There’s another recent thread on this, started by acidrock23.
I’m a T2 on multiple daily injections (MDI, Novolog and Lantus). My diabetologist gave me this as my baseline schedule:
Rising/Fasting
Before Breakfast
Before Lunch
Before Dinner
One hour after dinner
Two hours after dinner
Before bed
In addition, I’m supposed to test if I feel hypo and while treating a hypo (this might consume four or five test strips).
I do additional testing before, during and after endurance exercise (I go for very long walks and hikes for a person in my shape – sometimes three to four hours.) I’m also supposed to test before I commute, if another test doesn’t cover my pre-drive test, i.e. a pre-breakfast might also cover my pre-commute test. My two hours post-dinner might also be my before bed test.
Looking through my records, I don’t always use all of these strips, but six to eight per day is a good average.
When I’ve had a severe hypo, the 24-hour test strip usage might go up to 12 or more.
Prior to CGM I was testing 25 to 32 times a day scouting for lows. I do not think excessive if conditions warrant.
4 times a day I suppose is OK but what does that tell one. Little. Medicare is unhelpful - one strip a day. That is disgracefull.
Get on Lantus/some insulin and you can have up to 4 strips a day. I buy on Amazon and ADW and get my freestyle strips for 27 dollars a barral of 50.
Diabetes is exploding and here is the level of official help. Disgracefull.
I have liver issue sand dumps and need to watch my bg more often. With CGM I am finding on good day that about 6 strips a day is workable. Under a firefight can edge up to 20.
I probably test 3 - 5 times a day. I like to keep real tight control to keep my HbA1c as low as possible. I usually range from low 70’s - 110 during the day. My doctor wants me to tes 2 x per week to save money. I figure I have to buy my own strips anyway so it is an expense I will endure to keep normal bgs. I will be happy in a few years when Medicare pays part of my strip allowance . Much better than the overpriced , high deductible insurance I have now.
Thankfully, I solved the problem of not enough strips. I called and spoke directly to the PA that I see and told her that once a day as assinine…yes I did use that term. I told her that at least three times was recommended and that if I didn’t get that number of strips for the month for each day, I would have to take my business elsewhere where they treated diabetes rather than the state and medicaid. She wasn’t too happy about that, but I did get my strips and more. I got a second meter, and yes now I have two meters and over 150 strips for each. ADVOCATE for yourself. NO ONE else is going to do it!
4 strips a day is assinine. Sometimes i have to use 2 strips one for each hand and average. Many times I get a 2x reading on my unit - even more strips.
Type 1 require 10 to 12 a day. Looking for lows and on wrong insulin can burn strips up.
my doctor said do not allow BG under 100. I was up to 30 strips a day.
Today whne cgm behaing itself I can get to 8 to 10 a day.
I am fed up with certain big organizations that are two busy raising funds for certain political parties and doing crap over shinola over cost, re-inbursement etc.
Once a day testing, why bother right? So frustrating. I test 6 times a day, sometimes more. Once they accidentally cut be back to 3 times a day and I threw a fit, but we got it all squared away and I am all set.
I am on insulin though, I think when it comes to getting strips you can get more if you are on insulin.
I just went to the pharmacy to get more testing strips this morning. Although I have VERY good insurace, I sometimes test more and run out quicker than my 3-month refill will last. Needless to say, ordering more thru mail order when they are all used up, they say “it is too soon to oder” another 3 nonths supply!!! What a crock!! If you need them, you just need them. I would think they would be happy for you to test often to prevent any problems!! Anyway, I was able to get them and I just swiped my insurance card! The insurance STILL paid for them!!!
Depends on the day. Before I started taking Victoza (one week ago) If I’ve followed a good diet with exercise that day, I might only test 2 times. Other days when I’d lose the skirmish with myself and eat foods I know I shouldn’t be eating, I might test up to 4 times, upon waking and a couple hours after each meal so I’d know if I had to take a walk to bring BG levels down. I’ve become a very good walker!
Right now, since I’m on a new drug, Victoza, I’m testing 4 to 5 times a day, but only because want to keep tabs on how well the medication is working! I’m guessing that, after a few weeks of this, if Victoza continues working as it has been working, then testing only 2 times a day will usually be fine for me. One when I wake to set the tone for the day and an hour or so before bed to help regulate what to eat for a bedtime snack.
I don’t know if Medicare covers Victoza though?
You should just be able to explain that you feel more comfortable testing more often to your new Doc and they should see to it your script covers you. I would think that at least 2 a day should be minimum.
Cathy my hba1c is great so I only test every three months.You may have to test more often than when you were taking Byetta.
This drug was developed in the same time frame as Byetta and is similar in concept. But it’s side effect profile was more troubling, hence the delay. It’s being released with a warning that it might produce thyroid cancers, though this supposedly is mostly a problem in rodents. Even so, the fact that the thyroid cancer issue can’t be completely dismissed would make a reasonable person ask, “What does this drug offer that makes it worth taking on even a tiny bit more risk than is found with Byetta?”
The average A1c drop reported when patients take Victoza and Metformin is 1%, which is really no better than the drop achieved taking Metformin alone.
There is little reason to take it. The longer duration means that if you get the serious gastrointestinal reaction that GLP-1 analogs can cause, it’s going to take a lot longer to wash out of your body. If you aren’t going to respond to Byetta, it isn’t likely you’ll respond to this drug either, as non-response suggests that fiddling with GLP-1 isn’t going to help you. The impact is less than Byetta and the side effects more troubling, especially since it is a new drug and hasn’t been prescribed to a large group of patients as Byetta has.
And it may cause thyroid cancer.
Take care and don’t forget the daily exercise to lower glucose levels.
Imagine a transcontinental airline with planes whose gas gauges only gave readings at 8:00 a.m. regardless of when and where they actually fly. They’d be grounded instantly for exposing passengers to potential crashes. We need as many strips as we damn well think we need.
I was testing 2x a day but the the diabetic nurse said once a day. Also disability only covers 200 strips a year. The rest comes out of my pocket at $85 for strips and lancets are not covered either. They run me $22 for lancets.
