I was recently diagnosed with diabetes (controlled through exercise and diet, no meds at this time). I’ve gone to a ton of websites and read literature on diabetes, but cannot find a straight answer about testing my blood sugar.

For diabetics out there….
When should I test?
Should I test after fasting (say after sleeping) or before a meal?
How soon after a meal should I test?
How many times a day?

Thanks for your help!

10 Comments »

1. 

   Testing for Type 1’s and insulin using Type 2’s is a bit different from your case. Type 1’s need to regularly test to ensure their BG level is not in a dangerous range and adjust their insulin. They may test up to 12x a day is some cases. Type 1’s using an insulin pump usually test often. Most Type 1’s average about 6x per day if they use multiple daily injections.

   If you are a new Type 2, you may want to start on a regular plan just to see how your levels are fluctuating during the day. You aren’t on meds or insulin, so you don’t need to worry about low blood sugar. Your main goal is to make sure you are not running too high and are unaware of it.

   For the first few days, test in the a.m. (fasting), 2 hours after breakfast, before lunch, 2 hours after lunch, before supper, and you guessed it…2 hours after dinner. You may also want to throw in an evening pre-bed check or two.

   You want to see if your fasting (before eating) levels are in range at all meal times, and how your are doing after you eat.

   That way, you will know if you need medication, or just need to adjust your diet (eat less carbs at dinner, for example).

   If all is fairly well, and you are following a healthy diet and exercising, you can test randomly on different days to make sure you are staying in range. If not, call your doctor to see if you need medication.

   Comment by reginachick22 — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

2. 

   Blood Sugar Management
   http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/blood_sugar_management/

   Diet Guidelines
   http://www.diabetes911.net/readit/chapter10.shtml

   Comment by gy650 — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

3. 

   Your doctor is the best person to tell you when to test and testing should be in the morning before eating and afternoon before evening meal and before bed. But again your doctor is the one to ask as he would know if and when testing should be done.

   Comment by Dale — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

4. 

   These are questions you need to ask your doctor. My question is why didn’t your doctor tell you how often he wanted you to test your blood sugar and why didn’t he give you some parameters as to when he wants you to call him if you blood sugars go beyond a certain level? Each patient is different as to how often his doctor wants him to test his blood sugar and when he wants him to test. Some of our doctors here like to test before breakfast and then 2 hours after supper while other doctors here test before meals and at bed time and some just order testing AM and PM or once weekly. Call your doc and find out what he wants you to do. There is no right or wrong time to test as it depends on what your doctor wants.

   Comment by mlgable — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

5. 

   Once per week.

   Comment by javier c — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

6. 

   I am a Type 1, however, you should probably check your Blood sugar about an hour before meals.

   I check mine in the morning, two hours after meals and at bedtime as well as any time that I feel that my blood sugar isn’t normal.

   Hope this helps.

   Comment by hollysuethompson — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

7. 

   Ok, well the answer is, it depends.
   The most severe (and compliant) diabetics test their blood sugar 4 times daily:
   Once in the morning before eating anything (fasting)
   Once before lunch to give a postprandial for breakfast
   Once before dinner to give a postprandial for lunch
   Once before bed (generally around 10PM, at least in the hospital) to give a postprandial for dinner.
   That’s for type 1 diabetics and type 2s who are on insulin usually. Now, you’re diet controlled, which means that it’s fairly meaningless to know exactly what your sugar is when, there are no medicines to adjust based on the findings. If you are well diet controlled, then you can probaby get by without checking fingersticks and just getting a hemoglobin A1c level taken every 3 months at your doctor’s office (this is a measure that gives something like an average level of blood sugar over the past 2-3 months or so, weighted more towards the most recent month).
   But the most important thing for you now is to talk to your doctor about it, diabetes is something that you, with your doctor’s help, are going to be dealing with for the rest of your life, so take the time now to discuss exactly what sorts of information your doctor would find useful and what you should be doing.
   Hope this helps.

   Comment by c_sakal — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

8. 

   My dad is a diabetic and he tests right when he gets up and then right before he goes to bed or about three hours after the last meal of the day. Your doctor should tell you how closely you need to monitor your diabetes. Please ask him and also you should see a dietitian at least once.

   Comment by Shell — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

9. 

   your doctor should of told you. I am a type 1 so what I do is different then what you need to do, but I do know when I took my diabetes classes (out of 20 19 were type2 I was the only type 1) they told the type 2’s that did not take pills or insulin to check at random times. Like on day 1 check in the morning, day 2 check a few hr.s after a meal stuff like that. They said if you don’t take insulin or pills you can get by with just once a day. But your doctor should of told you this.

   Comment by BAR — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

10. 

    What is diabetes?
    What is the impact of diabetes?
    What causes diabetes?
    What are the different types of diabetes?
    What are diabetes symptoms?
    How is diabetes diagnosed?
    Why is blood sugar checked at home?
    What are the acute complications of diabetes?
    What are the chronic complications of diabetes?
    What can be done to slow diabetes complications?
    How is diabetes treated?
    The future of pancreas transplantation
    Diabetes At A Glance
    Related Diabetes articles:
    Diabetes symptom – on WebMD
    Read what your doctor is reading:
    Diabetes – on Medscape

    Just click this site about diabetes. Hope this will give u some info.

    Comment by meekaila — July 31, 2010 @ 9:37 pm

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