Over six million adults suffer from diabetes in this country. Diabetes affects how your body processes sugar, or glucose, which is its main source of energy. Diabetes causes too much glucose to circulate in your bloodstream, which leads to a variety of other health problems. Blood glucose testing is crucial to effectively manage your disease. Elevated glucose levels can cause a host of complications, including nerve damage, heart disease and kidney damage. Keeping your blood glucose levels stable will help you feel better and stay healthy.
Step 1
Talk to your physician about your target blood glucose levels. In order to know when your blood glucose is too high or too low, you have to know what the normal value is. Fasting blood glucose levels should be between 90 to 130mg/dL, before meals they should be 70 to 90mg/dL and they should be lower than 180mg/dL two hours after eating. Your doctor will tell you what your target glucose levels should be.
Step 2
Learn to use a home glucose monitor. Your doctor will most likely recommend you get a home monitor to keep track of your glucose levels on a daily basis. Keeping track of your glucose levels allows you and your doctor see how different foods, stresses and activities affect your blood sugar. It can also determine how effective your medications are for keeping glucose levels stable.
Step 3
Test your blood glucose with your home monitor. Your doctor will advise how often to test. You will need to get your kit ready beforehand. Keep it nearby. Joslin Diabetes Center recommends first washing your hands and then letting them dangle at your side for a minute.
Step 4
Wipe your finger with an alcohol swab before sticking it with the tiny needle, or lancet. Place the sharpened tip of the lancet on the side of your finger and apply light pressure to prick it. Squeeze your finger to get blood to the tip. Once a drop of blood appears, follow the manufacturer's instructions for collecting the blood onto the test strip and placing it in the monitor.
Step 5
Read the monitor and record your blood glucose numbers. Jot the numbers down in a journal, and bring the journal with you to all doctor's visits. Call your doctor if your blood glucose gets too high or too low. You made need to have your medication adjusted.
Step 6
Have an HbA1c test performed in the laboratory. If you have type 2 diabetes, your doctor will order an HbA1c, or glycosylated hemoglobin, test several times per year. The American Heart Association states an HbA1c test gives your doctor a better idea of how well controlled your blood sugar is by determining how much glycosylated hemoglobin is present in your blood.
Things You'll Need
- Home blood glucose monitoring kit
- Journal and pen
