Blood glucose meters for diabetics
Common Questions and Answers about Blood glucose meters for diabetics
blood-glucose
A good way to see if yours is within normal variance is to bring along your meter when you go for a blood draw (from a vein). Within 5-10 minutes of them drawing blood, do your own blood test and save the results. Compare them with what the doc tells you your number was. Your result should be within 15% of the doc's result.
What's important here is to know how you feel & how you function when your BG is at different numbers.
My husband has has Type II diabetes for 16 years and his blood sugar levels are checked with blood tests. This is what the Blood Glucose Meters do, they measure your blood sugar level by you nicking your finger and getting a drop of blood into the meter, which then shows them a number. I'm sure you've seen these on TV, but you don't need one unless you are diagnosed with diabetes.
Excess glucose rides around the exterior of new red blood cells, never getting absorbed to be used for energy or burnt off. The A1c captures this. Your results are returned in % [percentile] where <5% is considered normal. To remove all doubt go see your doctor and ask for the A1c. No fasting is required so you can take it anytime of the day.
Before leaving her doctors office your mother should have gotten a wealth of printed information on how to control and manage her diabetes. A list of recommended home glucose test meters should have been part of that package.
My doctor ordered blood work, my glucose result was 103. Doc wanted to put me on a Diabetic pill. I told him No, I would watch what I eat and we'd go from there. I used to junk out bad at night; candy, chips, drink regular cokes, ect... Now I drink Diet Coke and I don't eat anywhere near like I used to. I'm probably 10 pounds overweight. I have a physical job. I'm in good health, I have high blood pressure that is controled by meds. I bought a AccuCheck Active tester.
The A1c provides an insight on your past 2-3 month glucose levels. Red blood cells live on average 2-3 months. Excess glucose rides on new red blood cells, the A1c captures this and provides an estimated three month daily average.
" If a result such as 5.8% translates into an "average daily" value of 120 mg/dL, how can 5.8% be considered normal?"
An A1c of 5.8% equates to an eAG [estimated daily Average Glucose] of 120 mg/dl, key word is estimated.
I know that there are some meters that use tinier drops of blood than others, and also that people can use sites other than fingertips with some meters (usually the ones that don't require a large blood drop). I have read, however, that sites other than fingertips can be less accurate. As to how different the glucose reading would be, it probably depends on the meter and perhaps on the size of blood drop.
For diabetics it can go either way. Treatment can cause the blood sugar to go up or down. But if the diabetes is not under good control before starting treatment for Hep C, it lowers your chances of success. Adverse events are also more common on diabetics.
I have NEVER seen diabetes go away after treatment. I have seen the blood sugar improve but diabetes disappear? Never.
Home glucose checking is designed to only give a ballpark snapshot of what our blood glucose is at that moment of time. Blood flow through the body is dynamic and the chemistry, including glucose, at any given point will very from one moment to the next. That said unless you took a blood sample and tested it many times (not taking a new sample for each test, thus a different blood chemistry) the variance in readings you recorded are normal.
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I have a cousin whose blood sugar levels often rise over 300s. This has been over a couple of years now. I am really concerned about him but unfortunately he doesn't seem to really care about himself and believes that the oral medications he's taking is enough. He shows no symptoms of diabetes at all.
My questions are:
1. How come very high glucose levels cause no symptoms at all? (no frequent urination, thirst, blurred vision, etc)
2.
s interesting that you question the accuracy of your glucose meter for I was reading the September 2008 issues of Consumer Reports that rated both blood-pressure monitors and blood-glucose meters. Only one blood-glucose meter scored excellent overall and also scored the highest for consistency- the Johnson & Johnson Lifescan OneTouch Ultra Mini. The Ultra Mini was followed by Ascensia Contour, ReliOn Ultima (WalMart), and Accu-check Compact Plus.
the normal range is 70-110
In your first thread I mentioned that the FDA set manufacturing guidelines for home glucose meters at ± [plus/minus] 20%. This means your 70 mg/dl reading could be 70 mg/dl or it could be as low as 56 mg/dl or as high as 84 mg/dl. Home meters give an approximation not a true reading of glucose levels. Since your 100 mg/dl reading two minutes later falls out of this range, the questions remaining are:
1. How old is your father's meter?
2. Do the test strips have an expiration date?
3.
I am controlling my diabetes now for two months without medication. I set up an excel document and print it off , you can fit two months worth of info on one sheet, it's so easy to show the doctor trends, I include how many calories I've eaten per meal. It's really helped me. I've lost 30 llbs in two months and have stayed off of medication.
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