Blood Glucose Testing - How to get an average of your blood sugar by testing once per day.
74Choosing a Glucometer
Testing your blood sugar is not hard. As a new Type 2 diabetic, you have probably been instructed by your doctor to buy a glucometer and test your blood glucose level daily. If your doctor wrote a prescription for a glucometer and test strips, your expense will most likely be covered by insurance. Take advantage of that as the strips are expensive.
Consult with your pharmacist or health care professional to choose a glucometer that is best for you. There are several things to consider when shopping for a glucometer:
- The initial cost - many are free
- The cost of the testing strips
- The cost of the miscellaneous supplies - alcohol pads, finger stick lancets, auto pens, etc.
- How often to run controls on the meter
- How many glucose levels will it store in memory
- The amount of blood needed for testing - newer meters require a very tiny drop of blood
- The time it takes to get a result - look for a fast one
- Portability - look for a small one
Learn to use a glucometer
Disposing of medical waste
The little sharps used to stick your finger with will need to be disposed of properly. The easiest way to do this is to buy a sharps container at the pharmacy. They will take it back when full and have it incinerated. Your doctor may allow you to use their disposal service.
Putting the gauze pads and used alcohol pads in the regular trash is safe. No one is likely to stick themselves with a gauze pad or two.
Learn when to test your blood sugar
Frequently, your health care practitioners forget to tell you when to test your blood sugar or they give you vague instructions to "test daily". Your doctor may instruct you to test your "fasting" glucose level. A fasting blood test is done first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything. This can be a challenge if you need your coffee to "wake up".
An average blood sugar reading is much more useful information and your doctor has probably ordered a blood test called a Hemoglobin A1C. This is a test for the average glycosylated hemoglobin in your red blood cells.
As each blood cell goes through its lifetime, it becomes saturated with blood sugar. The amount of hemoglobin and what stage of glucose saturation it is at is called the average blood sugar over the past three months. So this test should be repeated every three months for the most accurate average reading.
However, there is a way to average your blood glucose levels by testing at home daily and taking the average of the readings.
Daily testing for blood sugar or blood glucose
Day
| Test Fasting
| Test 2 hours after breakfast
| Test 2 hours after lunch
| Test at bedtime
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday
| X
| |||
Tuesday
| X
| |||
Wednesday
| X
| |||
Thursday
| X
| |||
Friday
| X
| |||
Saturday
| X
| |||
Sunday
| X
|
Interpreting the results
In normal people the fasting blood glucose will generally be in the low 80 mg/dl (4.4 mmol/L) range throughout the night. After a high carb meal, normal blood sugar levels rise to about 125 mg/dl for a brief period, with the peak blood sugar being measured at 45 minutes after eating and then drops back under 100 mg/dl.
For a diabetic the normal fasting blood glucose will be 100 or more. It is important to eat lean protein for breakfast in order to stabilize your blood sugar throughout the rest of the day. Eating carbohydrates early in the day has been shown to raise the diabetic's blood sugar rapidly.
Two hours after a meal should give a good indication of how much the meal has raised your blood sugar. If the meal you ate causes your glucose level to rise, you will know that the meal is too high in carbohydrates. Diabetes hinders your body from utilizing insulin. High carbs cause the body to produce insulin. High insulin levels should be avoided in diabetic patients. The more insulin you produce, the more you will become intolerant to it.
Record your blood sugar levels each day at the indicated times. At the end of the week, add all of the levels and average them by dividing by the number of readings you have taken. This will give you a good weekly average of how your blood sugar correlates with your Hemoglobin A1C test.
What to do if your levels continue to be high
- Type 2 diabetics are usually overweight and have belly fat deposits which are resistant to insulin. If your levels are too high consistently, you must lose weight.
- Exercise will help to burn off the excess glucose. Walking is a very superior exercise to do to both lose weight and lower your glucose levels.
- Drink plenty of water to dilute the blood sugar levels. This is helpful at any time for anyone.
- Eat lean protein, vegetables and whole fruits only. These are helpful for keeping your levels down.
- Type 1 diabetics and some type 2 diabetics can go into a diabetic coma which usually results from a very high blood sugar level. Readings of 800 are not uncommon. This is a dangerous situation requiring a trip to the emergency room.
What to do if your levels are too low!
This can be a medical emergency. Sometimes, medication for diabetes will cause "blood sugar drops". These are serious as your brain cannot operate without a good blood sugar level. Diabetics can usually "feel" a low blood sugar attack coming on. You will feel hot, sweaty, cold at the same time, dizzy and your hands may begin to shake. When in doubt about a low sugar episode, go ahead and treat yourself as fast as possible.
- Carry glucose tablets with you at all times. Chew one or two the minute your blood sugar goes too low. If you do not feel better within 15 minutes, you will have to go to the e.r.
- Drink orange juice or other fruit juice to raise your level - Do not have anyone force orange juice if you are unconscious. If no juice is available, drink a non-diet soda.
- Eat some protein as soon as you are able to do so
- Carry a diabetic card with you with instructions on what to do
Diabetes can injure all of the organs of your body. It is essential to monitor your blood sugar daily.
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Comments - Do you have any tips for averaging your blood sugar?Loading...
Sound, useful hub. I am not diabetic (so they keep telling me) but I get "rebound hypoglycemia" a lot after I eat high carb meals. Thus is a very unpleasant condition as you will know. It's the sort of poor cousin of diabetes: how about a hub on it dear? Bob
I have an aunt that is a diabetic. She used to always be going into a coma, and then having to be carted off to the hospital.
She would never stick to her diet.
Mind you, she is ninety now, and still going strong.
It is a strange world.
Thanks for another very useful and informative hub.
I'm glad to hear diabetics can live to be ninety. My mom only made it to 76. But she smoked too. Dumb idea.
Oh yes, I do know how hypoglycemia feels. It's the most rotten feeling in the world if you ask me. I've had drops in the 30's and thought I was going to die. Plus it triggers my depression which lasts for months. Rebound hypoglycemia can be avoided by eating more protein as you know. It's a hard thing to regulate the glucose levels. I'm thinking of not eating at all!
SW - you can inherit from either parent. The genetic code for metabolic syndrome is not sex related. So be careful and keep up the diet and exercise.
There is an actual cure for Type 2 diabetes. It's called a Rue-N-Y procedure or gastric bypass. I'm applying for it now. It's so effective that the patient's blood sugar stabilizes to normal within 3 days! Something about the pancreas is affected. Sounds like a miracle cure to me.
Austinstar,
Great hub. I am insulin resistant and test my blood daily at fasting, but your simple four step method will give me much better averages. I have learned to read when my body is high or low, but I can't tell which until I test - important as doing the wrong thing can make things way worse.
I have noticed that stress can raise my sugars substantially (same diet - different situation) and the protein thing (eat first thing) is so very true. Removing am carbs is really having an impact on my wieght.
Thanks,
C
This is an excellent hub Austinstar. I have had gestational diabetes two out of three times. I don't get that. But I controlled it with a strict diet. Do you know if it is true that I am at a higher risk of getting diabetes? I can't remember. I also worry about Maddy and want to check her sugar when she does the passing out thing! I am fairly careful with their sugar intake but they get a candy bar or treat at least once a week - their choice which time or day so they get a little control too:)
Thanks - I needed this reminder to get a meter!
Great information Austin. My Mom was diabetic and I do fear the same for myself. She was not diagnosed until she was 50 and I'm getting closer to that and it scares me. Thanks for the reminder to take better care of myself.
Sharyn
So many people are being diagnosed with diabetes these days it's like an epidemic. I blame the hormones and anti-biotics they give to cows. That stuff gets in our milk and in our beef products. But there's no proof of that, so don't panic yet.
Just buy organic whenever you can and watch out for carbs. This country is fueled on carbs!
hi
sound advice as usual, thanks for sharing
cheers tony
Important information Austin..and nice and clear.Good job! Diabetes is a bit of an epidemice isn't it? We have a very high % here in Australia too.
I'm a regular walker, so I'm hoping to ward it off. I didn't know there was a cure for Type 2. Sounds good.
Great hub. As a fellow diabetic, I have spent many hours reading articles with miracle cures, diets, and suggestions. I am still diabetic. Your advice is the only way a diabetic can survive. Test, watch the carbs, test, exercise, test, see your dr. regularly, test. Testing is the only way to keep a handle on your levels. As a nurse, I have to let you know that Rue-N-Y is not a cure. I have several patients who have had the procedure, and months and years after, continue to be diabetic. You still have to test periodically, the diet is crucial, as is exercise. The gastric bypass is just the beginning. If a diet is not followed strictly, and they will give you one before the procedure, you will fail to lose weight, you will have gastric upsets, and you will continue to be diabetic. Good Luck, and hope it works for you.
This is the first time I've heard that the Rue-N-Y is not a cure for Type 2 diabetics! All the research I've done says that it is. Are they just trying to sell the procedure? Won't be the first time.
The post gastric bypass diet is horrendous. It is probably the direct cause of gastric bypass failure. I've seen 50/50 results. For half the people it's a miracle cure, for the other half, not so much. It's a giant leap for changing your life, that's for sure. Even the pre-diet is impossible. I'll just keep chugging along until I either lose the weight or die. I can't have the procedure if I don't lose 10% of my weight first. And if I manage to do that, why would I need the procedure? It's a crazy thing.
Just curious but how long has the Rue-N-Y procedure been available? Is there any long term data regarding post surgery?
I've been watching the procedure develop for over 10 years now. As with anything to do with weight loss, the statistics are grim. Only a very small percentage of people who lose over 100 pounds manage to keep it off. This is true for any diet or plan. Weight Watchers actually has the best statistics but they are also very low in the success department.
Personally I feel that not enough research is done regarding the hormonal cause of weight gain/loss. Burn victims lose a tremendous amount of weight whether they want to or not. This tells me that something is activated in the healing process that causes the body to become a fat burning machine. I need a government grant I think. Or someone does. Someone smarter and younger than me. Think how rich that person would become if they solved the fat storing/burning hormonal cause!
You are so right, on all accounts. More research, serious research. Not the get skinny over night research. Hopefully, it will be in my lifetime.
Thanx for your comments, I really appreciate it.
Nice Work . It is very helpful for my mom who want to take the test from the home
Holy cow! This is something I've been trying to learn how to do for a really LONG time! I'm so glad I read this hub! I have a great tracker on my phone but I usually test around the same times every day, so I always wonder if the average A1C it gives me is even close to accurate! I'm going to give this testing pattern a shot for a while and let you know how things work out. This was up, useful, and awesome!
Spirit Whisperer Level 6 Commenter 13 months ago
My father was diabetic and his mother. They say you inherit from your mother. My mother was not diabetic so phew! I'm not. I eat way too much sugar but exercise and use hypnosis. When I gained too much weight some time back I went on a strict regime of high protein meals and lost it all in no time. I am very lucky to be healthy but I am sure there are lots of people who can benefit from your tip sand advice here. Thanks for a real well written and researched hub.