How many times did you test?

I was just wondering how many times you tested when you first got diabetes. I only had to test before gym class and before i ate. I know that some people have to test every two hours. just curious... :)

when i was first diagnosed, it was just 4x a day. i test about every hour that i'm awake now because i've been having lots of unexplained lows.

i try to tested about every hour that I am up

I was told to test 7 times:

  1. Fasting/before breakfast.
  2. 2.5 hours after breakfast
  3. Before lunch
  4. 2.5 hours after lunch
  5. Before dinner
  6. 2.5 hours after dinner
  7. Before my "bedtime snack," which is actually a little earlier than bedtime, but whatever.

And I was diagnosed only about three months ago, so I'm still on that schedule and think it's a good policy... though I might not do as many after-meal tests soon, since I just found out my insurance is going to cover a CGM for me!

i test like maybe 3 times a day :S

it is probably not good, i wish i had the self discipline to make myself test even 4 times a day.

how do some of you test every hourrr?!!?!?

i'll admit - every hour isn't because i want to. it's because i feel i have to because of all the lows i have. because i'm starting to experience some unawareness, i don't want to do something unsafe because i have low blood sugar, so i check obsessively. before i started having all these lows, i was pretty luck to get in 3 blood sugar tests a day. if you feel you have good control with 3 tests a day, don't sweat it! you know what's best for you and how to best control your blood sugars. don't let us tell you how many you should be doing. only you know that :o)

I used to test between 4 and 6 times a day, and did that for many, many years.  Over the last six months, I've converted to testing 15 - 20 times a day, and I check most often when I'm at work (which sounds backwards, but I'm just sitting there, you know?  What else am I going to do? WORK?  Pssh!).  On the weekends, it's more like 8 - 12 times per day.

My daughter rx says 6-7 times a day before meals and as needed but since the 21st she has gone through 100 test strips. She test closer to 10 times a day. Not always but when she is running high its every 2 hours and corrections every two hours. Seems like if she goes more than 2 hours without insulin she goes high even when she doesnt eat any foods during that period.

Sarah usually tests about 5 times each day -

Before breakfast

Before lunch

Two hours after lunch

Before dinner

Before bed

That said, we often add an extra in there if she's eaten something high in carbs or if she's been really active.

As I recall, it was 4x a day (morning, lunch, dinner, bed time).  Nowadays I follow roughly the same schedule, although sometimes I skip the lunch/dinner testing if I'm feeling okay.  My pump has me at 3.8 tests per day.

When i first was diagnosed, i tested 3-4 times a day, then I went through these teenage days, and i would test maybe once a week, then right before I got pregnant for the first time, i went to 25 times a day, I did that for about 8 years, and now I am on the CGM.  I guess different things will work at different times in your life, allthough testing 1x a week, didn't help much!!

4-6 times now it is 4 times a day.

It was first 4 times a day, providing the day had no lows or anything else: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. 

Now I check 6 to 10 times a day.  All meals, any other times I feel low or high, when I am curious to see what my number is, before and after exercise, tests, performances, etc.

Thanks everyone, it was interesting to read your responses.

i test between 3 and 7 times a day, i was diagnosed a year ago and am still in my honeymoon.

i would have to test 4 times a day

 before breakfast

before lunch

before dinner

and bedtime