How often do you test & what are your target numbers
hookilau
Posts: 3,134 Member
There are some days where I don't end up testing more than just fasting, first thing in the a.m.
Ideally, I test before eating, 1 hour after eating & additionally, 2 hours if it's higher than I'd like. I aim for 90 mg/dl or less fasting & hope for somewhere in the of the same number PP.
If I remember, I test first thimg in the a.m., before & after eating a meal, and at bedtime.
That 8ish times a day.
I know there's a good deal of variation in target numbers, depending on lots of things.
I'm curious, when do you test, and what are your target #'s?
Ideally, I test before eating, 1 hour after eating & additionally, 2 hours if it's higher than I'd like. I aim for 90 mg/dl or less fasting & hope for somewhere in the of the same number PP.
If I remember, I test first thimg in the a.m., before & after eating a meal, and at bedtime.
That 8ish times a day.
I know there's a good deal of variation in target numbers, depending on lots of things.
I'm curious, when do you test, and what are your target #'s?
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i mainly just test first thing in the morning and before dinner, only at other times if i'm feeling off (either too high or low) my doctor is happy with a 90-140 (5-7.8) range with averages around 120 (6.67). since the beginning of the year my monthly average has dropped from 166 (9.22) to 115 (6.39). i would love to get my average down to 100 (5.56)0
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I usually test first thing in the morning, and like JVCJIM, if I'm feeling out of sorts, I'll test again. I try to remember to at least test before bedtime,
My doctor says my range is good between 6-7 (108-126). It's been very difficult with surgery and recovery, but I'm on the right track again.
Oh, and if (big if lately) I exercise, I will test about 2 hours after.
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Well, its a little different for me now because I wear a continuous glucose monitor. I do still test once a day to calibrate it, and I usually do that in the morning. Before I had it though I always tested fasting in the morning and before and sometimes after meals. I had to test more frequently though because I am an insulin user. I prefer my fasting blood sugar to be around 85-105. I find it helpful to do blood sugar checks about 2 hours after eating occasionally. It will tell you alot. Your blood sugar should be back close to normal by that time. If it is not, you may need to look at the amount of sugars or simple carbs you are consuming and make adjustments as needed. A fasting blood sugar may still be normal in the morning, but you could have been high for hours after eating before it comes down and you would have missed it. Staying high for long periods of time is going to affect your overall A1c1
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I am the exception I am sure. I test every 3 months when I go to the Dr. As long as my a1c is staying down I don't see a need to test all the time. I know what to eat and not eat. If I sneak a piece of bread, my sugar will spike. Don't need a finger pick to tell me. I know people on insulin need to to know what does, so like I said, I am the exception I am sure.1
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I test before I eat and when I get up and go to bed. If I feel bad throughout the day I may check to make sure I am not going low. I just started an insulin pump a week ago so I am testing more than usual. Sometimes checking two hours after a meal to make sure I took enough bolus. Ideally, I would like to be around 140 two hours after a meal. My target is around 100-120.0
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I am the exception I am sure. I test every 3 months when I go to the Dr. As long as my a1c is staying down I don't see a need to test all the time. I know what to eat and not eat. If I sneak a piece of bread, my sugar will spike. Don't need a finger pick to tell me. I know people on insulin need to to know what does, so like I said, I am the exception I am sure.
Like 1234usmc I no longer test very often. As long as my HbA1c's keep coming in under 5.4%, I'm a happy camper.
Do do random testing (a couple times a week) at 1-2hr post-prandials just to see how things are. I also test after ANY food/meal I've not previously eaten and tested with - in those cases I test at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes post-prandial - just to see if it's something I can/should eat in the future.
My own goals - I like to always be under 120mg/dl or 6.7mmol/l after any meal. Other than that, I don't worry too much (if my HbA1c is good.)1 -
I tend to mainly test my morning BG. I don't bother with before and after meals that often because I eat mostly very low carb high fat so my BG doesn't rise much. My morning BG tends to be my highest of the day so I keep an eye on that.1
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I read an interesting article recently that suggested Type 2 Diabetics don't really benefit from frequent testing unless they are tryint to ascertain something specific, like the affect of a new food or portion, not feeling well, wanting to see how a particular activity/sport affected the reading, etc.
This article stated that it is a live-saving measure and absolutely necessary for the Type 1 Diabetic because they are insulin dependent. For me, I suppose that a Type 2 Diabetic who has progressed to needing to be on insulin also needs to test more often, especially if the medication they take can drop them into hyperglycemia in between meals (this used to happen to my mom frequently and she only injected in the before breakfast and before bed).
That said, I've also read that it is imperative to test the fasting blood glucose because a rising number there can mean progression of the disease. But still, for a Type 2 Diabetic, it's the A1c that is the determiner of how well you have controlled the blood sugar during the previous 8 to 12 weeks.
For myself, I test anywhere from 1 to 4 times a day. ... My doc recommended that I test ...
fasting glucose
bedtime glucose
before and after one meal during the day ... but not the same meal each day.
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Per Dr. Bernstein, I would agree that there's no benefit in frequent testing..... unless it leads you to modify your behavior so as to keep your BG as low as you can.
In that case, a few extra test strips a day may spare a T2D the expense of insulin, oral medications, etc.
Also from Dr. Bernstein, A1c is a surrogate for frequent BG testing and susceptible to false approximations of your average BG. It's more convenient, but not more accurate.
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Yeah, but the doctor only care about the A1c0
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now I only test once a day since I have my numbers under control and no more medicine. I usually test at 100 to 120 so I am keeping everything good. I have now started walking every day and doing a keto plan--keeping my carbs under 20 g a day. My numbers are showing improvements staying closer to 100 have even gotten in DOUBLE DIGITS. that is my new 2017 goal0
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FYI, here's a testing protocol for T2Ds.
https://chriskresser.com/how-to-prevent-diabetes-and-heart-disease-for-16/0 -
i am predibetic so i only test once a week my aim is to keep it around 100 fasting bg but it does spike up some time around 126 then i try walking and sensible food choices0
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i am predibetic so i only test once a week my aim is to keep it around 100 fasting bg but it does spike up some time around 126 then i try walking and sensible food choices
I don't know where you got your recommendations, but one test a week will not give you much useful information, particularly regarding patterns.
If you're positive you're merely pre-diabetic and will never become diabetic, I guess there's no harm.
But if it takes a weekly fasting BG reading of 126 for you to exercise or eat sensibly, I wouldn't bet on it.0 -
hello RalfLott my last HbA1c test was borderline ie 116 so no medicines yet, i try to test with my mothers testing kit and once in while it does spike up to 126 but usually it stays around 110 and i am a positive person when ever it does spike just have to walk around 6-7k steps it comes down quite nicely0
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Sounds like you're doing OK, but how do you know when you're spiking if you only test once in a while with someone else's meter? You can be positive and attentive!
In my little world (too many CVD and Alzheimer's risk factors
) an HbA1c = 5.5/115 is still too high. http://rajeun.net/HbA1c_glucose.html 0 -
well its very big thanks to myfitnesspal i can control my calorie intake exercise walking and going vegetarian and my determination, hopefully i will bring my HbA1c lower to around 1000
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and i very much appreciate the links you have given thanks ever so much0
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Good luck!0
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