How many times a day are you testing while using your pump? I’m asking because today I got told that I can’t have a pump until I start testing 8 times a day, every day.
Please tell me that this isn’t normal, and that it won’t be 56 test strips every single week…
I test minimum 8 times a day…first thing when I wake up, before and 2 hours after every meal and before bed.
Depending on how active I am, how much I eat between meals and how often I’m in the car (I always test before I get behind the wheel) it could be upwards of 10 times.
Because you don’t have any long acting insulin, if something goes wrong with your pump (air bubble, kink in the tubing) your blood sugar can go super high really fast, so testing frequently is a must
This is normal. You’ll never get your basal correct if you only test twice a day. You’ll also need to keep track of what you eat.
Initially, the pump is a lot of work but the payoff is huge. Have you looked into getting a dexcom?
What’s a dexcom?
I’m not on the pump yet. I’m still waiting.
I test between 8 and 10 times a day, every day. I also write down everything I eat, as well as any exercise I do. It may seem like a lot of work, but the more information you have, the better control you will have. I also tested more in the beginning when I got my pump until my basal was set right and it was consistent. I’ve been on a pump for a year and love it. My A1c has also been below 6% for the last year. The testing has just become a way of life for me. Good luck.
It’s not so much the work I’m worried about. It’s the cost of the strips…
My test strips are covered under the durable medical equipment portion of my health insurance policy. That’s also where my pump supplies are covered. Do you have health insurance and durable medical equipment. I get much better benefits under that portion of my policy and not the prescription portion of my policy. Though, the test strips are written as a prescription by my Endo.
I don’t think I’ve heard of durable medical equipment policies. I’ll have to look into it. Right now it’s covered at 70% of the cost of the strips with my husband’s insurance, which works out to about $30 a box.
It’s not a type of insurance. It’s a provision under a health insurance policy.
I’ll definitely have to look into it then to see if my husband’s insurance has it.
If you get your testing supplies through a mail order place, they may process them under the durable medical equipment portion of the policy. They can also tell you what your benefits are under the policy.
I’m in Canada, which may be why I haven’t heard of it. 
Right now, I’m looking for cheaper places to get strips and supplies. I want to have my sugars under control, especially while I’m pregnant. I’m just floored at the idea of 8 times a day when I’ve always been told no more than 4. It’s a bit of a jump.
I see you are a Type 2, Jennifer. Type 2’s are often told only to test a couple times a day. I personally think this is a disservice. But if you are on insulin (whether pump or shots) you really do need to test minimum 8 times a day. You need to test before meals to help determine insulin dose and two hours after to see if you are in target or high and need a correction. You test before bedtime to make sure you aren’t in danger of going low during the night and or high and need to correct. Ditto with fasting blood sugar. Not only is it a hallmark for determining good management but it’s also important if you have DP and are high in the morning so you can correct and avoid fighting highs all day.
I think Type 2’s on insulin are given a disservice by being told to test so rarely.
But I definitely understand financial constraints. My insurance used to be $25 and is now $75 for three months; three months being whatever my doctor says it is and at my request he writes it for 10 a day which is 9 boxes for 3 months.
hi jennifer
before i got my pump i was told i would have to prove i tested 4x per day. this was a huge jump for me because for years i was just winging it. i would test maybe 4x a month!! and i didn’t have insurance so the cost seemed huge.
i saw my ladies at my DEC and i tested 4x a month diligently for about 4mths. the reason behind this, is that the pumps are covered by the Ontario government and the Education Centre could lose their licence if they were providing approval based on false information. after i got my pump i actually started testing more, averaging about 10x a day!! right now i am buying 100 strips every 2wks. i do not get them on prescription and i phoned around and found the pharmacy in my area that has the cheapest price(Loblaws pharmacy $76.00)
at first you do have to test more to get the basals correct, but now i am down to about every 4hrs, and any time i think i am high or low. i test during the night about 2x a week, just to see whats going on and if i find i am a little high in the morning for a few days running.
In addition to what Zoe said about testing, you should also test before you get behind the wheel of a car if you are using insulin. Driving while low is basically the same as driving while intoxicated. If you have a low and cause an accident, showing that you tested before getting behind the wheel will go a lot further than if they look at your meter and you don’t test very often. There have been a bunch of driving while low stories posted. Would you be able to forgive yourself if you caused an accident and killed someone? What if that someone was one of your kids?
I test 10 to 12 - by choice
I test 8 times a day normally. More often when I’m sick. I also use a Dexcom CGMS.
Am I correct in that you’re testing 8 times a day on top of your CGMS? (just clarifying…)
I feel like I’m completely thrown by this, because I’ve always been told to never test more than 4 times a day, that it’s not needed.
I’ve always tested 4x a day. When I was first diagnosed, I was testing 8 to 10 times a day, because I found the process fascinating. I think I was expecting it to go away…
They’re telling me now that I need to be testing 8 times a day before they’ll give me a pump, which just has me floored.
I’m in Ontario too, and have been since I was diagnosed, so it’s not a matter of difference of states or provinces.
At this point, I’m starting to think I may just have to to suck it up and test 8 times a day.