How to Fight Diabetes and Win. Testing. Your Blood

Transcription

1 How to Fight Diabetes and Win Testing Your Blood

2 TESTING YOUR BLOOD Self-monitoring your blood sugar levels is an important part of managing your diabetes.

3 Important Information Self-monitoring your blood sugar levels is the best way to see how much glucose (sugar) is in your blood. Testing will help you understand what affects your body s blood sugar level. Food, activity, diabetes medicines, stress, and illness will all make your blood sugars go up and down throughout the day. It is important that you monitor these effects and try to maintain blood sugar levels as near to your target range as possible. Your doctor or diabetes care team member will help you determine what your target range should be. Blood Sugar Levels Checking your blood sugar allows you to see the effects of: Eating different types and amounts of food Exercising and physical activity Losing or gaining weight Taking medicines (blood sugar level indicates if they are working properly) All of this information will help you decide how to take care of your diabetes. You will learn how to better maintain your blood sugar target range by eating a snack, taking more insulin, or going for a walk. Testing your blood can also tell you if your blood sugar levels are too high or too low. In this case, your doctor or diabetes care team member will assist you in making changes in your diabetes care plan.

4 When to Check Your Blood Sugar Your doctor or diabetes care team member will help you to determine what times during the day are best for you to test your blood sugar levels. Checking your blood at specific times during the day will allow you to know what effects food, activity, and medications have on your blood sugar levels. Some recommendations on times to check your blood sugar can be before meals, before bedtime, 2 hours after meals, and at 2 or 3 o clock in the morning. You can check your blood sugar as often as you feel the need. For instance, a test performed 1 to 2 hours after a meal lets you see how high your blood sugar rises after you eat certain types and amounts of foods. A check at 2 or 3 a.m. tells you if you have low blood sugar in the middle of the night. The blood sugar level before meals will let you know how your diabetes medication is working. If you take insulin, you always want to check your blood sugar before injecting insulin. The more you check, the more you will know about your blood sugar level pattern. The more you know about your blood sugar levels, the better able you are to get your blood sugar levels within your target range. Your Target Range Your doctor or diabetes care team member will help you determine a target range for your blood sugar levels. This target range will give you a goal to aim for and help you know when your blood sugar level is too high or too low. Staying within this target range at least half of the time will help control your diabetes. From time to time, your doctor or diabetes care team member will re-evaluate your target range based on your recent blood sugar levels and make adjustments to help you better manage your diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that in general, blood sugar levels are as listed below, but your doctor or diabetes care team member may change these goals based on your specific conditions. Adult without Diabetes Adult with Diabetes Before Meal <100 mg/dl mg/dl 1-2 Hours After Meal <140 mg/dl <180 mg/dl

5 Testing Your Blood Sugar Levels In order to test your blood sugar levels you will need an accurate blood glucose (sugar) monitor, a test strip, and a lancing device to obtain a drop of blood. Your doctor or a member of your diabetes care team can assist you in choosing the monitor that best fits your lifestyle and needs. They can also show you how to use the monitor. The key to a good blood sugar result is a successful finger stick. Follow the steps below to get a good drop of blood: 1. Wash your hands in warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry completely. Warming and lightly massaging the fingers can help increase the blood flow. 2. Let your arm hang down at your side briefly to allow blood to flow to the fingertips. 3. Grasp the finger near the area to be pricked and squeeze for three seconds. 4. Use a lancing device with a depth adjustment for an adequate puncture. 5. Keep your hand down, prick the SIDE of the fingertip and squeeze gently until you get a good, round drop of blood. Be careful not to squeeze too hard. Do not start your test until you have enough blood. 6. Apply the blood to the strip according to the instructions that came with your blood sugar monitor. 7. Some strips require top application of the blood drop to a marked area on the strip. 8. Newer strips require a much smaller drop of blood that sometimes can be wicked from the side or the end of the strip. After You Test Your Blood It is very important to write down your blood sugar results, including the date and time they were taken and any other information that might affect your blood sugar levels. Obtain a logbook to keep track of your test results. Share your logbook results with your doctor or diabetes care team member even if your monitor has a memory. The information that you track in your logbook will assist you, your doctor and your diabetes care team members in making any changes needed in your diabetes care plan. By using your results to manage your diabetes, you can delay or prevent long-term complications that include eye disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, and heart problems.

6 Use of Test Results One of the most important advances in managing diabetes has been the encouragement of patients to take responsibility for much of their own care. By identifying trends and patterns in your blood sugar levels, you and your diabetes care team can consider adjustments in your daily routine to help you manage your diabetes better. Your logbook is an important tool for recognizing patterns in your diabetes control. Records of your blood sugar test results will serve as a guide to making decisions about food intake, activity, and medication in order to achieve better control. Sometimes your test records may show patterns in blood sugar levels that indicate a need to contact your doctor or a member of your diabetes care team between office visits. What You Can Do Closely follow your daily routine regarding meal planning, activity, medication and self-monitoring of blood sugar levels as much as possible. Keep complete and accurate records of your daily routine and your blood sugar levels. Meet with your doctor or diabetes care team members regularly to find out how and when you should make changes in your daily routine. Continue to learn about your diabetes. Ongoing education will help you take better care of yourself so you can feel good and stay healthy. When to Test More Often If you are in any of the following situations, you should test more often than you usually do. Your medication has been changed (increased/decreased dosage or additional medication). You are ill. You are under stress. Unusual circumstances change your normal routine (travel, etc.).

7 When to Contact Your Doctor or Diabetes Care Team Member If you experience any of the following events, you should contact your doctor or a member of your diabetes care team: Blood sugar above a level determined by your doctor or diabetes care team member Ketones in your urine Blood sugar below a level determined by your doctor or diabetes care team member 2 or more high or low blood sugar results in less than 24 hours High blood sugar at the same time several days in a row Low blood sugar at the same time several days in a row Had to use the glucagon emergency kit (used when blood sugars are extremely low) Other situations determined by your doctor or diabetes care team members What You Should Do Testing your blood sugar levels and monitoring those results will help you better manage your diabetes. By keeping track of your results, you can see what affects your blood sugar levels. With this information, you, your doctor and your diabetes care team members can make changes to your diabetes care plan to help your blood sugar levels stay within your target range. Better control of your blood sugar will help you manage your diabetes better and delay or prevent long term complications. Controlling your blood sugar will help you maintain a healthier life.

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10 Your Notes: Copyright 2013 Nuturna International, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission. May not be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Nuturna International, LLC. These statements have not necessarily been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products featured are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.