[hermitladee]

Way to go Johnny!!

Originally posted by mg_2204
Hermitladee, perhaps the doc told me to only focus on A1C because, for a short period of time, I was completely obsessed with testing. BG is bound to go up and down in a day.

Me going or not on meds was always based on A1C though.

Marie

Marie, you are correct that bs levels will go up and down in a day. But it's the range that it goes up and down that is important. Therefore regular daily testing should be encouraged. I'm not quite sure how "obsessed" with testing you were. But most people (whose bs levels are steady and they are not making any med or diet changes) I know test at fasting then get at least one post prandial reading a day. Of course more often if any changes are made.

My husband takes his fasting, then one 1hr pp reading and one 2hr pp reading from either the same meal or two different ones. That's the least amount he tests. It gives him a better idea as to what is actually happening. If he just relied on the a1c he wouldn't have the information he needs to make sound decisions on diet, supplements or medication. He might be able to slow down on the finger pokes later, but not right now.

If you have been a diabetic for a long period of time, and are in a stable routine, then testing more than once a day might not be needed. But it sure helps in the beginning!

[KLD]

I am what many people would consider obsessed with testing, but it keeps me on the straight and narrow and it's become so much a part of my daily routine that I think nothing of it. I test first thing in the morning and two hours after every meal, and often again before I go to bed - usually 7 tests a day. I occasionally vary the post prandial testing just to make sure I'm not missing anything. Occasionally when I've eaten something new I'll test every half hour or so until my blood sugars have returned to normal just to see exactly how the new food is affecting me.

The reason I always test before meals is that I have a hard and fast rule that I don't eat until my blood sugar has dropped below 5 (90), but it's always under that so it never stops me from eating my meal.

Obsessed? Maybe, but I feel better than I've ever felt in my whole adult life and no one would ever be able to tell from my blood sugar tests that I'm diabetic, so it's a good trade-off as far as I'm concerned.

Karen

[Lorna]

I did go through a phase like that when I had just changed insulins when I was testing 10 times a day, but that was part for peace of mind as well. I think the moral is test as many times as you need to!