• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 1: How many times do you have to test your blood sugar

Testing as important as it is, is pointless if you fail to analyse and respond to the results you obtain.
Personally between 4 and 7 test's per day, I always try to preempt the results and if I'm close enough I'm happy and feel no need to change anything.
If a test throws up a out of range result, I question why. If results continue out of range for more than a day I then look to adjust things, ultimately this is the only time I would test more often, up until time I can preempt results again.
 
That's so helpful to me but I was told to test twice a day but in the beginning it was 4 times a day
 
Julia McCoulough said:
That's so helpful to me but I was told to test twice a day but in the beginning it was 4 times a day
Click to expand...
It's your diabetes you need to take responsibility for it. Do what you feel helps you feel in control.
25yrs I've had lots of advice from so called experts that has created more problems than it has solved.
If diabetes was as easy as people seem to think then it wouldn't be a problem.
Test when you feel the need, but be sure to use the results constructively, don't just test for no reason.
Good luck.
 
Julia McCoulough said:
Oh my God how old is your daughter
Click to expand...
She's 17 months.

As a minimum always should check when waking/before breakfast, 2hrs after, before and 2hrs after lunch, before and 2hrs after dinner, before bed and at midnight. I test between these too though so I know what's going on with her levels
 
Thank you
 
Oh bless her I'm so sorry that she has it so young
 
Recently diagnosed in August. Currently taking around 7-10 tests per day, although my diabetes team has suggested 3-4 is enough, and when I changed my prescription to Accu-Chek Mobile cassettes, my GP asked how long do I think they'll last, I said at my current rate 100 should last just over two weeks, and she went quiet but did it anyways. So I can see there must be some pressure within the NHS to keep strip costs down. I can definitely see myself needing some 'breaks' every now and then where I will test 4 times max, but otherwise it will be pretty consistent at 7-10.
 
Doesn't it hurt your fingers
 
If there's concern over how many bg teststrips are being used every week, then diabetics might as well as go back to using twice daily insulin again, eat a bit more wisely and use cgm to guide them through the day.
I bg test about 6 to 10 times per day, partly because I need to but also to present cgm data alongside bg tests so that doctors can see how good or bad cgm technology really is. At the moment it's jury out
 
iHs said:
If there's concern over how many bg teststrips are being used every week, then diabetics might as well as go back to using twice daily insulin again,
Click to expand...

.....and back to using the Clinitest Kit (no thanks)
 
iHs said:
Definately not......bg testing became widely available in the 80's. I was a happy Freestyle user for years using twice daily and didn't change to bolus basal until 2002.
Click to expand...

The Reflolux S was my first meter, you could either test your bg on the meter or cut the strips up and compare the result to the colour-coded chart on the side of the bg strip container, with careful scissoring you could cut the strip into 3 so a tub of 50 strips would sometimes go a long way.

Just forget what year it was when I switched to basal/bolus.
 
like others have said usually 9 sometimes 10. On MDI for 50yrs
 
We also have the mobile cassettes and the pharmacist nearly passed out when I told her I need 3 a week
 
Wow ive just joined up today and read this i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 27 yeah late i know but still ive had loads of problems with my eyes and other but last year i finally got my levels under control after 11 years and as for testing theres allot of myths my overall level last yeat was 6.2 and aster reading hear i feel ashamed that ive got to the point where i only check my level when im not feeling well or when my level is high or low im lucky my body warns me
 

Hey welcome to the forum

Absolutely no need to feel ashamed, it's not a rule that fits everyone, we all have our own criteria, some including myself feel safer testing as much as we do so we can understand fully what's going on and how much insulin we need to adjust by. I only feel off if I am too high/low and so prefer to reign it in before it get's too high/low, so will test as much as I need to so I have confidence I am doing something right before it goes wrong.

No one is here to judge, simply just explain why they do what they do and how other's might benefit from learning more about their methods
 

Very true i suppose ive learnt to adjust my novorapid insulin to what i have to eat or drink but it did take me a while to get it right even nurse vampire only sees me once a year now and thanks for the welcome
 
Have you asked about going on a Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating course (DAFNE) ?

Doesn't matter how long you have had type 1 it's a great course for building on what you already know about type 1.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…