Kim- how do you get one of those CGM things? I really could use one but my doctor said my insurance won't cover it. I can't afford one. Do you just have really good insurance or a bag of gold?
It's true that a lot of insurance companies don't yet cover the CGM, but many who do will approve it if your doctor can make a sufficient case for you needing it. Both my doctor and my P.A.C. wrote letters explaining why I'd need it, along with my last few A1C numbers as proof.
I have ridiculously awesome insurance. It's through my husband's work (which was weird for me - I've always had my own insurance), and we have Great West, which is part of Cigna. I got it at the end of last year, after we had met our deductible, so I actually got both my Animas Ping and the Dexcom stuff for free. They pay 90% of the cost for the sensor re-orders. I'm a lucky gal, to be sure.
[quote user="C"]
jessica, different foods and meals are going to have different responses to her glucose. you might be counting every carb exactly right! but because of how the foods are digested, they are going to affect her blood sugars more. if she is eating a meal that is higher in fat, protein, and/or fiber it is going to be digested slower, so her blood sugars are going to rise over a longer period of time. these are times when you might consider giving her 2 shots (if she'll let you). one shot at the beginning of the meal to combat the immediate rise in blood sugars, and one a little later (maybe 30 mins-1 hour later) to combat the high that will come later.
you aren't doing everything wrong :o) you are still learning, just like a lot of us are.
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C I do that often with some foods like pizza but more for how much she is eating. A lot of times her eyes are bigger than her tummy. So its not that far apart. Yesterday her numbers were good all day long but she was also more active than normal so I rounded down a unit instead of up. At dinner time she was 90 (6 p.m.) at 8 she was 240 at 9 she was 298. From there I know she starts to go down cause her levemir is kicking in again. I was just telling my hubby we have to change her ratio for certain foods if they are complex or simple carbs. I have to keep remembering as well she is going through puberty and reacts to the smallest amounts of stress poorly. She eats the exact same thing for breakfast almost everyday at her two hour mark she is all over the place. Normally high but not always.
I've had Type 1 for about 13 years. I test 6-8 times per day on average. My doctor seems happy with this.
I've had T1 for 20 years now and in the past I haven't checked it as much as I should have and got myself into trouble more than once because of it. Now I check it 10 to 15 times a day. Right now I'm trying to get pregnant so of course it's important to be more in control. I check it every 2 hours when I'm awake and a few times a week around 2 or 3 AM. It sounds pretty crazy and obsessive but it has worked.
[quote user="Karen Einhaus"]
I check it every 2 hours when I'm awake and a few times a week around 2 or 3 AM. It sounds pretty crazy and obsessive but it has worked.
[/quote]Doesn't sound crazy or obsessive to me at all, especially if you're pregnant! :)
I have found that I test a lot more often now than I used to also. For one thing, if I'm high, correction boluses are so much simpler than they used to be with MDI. Also, my numbers have been so much better with the pump, so it's a lot more motivating to do BGs. When most of my BGs used to be high, I would get totally depressed and down on myself.
Abigail, you must be on multiple injections. On the pump you have to check quite often as low's can sneak up on at any time and you at least have to check at meal time before you can bolus. The pump people have figured that all out. Before the pump I was probably checking 4 times a day tops, now I average 7 checks a day. But I have a CGM that I am not yet using. I don't know yet how that well effect me. Hopefully I will get together with a CDE next week and try the thing out.
[quote user="Jessica "]
I dont get why testing that often is needed. From what I understand or understood you are not suppose to inject insulin again until after the 2 hour mark from the first injection and so on. Then when I think about it the pump gives it to more often so that is dumb. grr I swear I am never going to get all of this.
[/quote]I think you and I are in the same boat Jessica. My daughters Endo told us to test before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed. I do occasionally check her in-between if she feels low (or is super cranky), but I'd say on average we probably test 5 times each day.
[quote user="Dan"]
Abigail, you must be on multiple injections. On the pump you have to check quite often as low's can sneak up on at any time and you at least have to check at meal time before you can bolus. The pump people have figured that all out. Before the pump I was probably checking 4 times a day tops, now I average 7 checks a day. But I have a CGM that I am not yet using. I don't know yet how that well effect me. Hopefully I will get together with a CDE next week and try the thing out.
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I have actually been on the pump for 5 years :) However, I did end up talking to my endo about checking BS and he said that it is not necessary to check at an upwards of 7 times a day as long as you rotate the times you typically check. He said it is because BS is expected to be consistent with the tight-regimen of insulin management. But you should always check if you are feeling funny!
And good luck with the CGM!! I loved my experience with one :)
With the info coming in on testing #'s, I wonder if their is a correlation between the # of time per day and their A1c.
I have a CGM and test from 4 - 12 time a day depending on what is happing and what I am doing. A1c is 5.8.
[quote user="Michelle"]
I think you and I are in the same boat Jessica. My daughters Endo told us to test before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed. I do occasionally check her in-between if she feels low (or is super cranky), but I'd say on average we probably test 5 times each day.
[/quote]
This is what I do pretty much. Before breakfast/lunch/dinner/bedtime. If I'm going to drive I test or if I'm going to exersize I usually test before and sometimes after. I think when I go to the doctor he says my pump stats are between 4 and 5 per which he is happy with. So am I.
For me I test about 4 or 5 times a day more if things aren't doing so good. LOL Don't know if testing or pump or whatever, I know I am on MDI with Lantus and Novolog and my last a1c was 5.7 or 5.8 something like that.
[quote user="Michelle"]
[quote user="Jessica "]
I dont get why testing that often is needed. From what I understand or understood you are not suppose to inject insulin again until after the 2 hour mark from the first injection and so on. Then when I think about it the pump gives it to more often so that is dumb. grr I swear I am never going to get all of this.
[/quote]
I think you and I are in the same boat Jessica. My daughters Endo told us to test before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed. I do occasionally check her in-between if she feels low (or is super cranky), but I'd say on average we probably test 5 times each day.
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Well since hormones have come into play we test about every two hours for the first half of the day. After lunch not so much and then two hours after dinner. If she is having a good day. Bad days which now are at least a week or two out of the month every 2 hours with a correction every time.
Diabetic of 15 years here. *looks at pump stats for last 31 days* My pump has me at 3.5 glucose checks per day.
[quote user="Nads"]
I have found that I test a lot more often now than I used to also. For one thing, if I'm high, correction boluses are so much simpler than they used to be with MDI. Also, my numbers have been so much better with the pump, so it's a lot more motivating to do BGs. When most of my BGs used to be high, I would get totally depressed and down on myself.
[/quote]I totally agree with this! Im testing around 12 times a day right now.
...yeah...I've had T1 for 15 years and I'd gotten to the point where I would go for a day or two without even taking any BGLs. I now have the Dexcom 7 and check it several times a day.
today, from midnight to midnight, i did 20 blood tests. i can't say i'm thrilled about that, but i've been doing somewhere between 10-20 everyday for the last month. i've had so many lows! i'm wearing a cgm for a couple days from the endo's office, but i'm hoping to get my own within a few months. my fingers can't take 20 blood tests a day! (neither can my wallet)
All right, I just got on the cgm Wednesday night. It seems I am checking by bg's more now than when I was just using the bg's for control. Maybe it's because I just got on the thing. It tells me I am going low, and I have to check, it tells me when I am going high and again, I have to check. I was averaging about 7 tests a day prior to Wednesday, now, who knows? I used to check when I thought I was low, now I check when the cgm says I am going low and then re-check 20 minutes later to see if I am getting back to normal readings. So, more tests. Geesh! Maybe it will settle down after I have been on it for a while.
Ha... you're not alone, Dan. I test about 15 times per day, now that I'm on the Dexcom. I did about 6 -7 before. I think, without the CGM, there is no constant reminder of your BG level, so you can sort of "forget" about it for a few hours at a time. When you've got the CGM data, you're paying closer attention to what's happening. I know I do.