Checking Your Blood Glucose

Keeping a good record of blood glucose levels is an important part of managing your diabetes.

According to the ADA, blood glucose monitoring is the main tool you have to check your diabetes control. Experts feel that anyone who has diabetes can benefit from checking their blood glucose with diabetes testing supplies such as an ACCU-Chek meter. Blood glucose testing helps give you the important information you need to know about how your eating habits, activity levels and medications are helping to control your blood glucose level or if an adjustment needs to be made in lifestyle or treatment plan.

The numbers can help you to confirm if your blood glucose level is too low when you may be experiencing certain symptoms. Recognizing and treating symptoms of low blood glucose in a timely manner can help to avoid more serious problems. Illness, injury and stress can have an effect on blood glucose numbers and may cause them to be higher than normal. Many people with diabetes don’t feel different when their blood glucose numbers go up. Research has shown that keeping blood glucose numbers in an acceptable target range can help lower your risk of some of the health issues and complications that can result from uncontrolled diabetes.

It takes personal commitment and a team effort to manage diabetes. But remember that you are the most important member of your health care team. You are the one who chooses what to eat, how active to be, whether to take your medications, healthy diabetic recipe choices, when to test your blood glucose and what to do with the results. Learning to take charge of your diabetes is an important step in living a healthy life.

Daily testing: meters and monitoring

Technology continues to improve and diabetes meters today are smaller, more accurate, require smaller sample sizes, allow for testing on sites other than your fingertips and are less painful than in previous years. An example of these diabetes testing supplies is the ACCU-Chek meter. Most meters on the market today are equipped with a "memory" which allow them to store hundreds of blood glucose results and often allow you to see 7, 14 and 30 day averages. Meters vary in price depending on their available features.

If you have diabetes questions about blood glucose meters or insulin pump products, your physician or a Certified Diabetes Educator can help you select the meter that is right for you. If you are unable to afford a diabetes meter, speak with your doctor or diabetes educator about other options.

Regardless of which meter you choose, a drop of blood is applied to a test strip and the meter automatically reports the blood glucose level in most cases in just a few seconds, allowing you to quickly complete the glucose testing process and make immediate decisions. It is important to remember that the goal is not simply to test. 

Testing is a tool that will allow you to make informed decisions with regard to your meal and exercise choices, and to alert you if you rise or fall to dangerous highs or lows. The ADA recommends a level between 70 mg/dL – 130 mg/dL when testing before meals and a level of under 180 mg/dL when testing two hours after the start of a meal. 

Changing meters

A common concern that people have when they change meters is the difference in blood glucose results from their old meter to their new meter. That's not unusual, and generally, the newer meters are simply more accurate. The best course is not to keep comparing results meter to meter. Even results from the same meter will vary if you wait a few minutes. It is best to choose which meter you’d like to use and stay with it. Watching the up or down trend over time in blood glucose testing results is more important than a single result. Be careful not to stay with an older meter simply because you like the number better.

More about A1C

Your physician should order an A1C test at least twice a year. Together with the daily monitoring, this ensures that you are looking at a larger picture as to how your self- management plan is working for you. If your A1C is not on target, your health care professional will help you plan a strategy to get on track, particularly if you have any concerns or other diabetes questions.

Treating and avoiding high and low blood glucose

High blood glucose

Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) means that your blood glucose may be around 200 mg/dl or higher. Symptoms include increased thirst, increased need to urinate, increased tiredness, and blurred vision. If you feel any of these symptoms:

1. Check your blood glucose right away
2. Drink water or other sugar-free liquids to stay hydrated.
3. If you take insulin, you may need an extra dose. Ask your health care professional for instructions for taking extra insulin.
4. Continue to check your blood glucose every 4 hours to make sure it is going down. Call your health care professional if your blood glucose isn’t lower after 2 checks, or if the symptoms worsen.

Low blood glucose

Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) means that your blood glucose is under 70. Your blood glucose can drop very quickly. Symptoms include sweating, cold, clammy skin, dizziness, shakiness, tingling, fast heartbeat, headache, confusion, or irritability. If you feel any of these symptoms:

1. Check your blood glucose right away.
2. Eat or drink 15 grams of fast-acting sugar. This could be 3 or 4 glucose tablets or 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of fruit juice or regular soda.
3. Check your blood glucose after 15 minutes. If it's still low, repeat step 2. If your blood glucose is still low when you check again, call your health care professional right away.
4. Once your blood glucose rises, eat a small snack unless you are planning on having a full meal within the next half hour.

Your health care professional may advise that you raise your target blood glucose even if you don't notice symptoms, or if you have had episodes of severe low blood glucose before.

Medications for blood glucose control

In addition to working to maintain your health through exercise, healthy eating and monitoring your blood glucose, you may need medication to help your target blood glucose levels remain solid.

These different medications work in different ways in the body.

• Insulin – used daily by all people with type 1 and some people with type 2 diabetes to help control blood glucose. Different types of insulin work at different speeds and can be adjusted through Liberty Medical's array of insulin pump products.
• Sulfonylureas and glinides - help the pancreas release more natural insulin.
• Biguanides and glitazones - make the body more sensitive to insulin, but by different methods.
• Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors - slow down the digestion of carbohydrates.
• DPP-4 Inhibitors - improve blood glucose control by enhancing a natural body system called the incretin system.

If you ever have any questions about your treatment plan, or one of your medications, always reach out to your health care professional.