Diabetes: Monitoring Your Blood Glucose

But while you might need to have these laboratory tests, you will also need to monitor your own blood on a daily basis. This will help you learn how to manage your diabetes and to alert you to trends that you may want to tell your doctor about.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG)
You’ve probably already seen the testing devices that can prick your finger and help you check your blood sugar levels throughout the day. Many physician’s offices have them now and still more people are using them to manage diabetes. You will be able to find a blood sugar monitor (as recommended by your doctor) at local pharmacies or through online stores. You will also need testing strips to be able to feed the blood that is drawn into the machine for reading. Even if you haven’t seen one of these machines before, they’re quite simple to use and even painless with newer models.

To begin, you will want to test your blood as often as your physician recommends. But the following guidelines are fairly standard:
• Type I diabetics that are taking insulin—test 3 or 4 times a day
• Type II diabetics that are taking insulin and diabetes pills—test 3 or 4
times a day
• If taking diabetes pills only and have not achieved your target A1c—
test 2 to 4 times a day
• If you are taking diabetes pills only or you are controlling your
diabetes well with diet and exercise only—ask your doctor how often
you should test

It is also important to test at particular times of the day, depending on what kinds of medications you are taking and when you typically eat your meals. Talk with your doctor about his or her recommendations. When you test at regular intervals, you will be able to make changes to your day in order to adjust a low or high blood sugar reading.

There are other times of the day when you will want to check your blood sugar too:
• When you see signs of low or high blood sugar
• When you are first diagnosed as a diabetic – it can take some time to determine how certain foods and activities will affect you
• When you change medications
• When you are stressed
• When you do more activity than usual or change your diet
• When you are sick

In time, you might be told that you don’t have to test as often, but this depends on how well you can manage your blood sugar levels right now. And that’s why regular self blood testing is necessary.

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