The information below was provided by Wayne Bottlick, a Type 1 diabetic May 1966;
biochem student in college & since

Q: "How often do diabetics need to check their blood sugar levels by pricking their
finger?"

A: That will vary; there are SEVEN diseases called "diabetes"; and four of them do NOT
require BG (Blood Glucose - the correct term for "blood sugar") testing; and the other
three vary.

The four types of DI - Diabetes Insipidus - diabetics do NOT have to check BG at all;
their problem is a lack of, poor storage of, or poor response to the fluid-regulatory
hormone vasopressin, and this has NOTHING to do with metabolism, diet, weight, or BG
levels.

The three DM diseases ALL require SOME degree of BG management - but it varies from
type to type, and from patient to patient within each type - AND based on some technological issues.

Type 1 Autoimmune DM, or T1, is a disease wherein the patient s own immune system
completely destroys the ability to produce insulin; such patients MUST inject insulin
multiple times daily - or use a pump to infuse it constantly.

But insulin can lower BG too much; and it must be dosed with each meal, in the right
amount. For us, it is essential to know BG level BEFORE EACH MEAL, plus one and two
hours AFTER each meal; it s also important to know what it is before sleeping for the
night - in case it s too low.

When I was using fingerprick tests - I tested ten times a day; immediately upon waking,
immediately before each meal, at one and two hours after each meal, and at bedtime.
That s "only" ten, because upon waking and immediately before breakfast are the same
test. BUT  after a few months of such intense testing, I found I could often use only
ONE of the post-meal tests; which one would vary based on circumstances; but the
point is to be sure BG has lowered adequately after a meal - but not too much.

Nowadays, I use a CGM - Continuous Glucose Meter. CGMs do NOT measure BG; they measure IG - Interstitial Glucose, which is a lag indicator. That means I still do
fingerprick tests to get my actual BG NOW - because if my BG is dropping or rising
rapidly, I want to know what it is right now - not wait until it s too late to fix it. In any
event  my frequency of fingerprick testing is way down - about three to five times a
day, but more often at the three times a day end of that range. BUT  using the CGM,
I m now able to check my BG levels - about 15 minutes after it s happened - two dozen
times a day.

BUT  it is ESSENTIAL for DM patients - ALL OF US - to maintain our BG levels as close
to the normal range (90 to 120 mg/dl, or 5.00 to 6.67 mmol/L) as possible - for as
much time as possible. Severely low BG can kill in minutes; prolonged periods of
elevated BG DAMAGE EVERY TISSUE IN THE BODY - which is why so many DM patients experience all the nasty  complications  that DM is known for.

SO  it s is ESSENTIAL to TEST, ADJUST, and REVIEW all the time, to avoid those complications.

More info: https://www.quora.com/How-often-should-a-person-with-diabetes-check-their-blood-
sugar-levels?no_redirect=1

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Mike,

The information below was provided by Wayne Bottlick, a Type 1
diabetic May 1966; biochem student in college & since

Q: "How often do diabetics need to check their blood sugar
levels by pricking their finger?"

I'm right on the edge of type 2. My A1C has never been lower than
5.8 (most recently last April), and never above 6.4 (most recently
last December). It was 6.2 the other day. The glucose has ranged from
a low of 80 to a high of 138 (it was 98 this morning).

However, while the cholesterol was good (140), the triglycerides
skyrocketed to 400. While I'm taking Valsartan and Atorvastatin
once a day for those two, I may have to increase the dosage of one
of them.

They keep telling me diet and exercise is the best thing, but with
not being able to drive anymore, I can't go to the gym, never mind
being unable to afford a membership. Plus, with being on a fixed
income, I have to eat on the cheap...since all my medications require
food.

My 2 food jokes are as follows:

1) I watch what I eat -- from the plate to the mouth.
2) When told to cut carbs, I sliced a pizza.

Daryl

... Classical Gas: A Mozart Fart.
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