Need some help with testing

Type 1 and LADA
1

Hey everyone.

This is going to be an interesting first post by me, as I just joined the "community" today. In actual fact, I joined because several years ago a girl posted a picture of my Diabetes tattoo commenting on it, and I just randomly found it in a google search and was going to comment on it. But now that I'm here, I figure I might as well open up.

I've been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 7 years old. I'm just about turning 26 now, so somewhere between 18-19 years. Since as long as I can remember, basically. My parents were very helpful, and still are, and I am a good kid with a solid career and my own apartment, etc, etc. But I have a problem, and have had it for quite some time and not dealt with it.

I am awful at testing my blood sugar. Like, AWFUL.

I know the importance of testing, as I'm on an insulin pump, but have just gotten into such a bad habit of NOT testing, and "gotten away with it" for so many years now, that I don't know how to get back into the habit of doing it.

When I say I am bad at testing, I mean sometimes for weeks, maybe even months on end, I would only test once, maybe twice a week, when I wasn't quite sure how I felt. The rest of the time I thought I had a pretty good handle, based on feeling low, sore muscles (representing extreme highs), and having to pee a lot (high blood sugar sign). I thought I was good enough at knowing my Diabetes and body that I could get away with it. I still sort of think this, but know that it isn't true. It just makes me feel better about not doing it I think by telling myself this.

I've moved between a few different cities the past 5 years and haven't had a steady Endocrinologist for a few years, which means I also haven't had an A1C done for several years. My last few that I can remember hovered between 8 and 10.5 I think. So not very good.

Anyways... ending my intro: I want to change this. I am getting old enough that I start to worry about my future, my bodies future, and what I am doing to it. The past year I've noticed a tiny black dot that very rarely (once a week or two for a few hours maybe?) occurs on my vision in my left eye and it scares the hell out of me. I also have noticed the circulation in my legs is not great sometimes? Perhaps nothing, but regardless, I need to change. But I need to find a system, a secret, not just be nagged to do it - that just frustrates me - being nagged.

I wanted to know if anyone else had gone through this incredibly lazy, carefree stage, and how they got themselves out of it. It's been at least 5 years, probably closer to 10 since I tested 3-4 times a day, and I don't know how to get back into it. I take my insulin properly based on what I eat, and how I feel, so I'm not entirely neglectful. I just can't seem to find a way to test.

Does anyone have any suggestions or anything at all that might help?

I live in Vancouver, Canada, for reference as well.

Thanks.
Dave

2

be active on this forum and diabetes daily. you will feel motivated

3

Dave, I wish there was a magic pill that you could take that would get you on track with testing. What is really takes is will power and a change in what you do.

Start off easy. Start testing every morning. Do that for a couple weeks and then start testing every night. If you do it where you add one test at a time and keep adding new a new testing time every couple of weeks soon you may find that you are testing many times a day.

Keep adding until you get to the schedule you want to keep.

Of course always test when you feel the need.

Anyway that is how I did it when I set my schedule.

4

I’d start with once a day and work up to more. Make it as convenient as possible to test. For example: first thing in the AM, or before you go to bed at night.

Another tool I use is having more than 1 glucometer. I have several one touch minis cause they are only about 10 bucks each and you can get coupons for cheaper ones all the time. I then put them strategically around my house so it’ll be convenient for me to test.
I put one in the bathroom, next to the bed, next to the couch (I hate sitting down to watch tv only to have to get up to check it again). One sits at the kitchen table. That way, it’s convenient and easy and out in he open.

Sucks go compiling data and seeing patterns but if you aren’t even checking it at all right now- it’d be a huge improvement.

Also, I always check it before I go to bed if no other time. I feel like atleast if I go to bed and I know it’s good, it’ll be good for 10 hours until breakfast and that a large chunk of the day? I realize that isn’t true but it makes sense.

5

I agree with juliannaergrl. Start with baby steps so you don't overwhelm yourself and it helps create a "habit". I was in your shoes about 10 years ago and now when I test it's almost an unconscious act unless I'm feeling bad. Just stick with it, you'll get there.

6

Hi, Dave.

What I did was to consciously change my thinking. I used to think testing was awful because I thought testing was only just another a way to confirm I was doing something wrong or not beeing successful (even if this was purely at a subliminal level). Now I see my glucometer as a helpful device and a "friend" instead of a gruesom judge of me and the choices I make.

7

I'd say the circulation in your legs is not anything to play around with. The circulatory problems lead to nerve damage and can lead to *a lot* of problems as you age. I'm 45 and many people my age are starting to feel various aches and pains even without diabetes. With diabetes that I do ok controlling (I don't recall too many A1Cs out of the 6s, had a brief run into the 7s c. 2007 and got a pump and have been sub 6.0 since then...), I still get slow wound healing in my extremities (sometimes, not 100% but I'm always concerned about things...), the hair is falling out on my legs (not listed in a lot of "complications" lists because well, who cares but, nonetheless, it's there...) and am always concerned about what else might be going on.

My current system is both to test pretty frequently and also to use a CGM and pump and all of that which, very likely, a doc won't prescribe for you if you are testing every so often. I laid out my testing plan because, particularly during the week, with job and all that:

1) wake up, test bg
2) before eating test BG
3) before driving to work test bg
4) 2 hours after eating test bg
5) lunch test BG
6) 2 hours post lunch test bg
7) drive home test BG
8) get home, run 3 miles...oh wait, don't forget to test your bg!
9) post-exercise maybe, maybe not, maybe eat dinner and, you guessed it, test BG
10) 2 hours post BG, test BG ****AGAIN****
12) stay up late? Maybe squeeze in another one, what if you have errands to run, what if you want to exercise more (when it's nicer out, I'll run 6-7 miles during the week, more on the weekends...a lot of times, I'll run a long run on Saturday and then a 20ish mile bike ride for fun, speed and recovery on Sunday...there's several extra strips in there...).

Lately the workouts are screwed up as I hurt my leg in a race on April 6 and am taking it easy coming back. Again, I don't know if the soreness from a sprain is because I'm old or because I have diabetes (last A1C was 5.1...). When I was 20, I doubted I'd live to 40 but, now that I'm 45, it's sort of all gravy and I want as much (low-carb, ha ha) gravy as I can get. I also think that if 3-4 times/ day proved frustrating to see patterns, etc. I would suggest that that's not really enough to see what's going on and make adjustments to improve things. If your doctor won't support you in a feud with your insurance company (who may very well say "he's been doing ***fine*** on a dozen test strips/ year..." because that's how they roll...), you should fire them and get one who will. This is really important if you want to succeed and beat the hell out of diabetes. If it takes a while, it takes a while but making progress will help you feel better. Diabetes can be a huge defeat but it can also offer the opportunity for thousands of little victories, one test at a time.

8

I second that. Good and thorough answer, acidrock23.

9

LOL, I "saved" the 12 tests/ day chart in my computer after typing it 5 or 6 (or maybe 10?) times! Total slacker! I find it useful to lay out what I've found works. If you don't want to, you can always find a doctor, or particularly, an insurance company who will tell you authoritatively that "you are obsessive" or "you don't need to test that much" but they are full of $#!+ and I will always argue with them.

In fact, I'm right in the thick of it with BCBS *again* (every year, the insist on rubbing my nose in it so I like to call their reps and torture them for 30-45 minutes trying to press them to answer questions..."what do you mean the nurse allegedly reviewing my file without ever meeting me to assess my condition doesn't have a phone. That's RIDICULOUS!! She works for an INSURANCE COMPANY!! I KNOW she has a phone. What is the number? Don't give me that she doesn't have a phone crap, that's ridiculous. If you want to say she doesn't take calls from angry customers because she's chicken, then say that but don't pull my chain with that she doesn't have a phone business. That's absurd in this day and age. She probably gets paid a buttload of money and has two phones and a freaking laptop to boot...")

10

Dave - Welcome to TuD. Motivation can sometimes be a mysterious thing. It varies from person to person but I can tell you what motivates me take care of my diabetes.

Quality of life matters to me. While I would like to live long, it's more important to me that to feel as good as possible each day I'm alive. Diabetes has no shortage of ways to debilitate. We all know the nasty list: heart disease, kidney failure (dialysis), peripheral and autonomic neuropathy to just name a few. And you don't get to pick what complication will afflict you. From your post, I think you definitely get the big picture and generally want to do well with your diabetes. You're having a hard time connecting the small, everyday things, to your long term outcome.

To start with, the number that any fingerstick represents is just a number. It is not a summary of your worth as a human being! It is only a data point. But it's a critical piece of information that calls for you to respond to it. If you see a BG fingerstick number and don't ever consider concrete action based on that number, then you're missing the opportunity to see yourself as a potent force to make your life with diabetes better. If you stick yourself and it's high and then take corrective action to bring it down, you will know that your reaction to the data is effective and responsible.

I fingerstick about 10-15 times per day and also wear a CGM. Some PWDs resent this abundance of data. I find that if I always consider action based on the data then I become engaged in the process. You will care about things that you choose to pay attention to. Once you see positive trends from your cumulative actions (A1c drop, average BG drop, greater % of time in your good zone, reduced BG variability), it reinforces this good behavior and makes your new habit sustainable.

Nobody like to play a game that they suck at. It's just human nature. I don't like to look at my stock portfolio on days when the market is down. But the reality of down-days in the stock market keeps it real for me and informs better investment decisions in the future.

One thing that I know will work is that if you pay attention to your numbers (actually do the fingersticks and take reasonable action), you will start to move diabetes control in a favorable and better direction. When you see the results improve, it will energize continued commitment to your long-term health.

This is how I look at things diabetes, It works for me and may also work for you. You just need to get started and have faith that your day to day actions matter. Your everyday actions will add up to cumulative worthwhile benefits. No one takes pride in easily accomplished things. The tougher the adversary, the greater the satisfaction. Diabetes is one tough monster adversary!

I hope you can see that, while not easy, gaining reasonable control of your day to day BGs offers a great sustaining sense of personal satisfaction. Take that first step and have faith in yourself! You are worth it. Your future self will thank you for it. Good luck.

11

As a very smart man once said, "You can't motivate someone. That door is locked from the inside. The best you can do is provide the circumstances and opportunity for them to motivate themselves."

That's another way of saying that motivation is an intensely personal and individual thing. So I can't realistically tell you what to do; what I can do is share my own experience and hope that you can find something in it you can use.

When it comes to testing, I've been through all the predictable emotional phases: neglect, not caring, fear and paranoia about each separate number, etc., etc. Where I am now is that I have, through concerted effort, stepped away and let go of all those emotions. I view my meter the way I would a GPS: it's simply a device that tells me where I am at this moment -- something I always want to know. If the number is where I want it to be, great. If it's high, or low, it's just a clue telling me where to go next. No less and no more.

And consider using a CGM. It's always there, it never gets tired nor goes off duty, and it will nag you, if a nag is what you need to change your habits. At least think about using one long enough to get you back into the groove.

Oh, one more thing: join this discussion group.

12

In short, yes, been there, done that. I've been diabetic for almost 28 years and my bad habits really started to set in sometime during graduate school, around 8 years after dx. They gradually got worse after I began teaching 7 years after that, continuing til around 5 years ago. I had elevated A1cs in the 9s and 10s for probably 10 years.

It took multiple complications, first mild neuropathy, then the double whammy retinopathy and nephropathy before I realized how serious things were. That was a stressful and depressing time. I had to get serious.

It was one thing to get serious about my treatment, but seeing the reversal or lessening of the complications is what keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I went from practically no management to OCD about my management.

13

All the suggestions won't motivate you but thinking about the complications should give you a big shove. I know you've heard the story about complications and probably think it won't happen to you but it can...let that be your beacon of light to help you find your way.

14

You're all incredibly helpful and motivating people - I really appreciate the thoughtful responses.

I think I am going to pick up a few Mini monitors, maybe 3-4, and have them in strategic locations around my apartment. If I can even test once in the morning and once before I go to bed, and maybe have a streak where I can make sure my basal is proper, it will make a world of difference for me.

Any suggestions on good lancets/pokers to use that are minimal pain? That might be another thing that stops me a bit - knowing that it's going to hurt, even if just for a few seconds.

Again - thanks everyone and I'll keep you updated on how things go for me. :) Prevention of complications, instead of attempted reversal is a nice idea...

15

I like this one called Multiclix

16

Multiclix works well. Same maker has one called Fastclix that is very similar but doesn't need to be cocked first. Everything happens with one press -- nice for operating with one hand.

17

Multiclix are awesome. I may be OCD about lots of things, but I simply cannot be bothered to change my lancet more than once a lunar cycle. At least with Multiclix, when it does occur to me that I might want a sharp lancet, I just have to press a button.

18

I've never heard of the Multiclix but now that I have, I believe I may be sold.

To Dave ... Don't wait for something to kick you in the #*%$! Just Do It! :)

19

Multiclix and Fastclix are made by Roche (Accu-Chek)

20

Hi Dave,
Welcome to the site! I went through a period of only testing 2-3 times per day, and getting a slap on the wrist at every doctor's appointment. I started setting alarms on my phone. It would go off every couple of hours, That got me up to 4-5 times per day. Now I won't eat a single bite until I have tested and given my bolus, so that's gotten me to 8, plus first thing in the morning and right before bed. Once you get into the habit, it will feel like...well...habit, but I understand it's hard getting there. And I agree, keep meters anywhere handy, so you'll never have to search for it. Good luck!