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--- Monitoring your blood sugar: Why, when and how
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:45:43 -0500, "Gumbo" Screamed something into the void that sounded like: >Monitoring your blood sugar: Why, when and how > >By Mayo Clinic staff > Managing your blood sugar is the most important thing you can do to >feel your best and prevent long-term complications of diabetes. By >monitoring your blood sugar and keeping it within your target range, you'll >reduce such risks as eye, kidney, blood vessel and nerve damage. > > Know your target range > > >Your doctor sets your target range based on: > > a.. Your age. nope. The target range is the same for everyone. > b.. The presence of diabetes-related complications or other medical >conditions. only when setting the low end of the target range. The high end of the target range is always set to avoid the worsening of complications based on the most up to date diabetes info. > c.. Your tendency to have hypoglycemia unawareness, which means you've >lost the ability to recognize early warning signs and symptoms of low blood >sugar. this doesn't normally become an issue until after being diabetic for quite a few years. > Recognizing when your blood sugar is low is crucial. If your blood >sugar drops too low, you increase your risk of a hypoglycemic reaction, >which can be dangerous. psst...when your BG is "low" you "are" experiencing a "hypoglycemic reaction". very simple, hypo is a low blood sugar. > When to test your blood sugar > > >The type of diabetes you have and the treatment plan your doctor prescribes >determine the frequency and timing of your blood sugar tests. > >Type 1 diabetes >If you have type 1 diabetes or otherwise take insulin, the American Diabetes >Association (ADA) recommends you test your blood sugar at least three times >a day. Any change in routine - exercising more than normal, eating less than >usual or traveling - is another good reason to test your blood sugar. This is not only out dated info when using the newer faster insulins it is blatantly dangerous. 3 times a day is not enough. > >Type 2 diabetes >If you take oral medication alone or oral medication and insulin to manage >your diabetes, the ADA recommends you test your blood sugar once a day. In >general, if you're able to control your blood sugar with diet and exercise - >without the use of medication - you don't need to test your blood sugar as >often as people with type 1 diabetes who take insulin or people with type 2 >who take medication. Your doctor and health care team will help you >establish a monitoring schedule that's best for you. again highly out dated and wholly inadequate. > > How to troubleshoot problems with your meter > > >Blood glucose monitors are generally precise. Inaccurate readings often stem >from human error. If you think your reading is inaccurate, ask yourself >these questions: actually, ALL BG meters have a margin of error of +- 20%. but it is close enough. > > a.. Did you apply enough blood to the test strip? > b.. Did you add more blood to the test strip after the first drop was >applied? > c.. Did you time the test accurately? meters time themselves. > d.. Did you have dirt or other substances on the finger that you pricked? > e.. Are your test strips fresh? > f.. Did you calibrate your meter for the test strip you used? most meters do not require this every time. > g.. Is the test window of your meter dirty? > h.. Is your meter at room temperature? > i.. Does your meter need new batteries? > j.. Is your meter damaged? >Save the manufacturer's instructions that come with your monitor. Following >those instructions, perform a quality control test of your equipment to make >sure the results are accurate. > > > > Watch for advances in monitoring tools > > >In the past, the only practical way for people with diabetes to monitor >their blood sugar was by testing sugar in their urine. But urine glucose >tests aren't as accurate as blood glucose tests. Urine tests provide you >with only a rough estimate of your blood sugar level and can't detect levels >below 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). This means that if your glucose >level is too high, the urine test might not detect it until it reaches 180 >mg/dL. actually if the BG is high enough to spill into the urine then the BG level is far too high to begin with according to today's testing standards. > Urine glucose testing is recommended only if blood testing isn't an >option. > >Blood testing tools: Several options available >Finger sticks may be hard to avoid, but researchers are developing products >designed to take the "ouch" out of them. Advances include: > > a.. Specialized lancets. Among the lancing devices now available is one >that can be set for different prick depths to accommodate differences in >skin thickness. all the lancing devices should be like this these days. > b.. Needle-free laser device. This product uses a laser beam to break the >skin on your finger. You use this device instead of a lancet. The laser >actually vaporizes a pinpoint of your skin. You might feel some discomfort >after using it. not on the market, too expensive and is too damaging to the skin. > c.. Alternative site blood glucose monitors. These monitors contain >built-in blood-sampling devices that take your blood from areas other than >your finger, such as your arm, abdomen or thigh. They require smaller blood >samples. a few are now available but finger sticks are more accurate. > d.. GlucoWatch. Worn like a watch, the GlucoWatch G2 Biographer detects >your blood glucose level through your skin. Readings are taken every 10 >minutes, using small electrical currents to open your skin and draw fluid to >a special sensor pad attached to the back of the device. More than 8,000 >readings are stored in the GlucoWatch, so you can compare your blood sugar >level at certain times of the day or following specific events or >activities. An alarm will sound if your blood sugar levels become too low or >too high. > Finger sticks are still required with the GlucoWatch - although not as >many - and the sensor pad needs to be changed after 13 hours. At that time, >you have to perform a blood glucose check the old-fashioned way - with a >drop of blood - to calibrate the monitor. The GlucoWatch Biographer is >available by prescription for both adults and children ages 7 to 17. highly inaccurate, if you sweat it fails to test and if it fails to test to many times in a row it shuts off. Way too expensive. > > e.. InDuo. The InDuo is a device for insulin administration that combines >a meter and an insulin-injector pen. You can get a sample of blood from your >arm rather than your finger with this device. > f.. Sensor. A sensor that's implanted in your chest is currently under >study. The sensor measures glucose and then transmits the information to a >pager-like device outside your body. >The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests and approves all new products >that help monitor your blood sugar. But if you're uncertain about which >device is best for you, ask your doctor. Some devices require that your >doctor write a prescription for you to purchase it. no, the only reason one is required to get a prescription for testing devices that are actually on the market is so that insurance companies have to cover them or those countries that provide universal health care will pay for them. > > > > What to do with poor results > > >Blood sugar readings that are persistently above or below your target range >may mean you need to revise your treatment plan. If improving your diet and >exercising more aren't enough to control your blood sugar, you may have to >add a medication or adjust a dosage. High and low numbers may also signal an >emerging complication of diabetes. They may single that you have a cold, too much stress, may have an infection of some kind, physical injuries will raise BG levels and so will a woman's period. > >Call your doctor if: > > a.. Your blood sugar level is higher than 300 mg/dL for three consecutive >checks and doesn't respond to adjustments to your diet or medication > b.. Your blood sugar readings are above or below your target range more >than 50 percent of the time > c.. Your blood sugar is greater than 240 mg/dL for more than 24 hours >during an illness > d.. You repeatedly have low blood sugar levels also ask your doctor about testing for ketones in your urine if you are type 1 and or sick and or with high BGs. > Take the right steps > > >"Diabetes is a serious disease," says Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D., an >endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "Despite the lack of >symptoms, high blood sugar can damage multiple organs in your body. The good >news is that it can be controlled and complications can be prevented if you >take the right steps." > Māck©® Type 1 since 1975 http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org http://www.diabetic-talk.org http://www.insulin-pumpers.org "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." ...Theodore Roosevelt Related Discussion: How to maximise on the Wellness Trends (1 posts) Morbidly obese have more digestive symptoms and a poorer quality of life: Study (2 posts) Insulin and weight gain (1 posts) Successfully overcoming arthritis at the age of 72 ! (1 posts) Top Discussions From Our Archives Get a head start on your New Year's Resolution!! Aleve Latest Drug to Draw Scrutiny <- WHATTHEHECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TAKE? 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