born diabetics that read these forums so his advice may be very appropriate for some.
Good luck for the future Roberto and hopefully now you've agreed a testing regime you'll be less anxious in the future.
Mo
 
I test 4 times a day and I thought that was a lot. If your testing every hour that's very obsessive. How can you possibly have a life like that?!
 
Well, I test around 15-20 times per day. And my last two HbA1c readings were 4.6%, or 27 mmol/mol.

And on account of my insulin/dietary regimen - I mostly eat dark, rye bread throughout the morning and into the late afternoon - I hardly ever have hypos.

So whatever kind of life I lead, it's not liable to be shortened by diabetes.

Though it's true, I do smoke.

Incidentally, I don't fuss around with those spring-loaded gadgets to get the blood sample.

And I tend to use the same lancet over and over, until it begins got lose its exquisite sharpness.

So I don't waste time fiddling around with superfluous equipment.

And as I've already written countless times, I find that the meters everybody else uses all the time are largely superfluous too.

I mostly use visually read strips. And I'd probably beat most people hands down in a blood-sugar testing time trial.

I can even test my blood-sugar as I literally walk along the street. (Similarly, I can roll a cigarette as I walk along the street; though I can't do both at the same time.) I'd like to see someone who has to fiddle around inserting a test-strip into a meter, and a lancet into a spring-loaded gadget, do that.
 
One further thing, Roberto.

I have great respect for your quasi-obsessiveness about testing. But if you want to keep your blood-sugar SAFELY near normal, I would strongly urge that you try eating dark, rye bread steadily throughout the day. (Nb. Don't eat too much, and don't eat it later than the late afternoon, or your blood-sugar will go high in the evening.)

I am not invulnerable to hypos. But because of my rye-laden diet (in the morning especially), I always get time to react.

So for example, when I gave two brief responses to you directly (this afternoon) at the top of page 2 on this thread - when you had complained to me about what I'd written regarding waste - my blood-sugar was actually quite low. (That's why my responses were quite brief.)

But I knew perfectly well that it was low. And yet I was in no panic. (I thought it was important for me to respond to you immediately.) This is the effect that eating dark, rye bread has for me: it serves to moderate my blood-sugar; and it prevents my blood-sugar from CRASHING. I always get time to react.

And please try those Betachek Visual test strips!
 
I test 6-8 times a day or more if I know I'm eating something really carbsy. Family and friends aren't going to change what's for dinner for me. Also if I feel weird because of a massive spike and/or a rapid drop. I test often because I am between 6 and 16 on any one day. So I like to see the exact patterns and how accurately I can learn to gauge my BG according to feel. Distinguish hypos and hypers when I might not have my meter on me or see what impact exercise has had

I think a lot of people think I test too often. I worry about telling my GP how often I test because I get the feeling they like to say 'that's our job' If you know what I mean


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I test when I get up in the morning, before and 2 hours after meals and at bedtime. If I have a hypo then I do extra tests.

With regard to the speed of visual testing, my metre reads a result in 5 seconds which is plenty fast for me. I have never felt the need to test walking down the street so that's not an issue for me

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I think if people test 20 times a day for a reason, ie, new foods, illness, exercise or poor control then it can be justified.
I believe it can become "obsessive" however when people test this much for the sake of it, ie, not learning from it or getting the same readings as the previous day/week/month. Most peoples diet is pretty similar 90% of the time. Same with routine generally. You get up, work, exercise, walk the dog or whatever. I often think for these people, the majority, what is the point of testing so much ? If I had a roast dinner last Sun and tested before and after, is there a need to do this again EVERY Sun ? Assuming everything else is the same ? I know testing for driving etc is law and I appreciate a few have poor control but this is just my opinion !


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I'm going to try snap out of the obsessive testing. I know 90% of the time I'm happy with my blood.

I'm slightly OCD with other things, tidiness , gym routine, my job so I guess it's that, that makes me like this.

It's worse when I'm not doing much. I sit and just think about my diabetes - if I'm out enjoying myself I don't worry south. Part and parcel I suppose .....
 
Hey Roberto, I'm not saying you're testing too much personally. Nor anyone. I just gave my opinion which some will agree with, many will not. Maybe I'm fairly lucky in that I don't get huge variations in levels. If this started to change, I would also increase my testing, for a reason. And that is all I'm trying to say, if you learn from the testing, change habits, food, routine etc, it makes sense. If it is just a test 2 hrs after a meal that you eat week in, week out, I can't see the point.
I think the routine you suggested earlier, test on waking, before and after food, before bed and driving, before and after exercise, is a pretty good start for you and you should soon start to see patterns develop. Good luck ;-)
Mo
 
LittleWolf said:
I test 6-8 times a day or more if I know I'm eating something really carbsy. Family and friends aren't going to change what's for dinner for me. Also if I feel weird because of a massive spike and/or a rapid drop. I test often because I am between 6 and 16 on any one day. So I like to see the exact patterns and how accurately I can learn to gauge my BG according to feel. Distinguish hypos and hypers when I might not have my meter on me or see what impact exercise has had

I think a lot of people think I test too often. I worry about telling my GP how often I test because I get the feeling they like to say 'that's our job' If you know what I mean


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The difference between us and you LittleWolf is that we're type 1, whereas although you're not officially diagnosed I would say you're more along the lines of type 2. Is the right?

My consultant, DSN and dietician say there is no need for the 2 hours post meal test. But for a T2 I fully endorse that test! How will you know what food affects you without it?! So 6-8 is totally reasonable for you..... And for a T1. But for different reasons. We need to test before driving, but you don't (unless you end up on insulin)

So what I think I'm trying to say is: our tests are for different things, but the number of tests is the same :) so you don't test too much!
 
When I just injected insulin twice daily, the only bg tests I did was before breakfast, before eve meal and before going to bed. I did occasional bg tests at lunchtime but most of the time my bg levels were always the same, they only changed a bit if the weather temp got really hot but I was able to pick up on the hypo feeling so no big deal.

With bolus/basal insulins, its an entirely different ball game as bolus insulin will lower bg levels fairly quickly and its impossible to predict just how low they will make bg levels fall unless frequent bg testing is done and unfortunately, no 2 days will be the same. On top of this, many diabetics will feel that they should control their bg levels fairly tightly in order to prevent complications from arising so again this can only be done successfully through frequent bg testing and eating some carb if need be to avoid hypos.

I for one will most likely be switching to cgm sooner or later. I would do it this year but my consultant thinks that I might be able to have a different pump next year to the one Ive got which will incorporate cgm
 
I sort of disagree. I think it is possible to predict fairly accurately what a set amount of bolus insulin will do to your BG levels after a meal you've eaten many times before. It may change very slightly but not huge amounts. Also, I get many days that although may not be exactly the same, are pretty similar. If your BG levels are all over the place and fluctuating that much then perhaps your diet or meds need adjusting.
 
I agree with mo. maybe you're diet is more varied, but I know when I'm at work I eat the same sort of things and do the same level of activity. So I have done the tests to understand what will happen, and now I can just test before driving/eating.

Of course I test more if something doesn't feel right. But generally it's 5 times a day
 
hale710 said:
LittleWolf said:
I test 6-8 times a day or more if I know I'm eating something really carbsy. Family and friends aren't going to change what's for dinner for me. Also if I feel weird because of a massive spike and/or a rapid drop. I test often because I am between 6 and 16 on any one day. So I like to see the exact patterns and how accurately I can learn to gauge my BG according to feel. Distinguish hypos and hypers when I might not have my meter on me or see what impact exercise has had

I think a lot of people think I test too often. I worry about telling my GP how often I test because I get the feeling they like to say 'that's our job' If you know what I mean


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Click to expand...

The difference between us and you LittleWolf is that we're type 1, whereas although you're not officially diagnosed I would say you're more along the lines of type 2. Is the right?

My consultant, DSN and dietician say there is no need for the 2 hours post meal test. But for a T2 I fully endorse that test! How will you know what food affects you without it?! So 6-8 is totally reasonable for you..... And for a T1. But for different reasons. We need to test before driving, but you don't (unless you end up on insulin)

So what I think I'm trying to say is: our tests are for different things, but the number of tests is the same :) so you don't test too much!
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Hehe thanks. I am a little obsessive about some things and the opposite about others- but glad I was paranoid enough to test in the first place to get checked out and make a change :3

I would say I am more likely to be T2 because I have PCOS which is associated with insulin resistance.

What worries me though is that as well as trying to load me up with carbs (he thinks I am too thin and doesn't understand T2/IR) my T1 partner lives exclusively on fast food. Cooking is for women, he says. He doses his insulin accordingly but he never tests and isn't worried about anything under 280. His only fear is hypoing, and freaked out when he found out how low my blood sugar went when this all started. Wish I could help him but he insists he is fine and knows more about the condition because he's had it for 6 years. Am I right in thinking T1s have looser control targets? I love him dearly and wish he would test more, especially as he has to fly longhaul for us to see eachother. He got sick last time and really stressed at the airport being held in customs- I just could not believe he didn't bring a meter -_-; .


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Thanks for all the replies and advice everyone.

I need to chill out, I know this and will try my best! My BG doesn't vary much either. I might get 1 higher reading a week (9-10) and that sets me off.

Last test 2 hrs after my breakfast was 7.1, yesterday it was 6.9, Wednesday it was 7.2. All pretty close and I'm happy with that.
 
I more or less eat the same amounts of carb during the day and have done so since developing type 1 in the mid 60's. I eat enough carb to keep my bodyweight stable and my bg levels controlled. The only variation for me is usually when I eat my eve meal. Most of the time I stick to 30g carb but occasionally eat a lot more. If I stay at home all day, my bg levels remain fairly even but when I go out, its a different matter where exercise lowers bg and eating food bought from a shop differs to what I normally would eat......
 
Roberto said:
Thanks for all the replies and advice everyone.

I need to chill out, I know this and will try my best! My BG doesn't vary much either. I might get 1 higher reading a week (9-10) and that sets me off.

Last test 2 hrs after my breakfast was 7.1, yesterday it was 6.9, Wednesday it was 7.2. All pretty close and I'm happy with that.
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Good luck Roberto and good thread ! plenty of varied responses as always !
 
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