If you have been diagnosed with diabetes then you should be aware of the importance of diabetes testing. Keeping your blood sugar under control is critical in preventing organ damage and other complications. Read on to discover more about the many different products on the market used in testing your diabetes.
Ideally, if you are insulin dependent, you should test your blood sugar four times a day. Monitoring your blood sugar before meals can help you maintain a healthy blood sugar level. So what is the best way to monitor your blood sugar levels?
The traditional home diabetes test results pricking your finger with a small needle-like device called a lancet. A small drop of blood is then applied to a test strip that is inserted into a small meter that will read the result. These meters come in different sizes and features. Some will have larger displays or will haveoken instructions for the visually impaired.
There are meters that come with special software to upload to your computer and it will allow you to retrieve information from the meter to graph your blood glucose results over time. This can be very helpful when you visit your doctor. It can easily be determined if your diabetes medications need to be altered in any way.
There are newer meters on the market that allow you to draw blood from alternative sites. Any diabetic can tell you how sore their fingertips become from the frequent diabetes testing. These newer meters allow you to test from places such as the forearm, base of the thumb and the upper thigh. But a word of warning; blood glucose results from these alternative sites may be different than the results you receive from the fingertip site.
The reason is that blood glucose levels show changes more quickly than any other site on the body. So keep in mind that if you are experiencing any symptoms that may be related to low blood sugar or high blood sugar, you should conduct a traditional fingertip diabetes test to get an accurate result.
Two other new diabetes testing devices to hit the market recently are a laser that draws blood and a GlucoWatch. The laser produces a beam of light that will penetrate the skin of the finger. The purpose of this is to reduce the discomfort of a traditional needle prick.
The GlucoWatch will draw tiny amounts of fluid by emitting small electric currents. This watch has the ability to measure your blood glucose level three times an hour for up to 12 hours. Although it has been approved by the FDA, it should not be used to replace the traditional finger tip diabetes testing.
These are the basic diabetes testing products on the market today. Talk with your doctor to get his recommendation and take good care of yourself by maintaining a healthy blood sugar level.