Advice for filling in a logbook
Firstly, we actively encourage you to talk to your doctor or diabetic team before starting your log. They will have experience of how and what you should be logging. They may advise certain times of the day for taking readings, perhaps not even every day. Though you can still make your own choice as to how often you take readings.
But you certainly would not take readings at every entry point in the log every day. Your fingers would become very sore, very quickly. This is why it is important to get professional advice first.
The idea of filling in a logbook may sound like a time consuming and arduous task but, it really is more straightforward than you perhaps imagine. It is important to log everything in a way that you will understand. Sounds obvious, right?
Any data that is recorded should be accurate. Even if you don't like what you are putting in, it is important to have accuracy for the sake of clarity. When it comes to adding your own notes however, this should be done in such a way that you will understand if you have to refer back to it at any point. By 'understanding', what is meant is that you should understand not just the context in which the notes were entered, but also the emotion that was attached to it. This is why a logbook should be your primary choice for managing and monitoring you condition. Apps should play a secondary role.
When talking to your diabetic team, encourage them to fill in the logbook on your regular and routine visits. They could enter such things as; your HbA1c levels , your blood pressure, your weight, ketone values and put any notes they think necessary to reinforce your home management.
Your logbook is (or should be) the most important thing in your diabetic world. It will be the key to you living a healthy and hopefully, diabetic complication free life. It is how you take control of this chronic disease.