Checking glucose levels is one of the best ways you can monitor diseases like diabetes. Diabetic patients often experience significant highs and lows of blood sugar, and you can minimize the negative effects of such changes by checking glucose levels frequently. The testing procedure for blood glucose levels is fairly simple, and you can use the equipment for daily testing at home.
Features
The most common glucose level test is the home blood glucose test. You can take this test on your own in almost any location, and you get results from a portable blood glucose meter. Doctors advise home blood glucose tests for patients with diabetes, especially those who need to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels.
Considerations
The portable glucose meters and related supplies used for the home blood glucose test are widely available through pharmacies and on-line. Get a recommendation from your doctor before you make the purchase because the exact models have some variation. You should consider a meter that can store information over time, especially if you need to know the changes in your blood sugar levels for diagnosis and treatment. If you use an insulin pump, the correct type of meter may be able to communicate with the pump to supply your insulin.
Identification
To successfully test your glucose levels at home, you will need several supplies. In addition to the blood glucose meter, you will need testing strips, a sugar control solution, lancet needles for drawing blood, a lancet-holding device and cotton balls. The testing strips and sugar control solution need to match your model of glucose meter for best results, so you should try to buy all of these supplies together. Lancets made for glucose testing are available, and the correct lancet holders will position the needle correctly for piercing the skin. The cotton balls will help control bleeding during the testing.
Function
To test your own glucose levels, make sure that all of your equipment is working and that your testing strips have not expired. Check the meter using the sugar control solution to ensure accurate results. The meter should read the glucose level that matches the solution. There should be a code number on your testing strip packaging. Match that code number with the code number on the meter. If they do not match, change the number on your meter by following your model's specific instructions. Insert the testing strip into the glucose meter. Draw blood from a finger, palm or forearm using the lancet, and place a drop of blood on the testing strip. The meter should display your glucose results in less than a minute. Be sure to follow your machine's specific instructions for best results. If your meter does not automatically record results, be sure to write down your blood sugar levels immediately.
Warning
Because you must draw blood to successfully check glucose levels, you need to be aware of pain issues and infection possibilities. You can reduce the pain of the blood draw by pricking the side of your finger instead of the tip. Do not tightly squeeze the finger to increase blood, but instead hang your hand low for a few seconds and then gently apply pressure from the hand out to the finger. For each test, use a different finger to avoid extreme soreness. To avoid infection, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before pricking your finger. Make sure all supplies are clean and sterile before use.
Types
In addition to home testing, several types of glucose tests can help doctors determine your blood sugar levels. The fasting blood sugar test measures the level of glucose in your blood after a period of at least eight hours with no eating. This test checks glucose levels during diagnoses of diabetes. The two-hour postprandial blood sugar test measures your glucose levels two hours after the beginning of a meal. Random blood sugar tests will test your blood glucose levels at any time of the day. You should repeat these at different times to see if your glucose levels change dramatically. The oral glucose tolerance test helps to diagnose diabetes and occurs shortly after you drink a glucose-containing liquid.
