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What's the most blood tests you've done in a day?

PseudoBob77

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I've had two spare Accu Chek Mobile meters sitting at home since sometime last year, they sent me them to trial but always stayed with the Accu Chek Nano as its compact.

I had a look at them two days ago and the blood test cassettes expire on 30th August, it's like OMG i gotta use this stuff up.

So not to waste this i took 20 blood tests yesterday, thats 1 an hour except through the middle of the night. I gotta say, micro managing type 1 can make it more confusing.

I've never seen a 24 hour profile before in this detail of my own blood sugars as i'll typically test 4-6 times a day. On top of that i have been logging all my insulin and carbs on MySugr so I can export the csv files to my laptop.

Dagnam it, I'm becoming an information junkie its giving me more headache.
 
I used to get freaked out by the expiry dates but I am pretty sure that the meter just sets an expiry date of 90 days or whatever from the date you insert the cassette.

Unless you are talking about an expiry date printed on the cassette box.
 
Its actually an electronic expiry date which the cassette tells you on the meter, after that i guess it makes your or your local surgery purchase more of them. They probably do it to make more money i guess.
I'll leave a couple of test strips in there and after 30th August see if the electronic date tags barrs me from using them.
 
It is very useful to take a full 24 hour BG profile every now and then
 
20 in one day!!!
I have enough trouble doing 2, I expect I'll get used to pricking holes in my fingers eventually though
 
R2T2 said:
20 in one day!!!
I have enough trouble doing 2, I expect I'll get used to pricking holes in my fingers eventually though
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I've had my days of even doing 1 in a day, it's still can be hard to manage even if you do know hour by hour.
 

**** that's a lot of testing

Actually in mySUgr we have a few new integrations coming your way, which you may like… Take a look at the iHealth meters, then you won't have to type it all in.

What did you feel was the biggest thing you got out of testing so much, did you use the data to tune anything too?

My max was 24, and that once a week for a month! Doing experiments on basal testing a few years back, looking into different strategies… Yes, I'm a freak sometimes.
 
The biggest thing i achieved out of testing hourly was control, i managed 70% of my tests between 4 & 7 mmols because you constantly adjust. And if you go off track you're much quicker to correct it because of testing so frequent. I used the data to get my insulin to carb ratio more accurate.
 
My record was 23 after I carried out my trial back in august. I got some extra accu chek mobile cassettes off ebay and started to run hourly tests over the weekend again. Since I adjusted my lantus dose into two, I ironed out those morning and afternoon peaks. Providing I'm not eating a load of rubbish in my diet I can control it pretty well, more fruit, veg, cocoa and far less crisps, cookies, milk chocolate i don't touch now etc. Oh and off caffeine drinks, had a recent phase of that too. Stopped drinking coffee, and now one or two mugs of tea a day.

Food and drink can be so addictive especially whats not good for us. Change your habbits if its giving you grief, not an easy thing to do.

Also test my blood pressure every month, with the increase in antioxidants and falvanols, my blood pressure significantly dropped even when stressed. Maybe that's helped with regulating my blood sugars too.
 
During my first OGTT and after, I must have had my bloods done at least thirty times that day.
Obviously every half hour, but because I went hypo after 3and half hours, then given lucozade, so I hyper and then hypos, so my test lasted most of the day and I looked at testing myself when I got home.
To work it out now, let's see!
Fasting, one
Every half hour till first hypo, seven.
Then for four hours after in hospital, eight,
Then every half hour except for meal, another ten.
Once before bed.

That makes, twenty seven! Ish!

My seventy two (80) fasting stay in hospital. Fasting blood and every hour even through the night!!!!
So that would be around about sixty consecutive readings.
Cos I didn't get tested for first overnight at home.

So anyone had longer hourly or half hourly consecutive readings taken?
 

Wow that's something, the way I see it is that you carried out the manual version of a CGM. When you can chart out your day in detail you can refine your understanding. Yep it can be hard work and some diabetics would think we are OCD, well partly lol.

Only a couple of years ago i thought 3 or 4 tests a day was plently, and i didnt like asking the surgery for my test strips because of having to go back too frequently, now stuff that, I try the 7 point testing every day. It does mean much better control otherwise from my experience, guess work means a lot more yoyoing variability
 
In my experimentation stage when first diagnosed, because I eat between 6-9 small meals a day, you can see how many times I tested!
And I still needed my consultants word with my GP to get the strips!

I don't need to as much, just enough to keep my eye on my trends and if I feel ill or off!

You need to know what foods affects your bloods!

I am a bit ocd, because I have to be!

Most of my food now is fresh and cooked, so not to contain additives and other rubbish like preservatives!
 
Well this was my profile yesterday taken from mysugr, 24 tests. The afternoon went a bit off track, i took the right amount of insulin except it peaked. I had a delayed uptake of insulin after lunch. The punet of red grapes 26carbs sent my blood sugar from 6.4 to 11.7 (took 9 units for 58 carbs, ate two sausage rolls 32carbs then the grapes half hour later), took another dose of 5 units to bring it back down then then rest of my lunchtime dose kicked in after 3 hours, stabalised that with another 30 carbs of ginger biscuits. I don't usually have a delay on my novorapid shot but it does happen every once in a while.
 

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Yes I've also become a data junkie. Some of you may think, what the hell, this guy is OCD, yes that is part of it. Will be interesting when i next embark on an intensive exercise regime if i can control the low end, i had trouble with that last year.
 
PseudoBob77 said:
Yes I've also become a data junkie. Some of you may think, what the hell, this guy is OCD, yes that is part of it. Will be interesting when i next embark on an intensive exercise regime if i can control the low end, i had trouble with that last year.
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If you ever get your hands on a CGM your data junkie options will become so much greater and your OCD can be fulfilled! Effectively "testing" hundreds of times a day, and I check it 30 or 40 times a day!
 
tim2000s said:
If you ever get your hands on a CGM your data junkie options will become so much greater and your OCD can be fulfilled! Effectively "testing" hundreds of times a day, and I check it 30 or 40 times a day!
Click to expand...

Now they need to do this as a wireless sensor if i'm going to use it, I personally don't want that or an insulin pump permanently attached to me (personal choice). That's my gripe, however i do think the cgm tech is a great idea for some users, depends on what benefits you get from it.

So my proposal to the developers is a wireless sensor (bluetooth) as a smart phone / iphone app cgm. Most people have smart phones. Then that'll be my tech preference and cater for my ever growing ocd for info
 
tim2000s said:
@PseudoBob77 , you've obviously not seen a Dexcom G5...
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Nope i have not, however i don't have a genuine need for one as i'm fairly well controlled overall with a bit of variability but nothing i can't manage. Other diabetics with high hba1c's are more in need if the Nhs is funding that. Self funding however, different story.
 
At present I am doing it at least 6 times a day roll on any CGM
 
I test a minimum of 6 times a day, and if I am checking something like ratios or basal rates, or a new-style bolus, or exercising, I regularly test ten times and even 12.
 
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