How do you record your blood results

[Jodie]

I did mine in a book and then I started using these cards that i got from the hospital and now am starting to do it on the computer as i find this easier. How do you record yours?

[dmbfan_21]

I have been using log books ever since I was diagnosed. I guess I am a creature of habit. I should start using the computer since I am on one every day.

[LancetChick]

I use a grocery store spiral notebook, which is awkward, but it's the only thing that has space for test results, insulin doses, food eaten, margin notes and doodles.

[sparrow1]

My version of OCD :). First I record them in one of those journals supplied by OneTouch - together with insulin and carbs. Then I transpose them to an Excel spreadsheet each night, along with my foods, insulin and carbs. Throughout the day I record all my foods in a book and then enter them (and my exercise) into FitDay so that I can transpose the carbs, calories, fats and proteins and exercise to the spreadsheet. I also have a daily averages spreadsheet.

When I met with my insulin rep yesterday to go over my insulin requirements, she found it so useful to see the whole picture and to calculate my requirements. She wants to use me as a case study:star:

[owlyn]

I used to use the log books provided by the meter companies. Ever since getting my OneTouch UltraSmart several years ago, everything goes in there.

[Cyborg]

Ever since getting my OneTouch UltraSmart several years ago, everything goes in there.

Same here... Less bother and you can upload to a pc to get the reports.

[lgvincent]

I use a log book because it's easy to make the entries and easy to review them whenever I need.

[shockme]

i use the log book that came w/my meter.i also use a spiral notebook for info about my food,diabetes meds taken and bg.the log's for my dr,the notebook's for me.i can see how a certain food affected me like last week to decide if i should eat it[cuz i can't remember what i did1min. ago...:D ]once we got the computer[yes-we're very behind the times!],i called roche for the stuff to download results.of course,since we have vista-it's not compatible...trish

[shabbie6247]

i can just about fit what i need into a log book. it might be useful to input it into an excel spreadsheet but i cant think how best to present the info.

[BriOnH]

Diabuddies - For Diabetics, From Diabetics (http://www.diabuddies.com) is how I do it. :)

[xMenace]

I use Excel and plot my BGs, insulin profiles of boluses and basals, and I'm trying to plot carb loads too.

[nneighbour]

I use a spreadsheet that always seems to impress my doctors for some reason.:smartass:

For anyone who wants to try it, improve it or just wants to laugh at my excel skills. Here is the Excel file.

[Emm]

I used the log books for the first year or so but barely ever kept it up... it was always too much bother finding the book then digging through the info to add it.

These days I have the most wonderful excel file that I update every day. I've kept it up for a few weeks now without getting lazy on it... I think it's easier to keep up because it's actually interesting - works out averages & shows me graphs. I love it! It's much easier for me to keep my details on the computer as I tend to use it a couple of times a day anyway.

[ant hill]

I did mine in a book and then I started using these cards that i got from the hospital and now am starting to do it on the computer as i find this easier. How do you record yours?

For years i have entered my results in a book and my endo is complaining about my handwriting and so got fed up with their nagging. So i have bought the software and gee what have i been missing out all these years. The graphs are a good guide for getting control and i love it. God i love technology. :D

[Jenn L]

I use Diabetes Pilot. You can use it on a smart phone, palm, or computer. All of the data you put into it is transferalbe to your computer. It has graphs for just about everything you need, and you can add notes, carbs meds,illness etc.It also has a list of common foods nutritional info. You can purchase it online (cheap).

[DanG]

I did mine in a book and then I started using these cards that i got from the hospital and now am starting to do it on the computer as i find this easier. How do you record yours?

I see a bunch of you keep good records.
I have never kept record of bs - not in 33 years.
Oh, perhaps the first year or so, what with the pill, test tube, etc kit.
But, since writing stuff into logbook waaay back then, and nobody looking at it ever, I figured - why? So, I don't anymore.

I get prescription from the MD so insurance will assist in purchase of stuff, but that is all he does for me. I wonder what it might be like to have an endo tell me what to eat, how much insulin. I dunno, the MD that met me at the emergency room, Dr Livermore - ha!! - told me I would know more about this than he, since he is not living with this condition. That was back when lente insulin was the next big thing - only one shot all day long.

I guess if I had a medical team that required the numbers, I might, but I don't have a team, so I don't.

Am I the only one here that is that way?
What result does keeping records provide?
Thanks.

[jerryn]

I use the body journal on a Apple powermac G5.

[BlueSky]

Like DanG, I don't keep records either. Initially I did, for the doctor's sake, but that was 29 years ago. As I deliberately avoid micro-managing the condition, there is no point in keeping detailed records. I upload meter test results to the PC and produce some reports before seeing the doctor.

[grace girl]

I keep it all written down in a notebook that's become so cryptic that only I can actually decipher what it means...I write down everything from numbers, doses, carb ratios, activity level, meals, even agrivating phone calls....and I've learned a lot from it all! I usually transfer about 3 weeks worth onto a spreadsheet prior to an endo visit because she's a numbers kind of a girl!
I tried just putting it all into the ultrasmart, but found it to be a total pain, much simpler and quicker to just write it down. If the thing had a key pad it would be simpler, I just get tired of all that scrolling around to input stuff.

[Emm]

What result does keeping records provide?
Thanks.

Keeping records means you can see where you have problem spots - perhaps you hadn't noticed that you low around the same time a few times a week, or that your morning numbers had been creeping up, or that you accidentally reverted to an old dose of basal (it happens!).

It helps to take notes to the Endo / doc too, although in my case that's totally for their sake not mine. I've already looked at it all and made my decision about what to do if I need any changes... but it's all very pretty and impresses them lol

I totally recommend record keeping, even if it's sporadic - it's amazing what you don't notice unless you have a few days information in front of your face.

[sofaraway]

i was recording all my insulin and blood sugars in a written log book, that came from the meter company. this was up until about 3 weeks ago and I haven't recorded anything since, i didn't consciously decide that I wasn't going to. just didn't for a couple of days and never restarted.
I should really start again

[dbc]

I'm still keeping records, but I find it a pain :-( I really don't want to have to remember what I ate when..... Like others, I do it sporadically and at varying levels of detail.

But it is the only way to figure out what to do if control is not good. The one record I am disciplined with is fasting bg - the 3/6 month graph is a really good indicator of bg trends.

[gettingby]

I don't keep any written records. I just plug in my UltraSmart and download it to the software, then print my reports before going to the endo.

[jeggeman31]

I don't keep any type of records other than the memory in the meter. I take my meter to my Endo's office each visit and they download my meter and pump each visit.

[Maddogg]

I haven't been keeping track of my blood sugar readings at all for the past year and a half, and the last time I visited my doctor she really let me have it because of that. She was quite upset about it, claiming that "not having the time" isn't a good enough reason to not keep track of my results.

She even gave me some log papers made for tracking blood sugars and they've been sitting on my desk for the past week or 2 (since my last visit). I'm gonna start logging my results, I just have to sit down and take the time to do it once or twice a week. I'm just so busy and lazy you know what I mean. But I really gotta do it or else I think my doctor my refer me to another doctor.

[DanG]

I don't keep any type of records other than the memory in the meter. I take my meter to my Endo's office each visit and they download my meter and pump each visit.

Ya know - I feel like a hick in the sticks, but I have no idea what an endocrinologist does for a person with diabetes. Having managed for 33 years with doctor visit - maybe once a year, sometimes once in 5 years - I have no idea what these new fangled specialists can do for a person.

Like others have said under this thread, most of the management is performed by... me. I gotta live with this, so I manage it. If I skrew up, I have only one person to look to - me, again.

So, tell me what an endo does for you or, perhaps, to you?
Do they tell you what to eat?
Do they perform tests?
Maybe I should try one out?
Or, maybe there are others here that are sorta like me - DIY diabetes care. (DIY = Do It Yourself)
Thanks for recommendations, either way.

[cherokee_psh]

I export my readings to the PC. The software does all the calculations. Then I have a neat printable format for my doctors visits.

[LancetChick]

Ya know - I feel like a hick in the sticks, but I have no idea what an endocrinologist does for a person with diabetes. Having managed for 33 years with doctor visit - maybe once a year, sometimes once in 5 years - I have no idea what these new fangled specialists can do for a person.

Like others have said under this thread, most of the management is performed by... me. I gotta live with this, so I manage it. If I skrew up, I have only one person to look to - me, again.

So, tell me what an endo does for you or, perhaps, to you?
Do they tell you what to eat?
Do they perform tests?
Maybe I should try one out?
Or, maybe there are others here that are sorta like me - DIY diabetes care. (DIY = Do It Yourself)


I keep good records (I posted toward the beginning that I use grocery store notebooks), and all my endo does is write prescriptions and lab requests. She doesn't give me any advice about insulin management. I use it for myself so that I can see exactly how insulin reacts with specific foods and exercise and alcohol, and patterns in basal activity. Just glancing at the day's record gives me a sense of perspective, of where I am, and of how things are working. I think I use it as a crutch to some extent, but overall I find it very useful.