D-Testing
Testing is one of the most important things a diabetic can do to help themselves!
Testing is how your health professional can determine how well current treatment is performing. They will make changes to your therapy based on your glucose numbers. If you do not test several times a day then it will be hard to make an accurate assessment of your condition. You will be classified as uncontrolled. You and your body deserves better than that.
When I was first diagnosed my boyfriend use to prick my fingers because I couldn’t hold the lancet gun steady enough. It took several months of overcoming the fear of the prick in order to do this myself. I know my boyfriend would not be there for me all the time and the ultimately the responsibility was mine.
There are 2 blood tests that can help you manage your diabetes. One of these tests is called an A1C test, which reflects your blood sugar (or blood glucose) control over the past 2-3 months. Testing your A1C level every 3 months is the best way for you and your doctor to understand how well your blood sugar levels are controlled.
The other test is called self-monitoring of blood glucose. Using a blood glucose monitor to perform testing can help you improve control of your blood sugar levels. The results you get can help you make appropriate adjustments to your medicine, diet and/or level of physical activity. Every person who has diabetes should have a blood glucose monitor and know how to use it.
Testing Sites
Most people are familiar with the finger tips as area to test (prick) to extract blood. You can prick the finger tips, as well as the sides of the finger. I suggest not pricking directly on the tips but lower on the fleshy parts of the finger. The tips have all the nerves and can be a little painful. You can also test on the fleshy sides of your palm. These areas don’t have as many nerves and are not as painful. The fingertips and the palm tell you what your blood glucose level is right now.
There are other test sites known as lagging sites. These sites such as the forearm or thigh tell you what your blood glucose was around 20 to 35 minutes ago – not what it is right now. If your blood glucose is dropping fast do not use a lagging site for an accurate results— a forearm test might tell you that the level is fine, because the forearm is a lagging test site, while a fingertip test correctly alerts you to a low number.
Why should I have the Hgb A1c blood test?
Much of the damage caused by diabetes happens because of glycosylation (sugar coating) of proteins in the body. Measuring the amount of sugar attached to part of the hemoglobin (a1c blood test) is a good indicator of what might be happening in other tissues. Particularly if the A1c stays high. In type 2 diabetes, every 1% drop in A1c lowers the risk of complications by 37% !
How often should I check my blood sugar?
Talk with your health professional to develop a schedule for regular blood sugar testing that works for you. Keeping a log of your blood sugar results is important and can help give you and your diabetes doctor a good picture of your body’s response to your diabetes care plan. It’s important to test your blood sugar right away if you experience symptoms of low or high blood sugar
What are my blood sugar goals?
Maintaining blood sugar goals is important – talk with your diabetes doctor to set your target blood sugar range. The A1C targets for many people with type 2 diabetes are 6.5 percent or less. Talk with your diabetes doctor about the right A1C goal for you.
