Diabetic Recipes
Greg Woodhouse
On average, I test seven times a day. It can range from five to twelve, depending on activity, emotions, symptoms, and my memory.
Today, I've already tested four times and I'm only half way through the day. Yesterday, I tested nine times. The day before, I tested eight.
Obviously, I go through bottles of strips quickly. Twenty-five to a container doesn't make it very far. Sometimes two days, sometimes four.
Usually, I notice when I get towards the end and throw an extra bottle in my purse. Carrying two bottles all the time (no matter how small) doesn't interest me. So I just try to keep track before I run out.
This morning I noticed the bottle was low, but full enough to make it through the day. But diabetes had another plan.
I am now completely out of strips and too far from home to get some. I have a doctor's appointment on the other side of town in about an hour, so it doesn't logically make sense (with the price of gas and lost work wages) to run home to get a bottle of strips.
I realize that driving across town and the nerves of the doctor will add up to a disaster in the blood sugar region. If I can't test, how will I know for sure if I should treat the "low" or bolus for carbs?
I won't. But right now, my personal economy is taking priority over my diabetes. So I'll just have to go with the symptoms that present, cut my insulin down, and try to make it home as quickly as possible.
I am wondering why are you testing so many times a day. I know each of us is different. My doctor suggested every three days for me.
My testing strips costs $9.34 a bottle. If I tested that often It would mean testing and not eating. I know what to eat to keep mine low so there is no need to keep testing and testing.
Hope things work out for you, to make your expenses and life much easier.
Doreen
Maybe your doctor will have some spare test strips he/she can give you? My endo usually has sample packs of any drug he prescribes me and he gives me enough to get me started while waiting for my prescription to be filled. Don't know if they get test strip samples, but maybe!
Karen
Doreentxx: Most persons on insulin therapy need to keep closer track of their blood glucose levels than those of us on oral medications, or on diet and exercise alone.
That notwithstanding, the standards for "tight control" -- necessary to minimize the possibility of complications -- include testing upon rising, before each meal and snack, one-and-a-half to two hours after each meal and snack, before retiring in the evening, and any time one feels "off", is about to start an exercise workout, finishes an exercise workout, and often an hour or so after finishing the workout. That works out to a minimum of eight tests a day (no snacking, no exercise) and can go as high as twenty tests a day.
I'm on diet and exercise only, I'm not as strict about testing as I should be, and I still test on average 5-6 times a day (more if I'm out of the house and about for significant periods of time).
doreentxx - You show me a type 1 who tests every 3 days, and I'll show you a diabetic who probably won't live to be 50.