Once you have been a diabetic for as many years as I have, it does become overwhelming at first. But when you start to know your body, you can tell by the way it is acting and the nurse is right. I test 3 times a day, sometimes 5. I can tell when it does get below 55 and especially when it hits over 300. But again, I do it 3 to 4 times a day.
I can’t feel lows any more… first thing I notice is when I get sleepy, but then I get exactly the same symptom when I am over 300. I don’t get the sweats or adrenalin rush until I am closing in on 30
I think it’s different for everyone. You and I were diagnosed the same year, and I find I need to test MORE often as the years pass, even with my CGMS, to understand the effects of certain foods, basal rates, or stress/activity. Sure, I can tell when I’m out of my target range (I feel high now above 140 and low below 60), but gone are the days of blind bolusing according to a wide sliding scale for me like I did as a kid or in college. I’m not going to feel high and just take a few units and see what happens. I have a tighter correction sensitivity now than in those sliding scale days and need to know precisely where I am before I choose a correction dosage to be in my target range. For me, the tighter the control I’m shooting for, the more often I need to see the actual BG value and calculate my next move. If I feel low, I need to know whether I am 50ish and dropping or 70ish and stable. That’s a big difference in treatment for me - the difference between a granola bar and a glucose tab.
that’s great Mel, as my control has gotten better I can feel when my sugars are changing quickly. took me a while to figure out what that feeling was again.
I do it around 8 sometimes more that is one stupid nurse sorry but they should never get mad or anything for over testing doctors are usually happy when you do over test anyways …
I had (emphasis on had) a doctor keep telling me to test the 2 hours after, but would not write an Rx for more test strips to allow for testing before, after and bed time. Her advice was to just not test before eating and just test 2 hours after. I kept telling her that if I do that, I won’t know how much insulin to give. She never got the message. But she is no longer my doctor (she dumped me via “don’t want to ever see you again” letter before I could dump her). This was also the Dr. that would not write an Rx for syringes until i knew the exact brand, gauge and everything about them so she could write it. Had to go talk to the pharmacist who duked it out with her and got it sorted out. GOOD RIDDANCE!!!
So like everyone has said, run from the doctor if they agree with the nurse. I now test about 7 times a day, but that number works for me so far and does not mean it will work for you.
I’m with you. 10-12 times depending on what is going on. I was advised that it is ok to test as many times as you wish. Once you get comfortable with your treatment you will slow down on it all by yourself. You need to find a specialist in diabetes. I did and most of the guilt and a lot of the depressing went away. And, my BG got a lot lower. Good luck, and if you feel something is not right, please question it.
Don’t listen to her… test however many times YOU need to test, to learn from what you’re doing, or to make sure you’re doing well when you’re sick, or to make sure your meds are working, or to deal with what insulin may do. She doesn’t live with Diabetes. She doesn’t know. Many of them just don’t know.
What 4 times lol she is not a diabetic at all is she.
Its very hard to only test for times a day I am testing more then 10 times a day to be honest,plus times that I might be feeling a bit off or just want to know how its going.
Dont listen to her test as much times as you need to test because at the end of the day you the one who has to live with it and figure out what works for you.
And maybe she thinks you’re Type 2, and knows nothing about Type 1… but still, even if you were Type 2, no one should tell you that you can’t test more than a certain amount. A good health specialist would suggest a MINIMUM amount of times you should test to check for things, but never a ceiling limit. I had a nurse admit to me yesterday that shew knew NOTHING about Diabetes… that they are not trained well enough for that, and that most patients are more educated on the subject, anyway… So patient beware.
I test between 7-10 times a day - usually pre and post meals. bedtime, and before I drive to make sure I am safe to drive a vehicle. Test as much as you want/need to - you know what you need to do to keep your D in control.
Emma:
Ask your doctor or an endocrinologist. They would know the best. I test sometimes 8-10. But I am also on a pump and need to know more often. Whatever number you get as to how many times, make sure the DR backs that up with a prescription for the strips or drums.
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
Even though I have I have plenty of strips and could test 12 times a day, I don’t. I went for the first 30 plus years being a Type 1 with 2 tests a year. Clearly that wasn’t adequate. I now probably test 3 to 5 times a day. I very rarely get up during the night to test unless I feel either very low or high. As you may have noticed most of the people who post to these discussions are the ones who manage there diabetes very tightly. They are a small % of all diabetics. Sure tight control will help prevent complications in some people, but not in all. In all the studies I have read, it seems that a A1c anywhere below 7.0 is all you need to minimize your risk of complications. About 30 years ago when I got the Joslin 25 year medal, I had to undergo significant testing to show that I had no complications. Subsequent to that the Joslin changed the requirements to “just being alive” as they discovered that 2 people under identical control can achieve totally different outcomes and it wasn’t fair to those that were just predisposed to have complications. BTW, now that I figured out how to afford a Dexcom I test 1,440 times a day and love it 
For about 40 years I wanted a Dick Tracey BG watch and now I almost have one.
I’m not officially diagnosed even though many, including myself would say I’m pre-diabetic. I don’t test every day, but when I do test it’s first thing in the morning, before meals and 1 and 2 hours after meals, also 3h if 2h has been high, before sleep and if I feel something isn’t quite right. I do get lows sometimes, and also highs…
I buy test strips myself.
At the least before and after each meal. So, at least 6 times a day. Then before working out. Before bed. Sometimes in the middle of the night. So, on average I test at least 8 times a day. Time for a new Endo.
I test at least 12xs a day or more, it depends on what that particular day is like. I like to know where my blood sugars are and if I want to do some type of activity it is important to know where I am.
Well, I’m now having to fight my insurance for test strips. They are following the medicare guidelines for testing and will now only cover me for 100 strips a month. That’s about 4 times a day.
I’m on the pump and anyone on meds or insulin should test before meals, before they drive a car, and before and after exercise. right?
I get so tired of having to fight the insurance companies.
I can’t even find the medicare guidelines and what are the ADA guidelines? I’ve been told they say 4 times a day as well. What is wrong with this information?
I agree Karen, The longer one has this disease and the tighter the control, the less you’re likely to feel your low bg’s. Are people unaware that alot of car accidents occur because of someone having a low blood sugar?
That is why I am a firm believer in more testing. I get so frustrated with these guidelines that to me are just plain wrong.
Also, four times a day is only accounting for before meals. How do you know what your bg’s are doing after?
What about physical activities, exercise, housecleaning, gardening etc? Shouldn’t we be testing. I know that if I’m doing something physical and I’m hot or out in warm weather, I don’t feel my lows until it becomes dangerous.
Also, exercise can effect your bg’s as much as 24 hours afterwards.
What about people on the pump such as myself?
But I’ve been told that even on oral medications people should be testing more.
Sometimes my symptoms of a low can be vague and ever so slight such as this feeling of "I’m feeling a bit off or weird"
Why are the guidelines wrong? Did they study people on insulin? what about oral meds? What about children? How can a parent send their child out to play. I feel that if my insurance will only cover 4 test strips a day, I might as well just eat, sit and sleep. I can’t afford to safely do anything else. I feel sorry for the people who are told they can only test 1 time per day. I mean people need to test as they feel comfortable. But for those of us who want to test more, then let us. I’m just so sick of fighting for things with the insurance. Perhaps they’d rather pay for the complication?
We need endo’s to help us fight for supplies as well. Mine assumed my insurance wouldn’t cover 10 strips per day and so wrote a smaller script for less testing. As long as he writes a letter explaining the need for more testing the insurance will cover it. At least that was last year.
This year my insurance is following medicare guidelines and only covering 100 a month for all diabetics on insulin.
So I now have to fight yet again.
Do they not realize what the stress of worrying about needed supplies, and having to “fight” all the time is doing to my blood sugars.
Sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel and saying ok, I’ll do nothing and you can pay for ALL the complications then…
So many people saying prevention, control, proactive care, and yet we bang are heads against brick walls because of uneducated people or people who won’t help us fight for supplies or stupid insurance companies who think they know best…
lol i test way too many times a day…
but my dr doesnt care. i think he like it because he knows whats going on with my bgs. that and i think the other teens he treats dont test enough…