Testing Burnout

[shiftzor]

I was talking to my GP and she said I was at risk of over testing resulting in me getting fed up and not testing when I get older. I wouldn't say 6-8 times a day was excessive. How many people have experienced this?

[Stuboy]

hmmmm...

i think this depends on the individual...

I myself go through phases of testing 8 or so times a day, and i do find myself getting fed up with it sometimes, and as a result i stop testing so much...

However, you could look at it a different way... you can time 8times a day for a while and then lower the amount of tests for a short while and not see any serious affects resulting from only 4 times a day say... as long as you know where you are at when you decrease the number of tests.

For me, it tends to get to a point where i just can't keep it up, so i have to reduce the number of tests a day for a while.

So i guess i have experienced this "Testing Burnout" a few times.

But i think it really will depend on the individual. Having said that... it's no reason for a GP to reduce you're amount of tests available to you.

[xMenace]

However, you could look at it a different way... you can time 8times a day for a while and then lower the amount of tests for a short while and not see any serious affects resulting from only 4 times a day say... as long as you know where you are at when you decrease the number of tests.

For me, it tends to get to a point where i just can't keep it up, so i have to reduce the number of tests a day for a while.


I've been in a slack mode since October. I'm only doing about 6 a day and I've done no charting at all. I want to follow a course where I sort of cruise at 4-6 a day then quarterly go crazy for a week and do 12-18 a day to basal test, profile a meal, or verify my rates.

For me
-cruise mode is 4-8. I don't go below 4
-watch mode is 8-12. I am charting, sick, stressed, change in activity, whatever. There's a need to watch cloer.
-intense mode 12-18 a day. I want to do this quarterly for a week. Maybe every 4-6 months.

[Glucoweb]

I go through phases as well, right now I am on the downswing of a heavy testing phase, 9+ times a day. I will get down to around 4 or 5 for a while and then swing up again. I have found that doing this every so many months helpd me adjust my basal rates, and insulin to carb ratios.

[ant hill]

xMenice is right on the ball when you come to control and I am much the same.
Back in the old days when I saw meters come to us and my adventure has begun as we know that to see 6 MMOL/L is the target!! and I just had fun like I swallow a slice of bread and test 2 hours later and see 2 - 3 MMOL/L difference. :eek: And there were no bolus to have either. So can you imagine having a meal, You would be too scared to eat the whole plate.
Back then you would have to know to carb count!!! or you would be not happy but with this meter we can control BG's with boluses and again look at our meters to see that we're on the level.
Testing is vital to control. Shiftzor, You may have burn out but really to know whare you are is so important. ;)

[Penny]

I am "older", sometimes I get tired of testing, but I test much more than I did when I was younger. When I get tired of testing, it usually corresponds to when I get tired of always being good about my diet. It seldom lasts more than a day, when I realize that day of letting things go resulted in some bad numbers and me not feeling too good.

[soso]

some days I hardly test at all.. maybe once after dinner... mind those days are when I have been very LC and eating my staples and/or cery busy and no signs of hypos...

Other days 10+ times.... different foods...exercise....hypo feelings... just remember at the right time and curious...

I def get fed up with testing and don't worry too much over a couple of days, but I am aware it will be a big part of my life till they invent something better... doesn't mean I would be happy with less availability of strips..
Even if one does burn out occasionally or when one is older, the body will not be as wrecked as it would be in the meantime... we have to do what we can as long as we can.. we are playing the long game and the short game with this..

Look at your excellent progress with your A1c...does your Dr think that was good luck or good management?

[davef]

I'm relatively new to diabetes and therefore testing, I guess I know where your doctor is coming from but I don't necessarily agree. I test 4-6 times most days, sure there have been some when only tested 2-3 times, but they are exceptional days and not because I got fed up testing, more because I was so busy out and about that I forgot to test.

I feel I have made good progress since DX (A1c from 11.6 to 6.8) and know I would not have managed that without testing as often as I did/do. It had been suggested that I only test twice a day (morning and night) but that wouldn't have told me about what foods worked best and there is no way I would have gotten things under control.

I feel I would rather have good control and run the risk of getting tired of testing when I'm older rather than poor control and have to deal with a mess of complications when I'm older.

I'm hoping to develop habits as a habit is something that is hard to break.

[Scratch]

Burnout is potentially an issue.

For well over a year now, I've been testing usually somewhere between 8 to 12 times a day and yeah there are days when I just feel absolutely po'ed about doing it, but I'm putting up with it because it gives me access to the quality of life I want -- A1c's below 6, improved bloodwork, improved kidney function, running and working out. I'd have a lot of trouble achieving all that with under 8 tests per day.

[Scrabblechick]

You and I are completely simpatico in our views on testing, Dave!

I test right after I get up in the a.m. I tend to eat the same things for breakfast every morning, and I know how they affect me, so I usually don't test again until I go home for lunch. I test then and take my meter back to work with me and test 2x before I go home for the day. Then, I test after supper and sometimes before bedtime. It all depends on what I had for supper.

Sometimes, it is frustrating when the meter reads higher, then test again, and it's a much better number. Which is right? Makes me crazy. Usually, a third test will go with the lower number, so I take that one. LOL.

Like you Dave, I'd rather risk testing burnout now than have complications down the line!!

[pegasus]

I was talking to my GP and she said I was at risk of over testing resulting in me getting fed up and not testing when I get older. I wouldn't say 6-8 times a day was excessive. How many people have experienced this?

And this is the GP who wouldn't prescribe your strips "as needed"???? Is she a mind reader?

I've been diabetic over 40 years. I got my first meter in the mid-1980s--it was the size of a hardcover book. I was reluctant--the idea of having to pay that much attention :eek: to my diabetes was discouraging (and this predated the newer quick- and long-acting insulins that mimic BG levels much more closely and therefore give an opportunity for closer monitoring). So I began, slowly, to learn how to integrate it in ways that worked for my life, and to adapt.

What I heard later was that the meters had actually been developed in the 1970s, but that docs had an debate among themselves about making them available to us. That they were worried :rolleyes: :saint: we would not be able to take proper control of our own lives.

I didn't realize that sort of mind-set was still being taught in med schools 30 years later. Tell your GP that it's *your* decision about how you handle your health care--she's there to advise, educate, treat as needed with your involvement (and that includes what kinds of meds of *any kind* you take, and when), and that when [I]you[I] say you want to test 0, or 2, or 5, or 8, or 30 times a day, she should take out a pen and write!

Geez!

[davef]

You and I are completely simpatico in our views on testing, Dave!

Maybe we're just as mad as each other ;) but I'd like to think we are just as clever as each other :D

[fgummett]

Ahh yes... can't beat the roar of a big V8 under the hood/bonnet, rear wheel drive, the smell of burnin' rubber... doin' donuts in the parking lot... :D

Oops wrong burnout ;)

Yes I also have phases where I test more and then others where I "relax" for a while... when things change it is still important to test but when you get settled in a routine it is less so. Just don't beat yourself up about it for "being bad"... everyone does this from time to time... just confirms that we are human after all :)

[shiftzor]

I prefer to eat donuts instead of doing them in packing lots, in a car i might add. :D

I know she said it because she didn't really want to put pen to paper, although to be fair she had given me my supplies by the time it was suggested. It’s her way of saying be careful you’re in it for the long game not just the short game. I just wondered if others experienced it and I totally agree that I am better off controlling bg now and having a couple of days (not months I hope) "burnout" later. We briefly discussed pumping and CGMs, I hope when I see my endo I can acquire them, but that’s another issue :D. I have had the D for 21months and I still haven’t experienced burnout if anything I’ve tested more with every passing month. Take it as it comes I guess, hopefully the availability of strips will increase over the coming months ;).

[Stuboy]

bring on non-invastive pocket sized glucometers that's what i say... no burn out required!

I think it's litterally just the fact that it involves pricking that leads to the burn out. If there was no pain (and i use the word pain very loosely) involved i'd do it every 15 minutes! quick thumb on a pad and boom, result.

Quality!

[shiftzor]

bring on non-invastive pocket sized glucometers that's what i say... no burn out required!

I think it's litterally just the fact that it involves pricking that leads to the burn out. If there was no pain (and i use the word pain very loosely) involved i'd do it every 15 minutes! quick thumb on a pad and boom, result.

Quality!

True, it’s also the effort involved with carrying supplies around with you and remembering to do it. Mind you it isn't too bad considering it becomes more of a habit than anything else. I guess the pain issue has a lot to do with punching holes in your finger; I would do it more often if I wasn’t destroying my fingers.

[Jan B]

I feel like I'm not doing what I should when I don't test before eating, which I do 98% of the time. I always get mad at the commercials proclaiming "no more pain" . . . I take it like the worst thing about diabetes is pricking fingers. I rarely have sore fingers, even though they look like pin cushions if you look closely. I also have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

I test between 6 and 10 times a day. It's been a long, long time since I've given myself "permission" to hold it to only 3 or 4 times a day. The one test I would go CRAZY skipping would be the one right after waking up in the morning.

[Scrabblechick]

Thumb on a pad and Boom?

Sounds like a plan to me, Stu!! And if you thought it wasn't accurate, you wouldn't have to find a new and non-sore finger to test! Just wash your hands and get a new result. Bliss.

When my dad got his first meter, in, I think, 1994, it said you had to do the control solution test every day (there goes another strip!) and it took a big ol' drop of blood to get a sample. It also took 90 seconds for a reading. The meter wasn't very large, but it surely was annoying to use.

I can actually believe a lot of docs didn't want patients to have BG monitors. Those who think they are God Almighty don't want patients to take charge of their own health. They want to dictate to the patient and hear back, "Yes doctor. Just as you say doctor. You're the doctor so you know all about it." It's an ego trip.

But now the lunatics are running at least part of the asylum (insert evil chuckle here), and people with D are getting better care and beating this thing.

[UpNorth]

I test at least 6 times per day, but i average at about 10 times per day... If i get tired of testing later on, then fine, hopefully i'll still be able to pretty much feel at about what number i'm on then, and just test when feeling "odd"...

Now I test first thing in the morning, sometime between breakfast and lunch, at lunch, sometime in the afternoon, at dinnertime, after dinner and before bed and when i'm at work, i'll check more than when i'm just at home. My work can be rather physical, so i want to keep an eye on if i'm going up or down or if i'm stable :T

[Eddy]

I was talking to my GP and she said I was at risk of over testing resulting in me getting fed up and not testing when I get older. I wouldn't say 6-8 times a day was excessive. How many people have experienced this?


I've been doing this for less than a year. My biggest burnout: Paying for all the stuff. Please put me in contact with your GP so that she can assist me in relieving my burnout.


But now the lunatics are running at least part of the asylum (insert evil chuckle here)


Funny you should say that. I was going to liken some of the idiotic doctors to Nurse Ratched.

[fgummett]

I think that after a while it needs to just become a normal part of your life like brushing your teeth after every meal... no longer seem as a chore but just something you do to look after yourself.

I too vote for a non-invasive test but cynically I really do believe that there is no financial incentive for it's development... unlike the current monitors where they make money on the strips :mad:

[sofaraway]

I've had this to a certain extent, but these times for me have still meant testing 4 times a day,
I think I've probably only had one day when i didn't test at all and it didn't feel good at all.
my DSN did say she was worried that I was going to get obessed if I tested more than 4 times a day,

[Scrabblechick]

I'm apt to be that way, too, sofar. I really have to remind myself that one number, more or less, does not determine my overall progress. So, I try to limit myself to 4-6 per day.

[notme]

I honestly think most of us go through periods of burnout. Eventually, we all come back around. I don't think 6-8 times a day for a type one is excessive, but I do think that you will go through lazy periods of testing.

[DarthDiabetes]

Maybe because I am new, or because I seem to go LOW quite a bit, but about 11 times a day is average it seems.

Fasting, AF breakfast, BF lunch, AF lunch, BF exercise, AF exercise, BF dinner, AF dinner, At 9pm Lantus dose and usually 2x if any of the numbers (usually morning) come up low.

[Eddy]

Perhaps a quick joke about medical professionals is in order...

A man was seeing a psychiatrist on a weekly basis.

One week, he did not show up for his session. Nor the next. Nor the next. Weeks turned to months, with no sign of the man.

One day, out of the blue, he called his psychiatrist to check in.

"Where have you been?!" she admonished.

"Well..." replied the man, "I think I'm cured."

"No," the psychiatrist retorted, "I believe we need to schedule an appointment. You've missed several months' worth!"

After a slight pause, the man offered, "But I was just following your advice!"

"Following my advice?" countered the puzzled shrink, "How so?!"

"I've been avoiding the pompous, self-righteous, know-it-all jerks who get under my skin."

:D

[Scrabblechick]

Good one! Love it! :D

[Alice]

I think she has no "clue" how empowering testing can be. I grew up when testing wasn't available (in it's current form) and think it's rather self-serving of her to make this "prediction" on your behalf.

Tell her you are the judge of what you need to manage your diabetes.

[ant hill]

What I heard later was that the meters had actually been developed in the 1970s, but that docs had an debate among themselves about making them available to us. That they were worried :rolleyes: :saint: we would not be able to take proper control of our own lives.

WHAT!!! I could be still dancing. :mad: :mad: :mad: Flaming doctors, They make me mad!!! :eek: :confused: :(

I could be on that stage. :rolleyes:

[pegasus]

In addition to the arrogance of the docs (and given that she said it after you got what you needed, shift, maybe it was just a cautionary concerh--it really depends on your relationship and her tone), I find myself resisting the idea of "burnout." Everyone's habits and patterns in life wax and wane. Sometimes we *don't* brush our teeth before bed; sometimes we skip breakfast; sometimes we don't get enough sleep (I'll let you all guess which 2 out of 3 are mine ;) ). So?

Anything new is going to feel intense. It *should*--it's a significant change of life, and one we need to pay especially close attention to at first. It's the docs job to help ease the transition, to counsel you on good testing regimes, to reassure you if you become afraid that you've missed a test or 2, or tested a bit more than she thinks necessary, to review your blood work with you so you can look at the impacts of your regimen. (I get my blood drawn before seeing the doc, so we both get a copy.) To coach you through the process, not try to anticipate how you're going to fail.

"Burnout" seems to me a pejorative for a natural part of being human. We get tired. We need a break. And if we've been helped along in a way that makes us not feel bad (or too bad; we're not talking perfection here) about ourselves for contributing to the "burnout," we should be able to move back to a better pattern--no cataclysm, no crash and, yes, burn.

So experiment. Take a look at what everybody's suggested here, try on what seems least frightening or burdensome, add a little, take away a little--find what's right for you.

And then :party: !

[ant hill]

Good post Pegasus. :)
Yes when one get this diagnosis it often has a shock to one's unfortunate soul and so testing is so needed to keep a happy body.
Not everyone's perfect!! and so to learn whatever we can to keep our problem to a minimum. And once you have that, Go and give yourself a happy treat and that don't have to be food. ;) Exercise is a way to keep the BG's to a happy medium and try not be too strict as we are human.
I am looking at the dinner plate and I will not try to fill it up and I will have a go at eating small and listen to my body and say "I have had enough". ;)

[rochie-08]

For me I'm getting to the point where I hate having to prick my finger. I'm starting to get a phobia where I know the lancet is abt to prick my finger and I move my finger away. I use the one touch ultra. Is there any type of lancet pen that doesn't make a noise just before you are abt to prick your finger?

[shiftzor]

For me I'm getting to the point where I hate having to prick my finger. I'm starting to get a phobia where I know the lancet is abt to prick my finger and I move my finger away. I use the one touch ultra. Is there any type of lancet pen that doesn't make a noise just before you are abt to prick your finger?

I use the Autolet Impression, it doesn’t make a noise until you’ve hit the button and it’s so fast I don’t think I could move out the way. Why don't you take a cut down the number of tests (to 4 times a day) for a couple of days or so, maybe take your mind off testing. I guess this is something we all have to deal with, same as getting down about bg levels. ;)