Monitoring your capillary blood glucose on a daily basis is crucial to effective management of diabetes. It can be quite a chore to get used to checking your levels on a daily basis. Understandably, no one enjoys sticking his fingers every day with a tiny, sharp lancet. However, if you do not monitor your glucose levels on a daily basis, you will not know to intervene if your levels get too high. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindess, heart disease, kindey failure and limb amputations. Therefore, it is wise to choose the lesser of two evils.
Step 1
Turn the monitor on and place the testing strip into the designated slot in the meter. In most models, this will be at the top. Choose a finger you want to take the blood sample from. Try to select a non-calloused area, because those will prevent you from getting a large enough drop of blood. You will want to rotate the areas you take the sample from for this reason. Scar tissue can build up and create a callous, decreasing your chances of a successful test.
Step 2
Wipe off the area with an alcohol pad to prevent infection. Wait a couple of seconds for this alcohol to dry, then retrieve your lancet. Apply firm pressure to the lancet until the spring mechanism is engaged and it pricks the skin. Squeeze your finger around the area you stuck with the lancet about 2 to 3 times or until a dot of blood 1 or 2 mm in diameter appears. You will have to wipe away the first sample of blood, because this contains excess tissue fluid that may interfere with the accuracy of your results, then get a second drop by repeating the preceding instruction. Once you have a large enough drop, apply it to the yellow window of the testing strip. This yellow window must be completely filled in order to get an accurate result. If you are unsuccessful in filling up the yellow window with the first drop, a second one can be added, provided it is done within 15 seconds.
Step 3
Once you have completed your test, you must act on any abnormal results. The normal range is 60 to 126 mg/dL. Critically low values are 40 mg/dL or below, and critically high values are 400 mg/dL or above. Your actual range may vary depending or other medical conditions you have or the recommendations of your primary care provider. In cases of acute hypoglycemia, a small source of simple carbohydrates is ideal, such as a small glass of juice or a couple pieces of hard candy. Something high in fat like a chocolate bar would not be as effective because the fat would slow absorption of the glucose.
Step 4
Check you blood glucose again in 15 to 30 minutes to determine the effectiveness of your actions. If your result is abnormally high, you have been diagnosed with diabetes and it has been prescribed to you, you may have to give yourself some insulin. To determine how much, compare your result to the dosing instructions received with your insulin. These instructions will vary widely depending on the insulin type and the orders of your primary care provider. Since different insulins vary in the time they take to bring your blood glucose down, the time after which you have to do a recheck will also vary. Consult with the information packet included with your insulin to determine this time interval.
Step 5
Record your daily results, as the American Diabetes Association recommends. Write down the date and the time next to each result you get. If you'd like, you can even include a comment on anything you did to manage the levels. Give this to your primary care provider during your appointments to help give her an idea of how you are doing with your treatment regimen.
Things You'll Need
- Glucose testing strips
- Glucose test meter
- Finger lancets
- Rubbing alcohol pads
