If you only tested once a day...

[Leonora]

Hello all. Like most of us I manage my diabetes through testing. I'm on one 500mg metformin that I take in the morning to blunt the steroids I take every day. Now, here's the question: If you were to only test once a day -fasting or pre bed- which one would you do? And why?

 

[Ralph-YK]

I don't consider testing once a day as of much use. Your BG goes up and down throughout the day, and can vary from day to day. So if it's a choice of just onces a day, I'd not bother at all.
I'd recomened testing several times a day if possible. Before and after eating etc.

 

[Leonora]

Hi and thank you. I'm running out of strips so I wanted to reduce my testing until I received my package from Amazon - if it arrives that is. And I'm unlikely to get fresh foods as I didn't stock up. (The shelves are bare at my local supermarket.) Hence, I might be be forced to eat more carbs. I'm a skinny diabetic.

 

[rebrascora]

Assuming you have already gone through the process of regular testing to establish a diet that suits your diabetes and it is well managed, I would say that the fasting reading on a morning would probably be the one I would go for in that situation as the evening one is more likely to be variable due to whatever you ate for dinner.
If things are going astray, your fasting reading will start to show a trend of rising which should then prompt you to do more investigative testing before and after meals to try to ID the problem.... or of course it may be down to infection etc.

 

[Vicsetter]

just right Barbara. I only test in the morning and have a target of 7mmol to aim for and adjust my evening Insulin accordingly. I will occasionally check before bed to see if I've taken too much insulin (my insulin takes about 2 hrs to start working) so if I am close to 7 before bed I might eat a biscuit. usually I am between 5 and 7 in the morning. I tend to have the same breakfast and lunch so no need for testing. I am obliged to test when I go out (dvla rules) so that covers pizza hut or whatever, and if I eat out I eat my normal lunch for supper (P. s. don't seem to have much trouble with pizza).
I make my own bread so breakfast is a hot cross bun(80g) with pb and half a grapefruit, lunch is a white roll (80g) with roast chicken thighs and a packet of crisps.

 

[trophywench]

Every item of lower carb food does not have to be fresh, Leonora. If you freeze, can or dry foods, that does not in itself bestow more carbs upon them or reduce the nutritional value!

 

[Leonora]

Every item of lower carb food does not have to be fresh, Leonora. If you freeze, can or dry foods, that does not in itself bestow more carbs upon them or reduce the nutritional value!

I've only got a small freezer because I tend to eat fresh every day. However I've visited the local shops and they were devoid of most veg. Good idea though trophywench. I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Leonora]

Thank you all. I've made up my mind. I'll take my fasting test.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you all. I've made up my mind. I'll take my fasting test.

Back in the old days it was suggested to me that fasting test was likely to be a reasonable estimate of where your BG generally was during the day (mealtime rises excepted). I’m not sure where that came from, or how valid it’s still meant to be... but fasting checks were the preference then.

 

[grovesy]

Is your local store a small shop or a large supermarket.

 

[Leonora]

Is your local store a small shop or a large supermarket.

I live in London so there are lots of small shops and supermarkets. I've fortunately managed to get an array of Caribbean foods because they still are on the shelves but there's very little in the way of fresh veg, though there's fruit that I don't eat! Maybe I'll try to get out early tomorrow and see if I can 'catch' some tinned veg.

 

[grovesy]

I asked as I have a a Tesco Express around the corner, was a One stop till last month. They seem to be getting deliveries at least a couple of times a day. As I can see the Delivery area from my bedroom window. They still have had the shelves cleared, in the last few days, but have had stock more often than not.

 

[Leonora]

I asked as I have a a Tesco Express around the corner, was a One stop till last month. They seem to be getting deliveries at least a couple of times a day. As I can see the Delivery area from my bedroom window. They still have had the shelves cleared, in the last few days, but have had stock more often than not.

Oh there's a Tesco Express up the road. Might pop up there later. Thanks Grovesy.

 

[grovesy]

I have been quite impressed as I am not a huge Tesco fan. They kept all the old One Stop Staff on, and the staff though mainly youngsters are friendly.

 

[Andy HB]

I don't consider testing once a day as of much use. Your BG goes up and down throughout the day, and can vary from day to day. So if it's a choice of just onces a day, I'd not bother at all.
I'd recomened testing several times a day if possible. Before and after eating etc.

I think we've had this conversation before! 🙂

I am a proponent of the one a day testing regime, but it only works if you have pretty good blood glucose control or you are on your way to good control.

When I was diagnosed I was given the following BG ranges to aim for:

1) Before meals --> 4-7mmol/L
2) 2hrs after meals --> 7-9mmol/L
3) Avoid <4mmol/L (hypo)
4) Avoid >10mmol/L (hyper)

I tested once a day at different times each day and if I fell within the ranges above, I was happy.

This is not a method which tells you what foods to avoid, but does tell you if you maintain a good BG control. So, on that basis it is very useful. However, there is no reason why you can't throw in the odd before and after readings to check how particular meals affect you.

Andy 🙂

 

[Ralph-YK]

I think we've had this conversation before! 🙂

It may have come up before. Great that you make it work. Leonora, you can always give it a got, taking advice on how to use it from Andy HB.