If you're diabetic, the most important part of your day should be monitoring your blood glucose. Unmanaged diabetes can lead to a number of other complications, including kidney failure, coronary artery disease, blindness and even loss of limbs. There are a number of ways to monitor your blood glucose. Some need to be done by your physician or a clinical laboratory. You can do others yourself.
Step 1
Have your blood drawn by your physician or a clinical laboratory to determine if your blood glucose levels are within the normal range. In nondiabetic, healthy individuals, the blood glucose level should be between 70 to 130 mg/dl after a 12-hour fast. If your levels are high, your physician may want you to repeat the test in a week or take an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) .
Step 2
Have your blood drawn by a clinical laboratory technician for an oral glucose tolerance test. You should be fasting for eight to 12 hours prior to the test. After your blood is drawn, drink a bottle of Glucola, a beverage that is highly concentrated with glucose.
Step 3
Have your blood drawn again after 30 minutes, one hour, two hours and three hours. Your doctor will evaluate the results of your test. Nondiabetics typically register glucose levels of 110 mg/dl or lower after two hours. Impaired glucose tolerance is 140 to 200 mg/dl. If you have diabetes, your blood glucose will be over 200 mg/dl after two hours.
Step 4
Take a hemoglobin A1c test. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measures the average glucose concentration in red blood cells over their entire lifespan -- approximately 120 days. Fasting blood glucose tests reveal important information about your current blood glucose levels and are good ways to monitor changes in medication, diet or exercise. HbA1c tests reveal better information when you're interested in how well you're managing your blood glucose over several months. A normal HbA1c concentration is less than 7 percent of your total hemoglobin.
Step 5
Test your blood glucose level using a home monitoring kit. Wash your hands before testing your blood glucose. Lance your fingertip or other area recommended by the monitor's manufacturer and apply a small drop of blood to the test strip. Put the test strip into the monitor. Wait for the meter to display the test results. Record the results in a small notebook or journal and share them with your doctor at your next appointment.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider repeating the blood glucose test if you have abnormal results. Follow your physician's directions. Fast and refrain from smoking and exercising for eight hours before any blood test.
- Have your blood drawn and processed from a licensed clinical laboratory. Get trained properly when using a home glucose monitor.
Things You'll Need
- Blood glucose monitor
- Test strips
- Small notebook or journal
