Hi,
I’m new to diabetes (type -2 ) and looking for an effective way to track my BG level. There are many log sheets out there, but I’m looking for something practical.
Appreciate your help,
Robert
What values do you want to put on the log sheet?
Hi Robert:
I have always used Excel worksheets. Once you make one, it is easy to just change the date for the first 2 days of the month and then drag down to auto-fill the remaining days of the month. You will find that over time, your requirements of what you want to track change which makes it easy to adjust in Excel. Currently I am on CGM (Constant Glucose Monitor) so only track my finger sticks at 8 AM and 8 PM daily to calibrate my CGM which gives a BG reading every 5 minutes. Before CGM I tracked early morning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and pre-bedtime finger stick results. Tracking your results in Excel for 1 month at a time is a great way to look for trends you may want to improve for a specific time of day, The following is a sample of what I currently, which will be simpler than what you need as I am on CGM but will give you a starting point:
GlucoseLogNew.xlsx (10.3 KB)
I always think of my BG as a graph across each day, not as a log sheet. Like a CGM graph.
But the doc just wants a log sheet with fixed columns.
What kind of log sheet depends on how many times a day you check your bg and if you are also for example recording insulin doses.
If I google for “blood glucose log sheet” I see all kinds of them for many different number of checks each day: https://www.google.com/search?q=blood+glucose+log+sheet&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS809US809&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwidm97ive7jAhUwuVkKHTbgAOQQ_AUIEigC&biw=1681&bih=1276
Many meters self track blood glucose readings. If available the Abott Libre’ has a pretty darn good log program. Countour also has great one. The Accucek meters have great log programs. This will not do carbs, but the basics are so cool.
For me, if it is not automatic will never do it.
I spent a lot of time trying to develop something that worked for me. Then, I spent MORE time trying to develop something that my doc was happy with at my appointments. Seemed no matter what information I provided, he wanted more. NOT more data, necessarily, but more specifics in a concise manner.
I finally developed a spreadsheet that I call my “daily” sheet. I put all the stuff I wanted to track on it as my template. I make 31 copies of the template each month, put in a loose leaf binder, and keep on my kitchen counter. Each day, I just turn the page and fill in the day’s data as the day goes along. It is right there for me to enter each and everything I eat or drink, the time of day, a list of my oral meds and when I take them, my insulin and how much I inject and when, my meter readings and the time they are taken, etc. etc. It wasn’t perfect in the beginning and I just kept tweaking it until it was fulfilling all my needs and desires.
Knowing my doc didn’t want to look through 90 days of data, it was much more difficult to develop something to present to him at each 90 day visit. Each visit, he would ask for something that was not included. Time and a lot of tweaking, I finally created a spreadsheet that put all the data of 3 months on just 3 pieces of paper for my doc.
If you like working in Excel or something similar, I would suggest you make your own log that suits you personally. Also, ask your doc what he wants to see each visit.
There are many log books on the market if you want to pick from them.
I just found it a lot more informative for me to make my own. Then, I wasn’t just recording things that I was suppose to keep track of, but instead, I was “using” the information for myself.
Keeping it in the kitchen where I eat, it is easy to write it all down and not forget. Habit now. Each morning when I get up, I turn the page, enter my fasting blood sugar, the day and date at the top of the page, and start my day.
Not sure if what I use would suit the needs of someone still in the workforce. I am retired.
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@Babs5 That sounds like a major headache to me. I’m grateful my Endo prints my clarity reports and doesn’t tell me to fill out anything.
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I use a meter that tracks my numbers One Touch Verio Flex. Just sync it to my iPad,email as needed to my endo’s office. Nancy50
I download and print out pump and meter data for my Endo.
However my logbook of choice has always been a 7 day / column daytimer style book.
-Day/ date at the top of each column.
- time down the left margin 8am to 6pm usually.
I use 2 or 3 different colours.
I track bg and meal details. BLACK
All important medical appointments and other dates. RED.
PROS.
WHOLE week visible without page flipping.
NOT computerized but almost graphical for trend spotting.
Less missed medical appts.
No batteries req!
Otherwise I have not found any other simple to use fully integrated solution for tracking the information I feel is important to managing my D life.
Unfortunately, even though I also use a smartphone calandar app for appointments, I really DISLIKE! having to share my life with google. So I am some what gaurded about this use.
There is NO DOUBT that a paper logbook/calandar is FAR MORE secure than any smartphone app or cloud based data download app for bg values.
I simply use Dexcom Clarity report. I generally calibrate first thing in the morning and the correction data is recorded on each daily record.
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