recording data

[reefedjib]

What's the best mechanism and/or format for recording BG numbers? I am currently using an excel spreadsheet. What about recording insulin and carbs and exercise? Do people tend to record all of it in the same place? Thanks.

[e||ement]

honestly? i just use a log book and some highlighters.

yellow is target, pink is high and blue is low...that way i can see any trends in colour.
i just make note of exercise in the little spot, and i record units of insulin and amount of carbs eaten and the time.

honestly...i sit at a computer a lot of the day, and even though it's accessible, i don't like using spreadsheets or programs. i can't carry that stuff with me when i'm out and about...and i'm out and about a lot!

[slwood321]

I use a spreadsheet and have a column by the food for blood glucose readings. I record the time the food was ate and the time the BG reading was taken. This gives you, and the doctor if they see it, a reference as to why the numbers are high or low. I don't log as often as I did, but it works for me. I would just put notes on my blackberry for what I ate away from home and then update my spreadsheet at home. I also tracked fat, fiber & protein for my own information.

[owlyn]

What's the best mechanism and/or format for recording BG numbers? I am currently using an excel spreadsheet. What about recording insulin and carbs and exercise? Do people tend to record all of it in the same place? Thanks.

Everything goes in my One Touch UltraSmart meter. Has places for all of that and more.

[reefedjib]

honestly? i just use a log book and some highlighters.

yellow is target, pink is high and blue is low...that way i can see any trends in colour.
i just make note of exercise in the little spot, and i record units of insulin and amount of carbs eaten and the time.

honestly...i sit at a computer a lot of the day, and even though it's accessible, i don't like using spreadsheets or programs. i can't carry that stuff with me when i'm out and about...and i'm out and about a lot!

I like the idea of using colors! I was sort of thinking that a program could generate graphs and such, but like you said you can't carry it with you. I will be putting together a kit for going mobile and maybe I can fit a log book in there. What brand do you use?

[reefedjib]

I use a spreadsheet and have a column by the food for blood glucose readings. I record the time the food was ate and the time the BG reading was taken. This gives you, and the doctor if they see it, a reference as to why the numbers are high or low. I don't log as often as I did, but it works for me. I would just put notes on my blackberry for what I ate away from home and then update my spreadsheet at home. I also tracked fat, fiber & protein for my own information.

This is what I am starting to develop as I extend my BG spreadsheet to include carbs and insulin. I bought the CalorieKing software and tracks carbs and exercise, but not BG and insulin. :(

Could you talk a bit about why you tracked fat, fiber and protein?

[reefedjib]

Everything goes in my One Touch UltraSmart meter. Has places for all of that and more.

I just read some about it online. I have the Accu-Check Compact Plus, but it just remembers several hundred BG measurements. I was especially intrigued by the fact that your UltraSmart graphs results and also that you can download them into their software for desktop use. This may be the right solution for me.

[genie86333]

I use sparkpeople.com - they have a food tracker & a exercise tracker. I just put my b.s. in the notes for the trackers. That way, I have access to it wherever I have computer access, which is just about everywhere I go.

[Rekarb]

First of all, I'm a bit crazy with this and I use to design databases for a living back as my kids would say "when the dinosaurs roamed".
Each time I take a bg, I plan to enter these fields.
Meds and dosages
mins from when last meds were taken
Date and time of test
mins from last meal
est carb count of the meal
Check box for 6 symptoms I'm tracking
mins from last exercise
severity of exercise
mins of exercise

Keep in mind that this is about what I'm interested in looking at.

Mike

PS Owlyn - no phases of the moon!

[TomB]

I use a Lifescan UltraSmart meter. It has entry modes for almost everything you want to record. It's a big chunk of a meter so it stays home. When I go out I use an Abbott Precision Xtra, mainly because I get those test strips free. I download data from each one into their free analysis software and from there, export a .csv file. Both get imported into an Excel spreadsheet, normalized with a few global edits, and combined. From there on, I have fun making graphs. I talked a bit with each company's customer service and tech support and they were nice enough to send me the data cable for their box.

After doing this for awhile, I kind got lazy so now the only time I get serious about making graphs is about a month before an endo appointment. They seem to like colored graphs more than raw data. The point I want to make is that the UltraSmart meter has the capability to record a lot of raw data. And if you talk to the company, you might even get the hardware and for sure, the software at no cost.
Have lots of fun,
Tom

[Teyah]

As a tech nut I am using an App for the Iphone Called DiaMedics. It has lots of features, graphs, and for me seems easy to use. Since my Iphone is always with me it works out great.

You can find it on the App store

[jtausch]

There is also sugarstats.com. It tracks your bg levels meds and all that. It has 2 versions free which has ads in it or pay which gives you more options and more stuff to track I think carbs tracking is one of the items you get if you pay for it. Not a bad site gives you stats a graphs so you can see how you are doing

[e||ement]

I like the idea of using colors! I was sort of thinking that a program could generate graphs and such, but like you said you can't carry it with you. I will be putting together a kit for going mobile and maybe I can fit a log book in there. What brand do you use?


i just use whatever free ones i get from my endo and the diabetes clinic or from accu check.

the colours help me more than a graph would, but that's just me!

[vol1]

I found these two free programs from a reliable web site, Which i use often.
If you download the program to a USB Flash Drive you can carry it along and use on any computer.

Health - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com (http://download.cnet.com/Health/3000-2129_4-10148913.html?tag=mncol)


Free Glucose Tracker - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com (http://download.cnet.com/Free-Glucose-Tracker/3000-2129_4-10454535.html?tag=mncol)