To Test Or Not To Test
Our study results have the potential to transform current clinical practice for patients and their providers by placing a spotlight on the perennial question, to test or not to test? Dr. Katrina Donahue, one of Youngs coauthors, said in a UNC press release. Donahue directs research at UNC Family Medicine.
Still, Young said, I worry about making a blanket statement saying that nobody should test. I think it needs to be a discussion between patient and provider.
Young recently saw a patient whose A1C was fine, and she told the woman she didnt have to keep checking her blood sugar every day. She looked at me in disbelief, Young recalled. She didnt embrace the message the way I would have expected.
Because she and her coauthors hadnt yet reported their findings, she couldnt share the results with the patient. But she plans to revisit the topic with her, Young said.
For some patients, testing has become so ingrained into their life, they feel they would be naked without it, she said. On the other hand, I think there will be a portion of the population that feels relieved by her findings.
How Do I Check
People with diabetes check their blood glucose levels by poking their fingertips and using a blood glucose meter or a continuous glucose monitor to measure the blood glucose level at that moment. Read on to find out how to use a blood glucose meter. To find out more about CGMs, start by talking to your doctor.
Question : What About Strips
When it comes to strips, more is more many brands now offer device/supply bundles that include an unlimited supply of strips. One example is the One Drop subscription , which I used. This monthly subscription includes a meter, unlimited test strips and diabetes coaching, which is very handy for people new to diabetes management.
Another similar unlimited strip option is the mySugr bundle . This package also includes a meter and diabetes coaching, and adds access to the mySugr Pro app, which syncs with the meter to provide assistance with nearly every aspect of management.
If you arent looking for an unlimited supply, also has a line of affordable-ish test strips, coming in at $10.99 for 50 strips , $18.50 for 100 strips , or $34.05 for 200 strips that are compatible with the Choice Wireless BGM .
Both of these packages come with highly rated meters, per the Diabetes Technology Societys recent Blood Glucose Monitor System Surveillance Program. The meter included in the One Drop subscription is the same as the CVS Advanced from Agamatrix, which received a score of 97%, and the Roche Accu-Chek came in at 95%. If youre considering other meters, its wise to check out the results of this study an accurate meter makes a world of difference in blood sugar stability.
The takeaway from all of this? Blood sugar monitoring will probably never be fun but it also shouldnt ruin your day, and is an important part of self care for people with diabetes.
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How To Test Your Blood Sugar
Whether you test several times a day or only once, following a testing routine will help you prevent infection, return true results, and better monitor your blood sugar. Heres a step-by-step routine you can follow:
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Tips To Reduce Finger Prick Pain
Take the ouch out of blood sugar testing with these simple tricks from experts in diabetes care.
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Managing diabetes can be a pain literally. And the more blood sugar testing you do, the more of a pain it is, confirms Sacha Uelmen, RDN, CDE, director of nutrition for the American Diabetes Association. Still, monitoring blood sugar levels is a critical component of good diabetes management research involving more than 5,000 people with diabetes has shown that those who test blood sugar regularly have better blood sugar control than those who rely solely on diabetes medication. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to lessen the pain that comes along with that testing. So if finger pricks make you feel like a voodoo doll, here are eight strategies to try:
Prepare Your Lancing Device
A lancing device is used in combination with a lancet to prick the test site, causing a blood drop to form. Finger stick devices and lancets are intended for single-person use the CDC warns against sharing lancing devices due to the risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens.
Some lancing devices also have a depth selection dial, which can be adjusted to the most comfortable setting that can produce a blood drop.
Tip: Using a new lancet and smaller needle size may help reduce pain. The smaller the gauge number, the larger the needle will be.
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Beyond The Finger: Alternate Blood Sugar Testing Sites
Need to give your fingertips a break? Find out where else on your body you can do blood sugar testing to manage diabetes.
If youre tired of the pain of finger sticking and the calluses that can develop over time, alternate site testing could be an option for blood sugar testing, especially for those who want to do frequent checks.
In a study published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, researchers compared patients satisfaction with fingertip blood sugar testing and testing using an alternate site, in this case the palm of the hand. They found that people who test their blood sugar levels four times a day like the idea of using alternative site testing approaches. However, they also found that testing on their palm with regular lancing supplies didnt always provide easy access to get enough blood for a test strip.
Question : Does Checking Your Blood Sugar Have To Hurt
After receiving a type 2 diagnosis, I assumed that finger prick pain just had to be a part of my life I couldnt possibly avoid it if I was regularly checking my blood sugar, right?
Wrong.
While nothing completely takes away the sting, you can take measures to reduce pain and make it much more bearable. Ive found that pricking the sides of my finger pads helps greatly. Additionally, not using an alcohol wipe to prep my finger also helped with sensitivity for me. Alcohol dries out and tightens the skin , making it harder for the lancet to poke through the skin. Of course, you must make sure your hands are washed before a fingerstick otherwise you could have a false high blood sugar. When I cant wash my hands, at minimum I wipe away the initial drop and place a second drop on the strip.
Another hack that many people with diabetes use is to not change your lancet after every fingerstick. Notably, experts have found that this hack while it can reduce costs may increase pain because the tip gets blunted, which may increase the risk of infection and therefore is not recommended.
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Take Steps To Prevent Infection
To avoid infection, practice the strategies advised by the
Frequent and repeated testing can cause sore fingertips. Here are a few suggestions that may help prevent this:
- Dont reuse a lancet. They can become dull, which may make pricking your finger more painful.
- Be sure to prick the side of your finger, not the pad. Pricking the end of your finger can be more painful.
- Though it may be a tempting way to produce more blood quickly, dont squeeze your fingertip vigorously. Instead, hang your hand and arm down, allowing blood to pool in your fingertips. In addition:
- You can help increase blood flow by washing your hands with warm water.
- If you still have too little blood, you can squeeze your finger, but start at the part closest to your palm, and work your way down your finger until you have enough.
- Dont test on the same finger each time. As part of your routine, establish which finger youll use and when. This way, youll never repeat testing on the same finger during the same day.
- If a finger becomes sore anyway, avoid prolonging the pain by not using it for several days. Use a different finger if possible.
- If you have chronic finger pain as a result of testing, see your doctor about changing glucose monitors. Some monitors can use blood drawn from other parts of your body.
Being asked by your doctor to monitor your glucose levels is an important part of the diagnostic process. Remember that many things can affect your blood sugar, including:
Touch The Blood Glucose Test Strip To The Blood Drop
Figure 15. Touch the end of the test strip
It is important to look at the number on the screen, not just the color.
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Why Do People With Diabetes Use Finger Stick Tests
For people who have been diagnosed with diabetes, blood sugar levels are self-monitored with the use of a personal blood glucose meter and blood glucose test strips. Taking a finger stick test at home or on the go is a quick, cost-effective way to check blood sugar levels throughout the day and make any necessary treatment decisions, like dosing insulin.
Finger stick tests may also be performed by a healthcare professional for assisted monitoring of blood sugar. This involves drawing a drop of blood from the fingertip with a single-use, auto-disabling finger stick device for testing in a clinical care setting. The finger stick device in these settings may have a larger lancet size, which can sometimes cause slightly more pain compared to a finer lancet used when testing at home.
What Can I Expect On The Day Of The Test
A fasting blood glucose test is often done with a common blood draw. A healthcare provider will:
- Clean the area inside your elbow to kill any germs.
- Tie a band around your upper arm, which will help the veins in your arm fill with blood.
- Insert a clean needle into a vein .
- Draw blood into a vial thats attached to the needle and labeled with your personal information.
- Remove the band and then the needle.
- Put pressure on the needle insertion site to stop the bleeding.
- Place a bandage on the area.
After the test, the healthcare provider will send the blood sample to a lab for testing.
In some cases, your healthcare provider may be able to test your blood sugar with a prick on the finger instead of a needle in the vein. The provider uses a blood glucose monitor and test strip to measure your blood glucose level in the office.
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Other Tips For Checking:
- With some meters, you can also use your forearm, thigh, or fleshy part of your hand.
- There are spring-loaded lancing devices that make sticking yourself less painful.
- If you use your fingertip, stick the side of your fingertip by your fingernail to avoid having sore spots on the frequently used part of your finger.
Hypoglycemic Awareness Factors Into Using Alternate Sites
Some people with diabetes also have difficulty sensing the bodily signals of low blood sugar. Their hypoglycemic awareness has been blunted over time and they may not be able to accurately assess when blood sugar is going low. Though blood sugar testing is the only way to know for certain whether glucose levels are dropping, alternative site testing is not recommended for people who struggle with hypoglycemic awareness. Discuss it with your healthcare provider before you do alternate site testing.
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Apply Blood Sample To The Test Strip
Before you prick your finger, prepare your meter by inserting a new test strip according to the manufacturers instructions. Do not apply blood to the test strip until your meter is on and displaying the testing screen.
Once your meter is ready, hold the lancing device loaded with a lancet against the test site with gentle pressure and press the release button to prick your finger.
Make sure the blood drop is large enough to fill the test strip and bring the blood sample to the test strip. Most test strips will quickly wick the blood into the sample area within a few seconds. The meter may provide a visual or audio indication when to remove your finger, after enough blood has been applied.
For more information on how to test your blood sugar see the how to test your blood sugar article.
Tip: As you bring the blood sample to the test strip, avoid wiping or smearing blood on areas outside the designated sample area. Only the edge of the test strip with the sample area should come in contact with the blood sample.
How Do You Pronounce Diabetes
60 to seventy five carbohydrate g per meal are an inexpensive consumption for most girls, forty five to 60 g are appropriate.
Diabetes is a continual sickness and might result in death if proper health measures and treatment are not taken on time The manufacturing of CGMs is one step ahead towards advancement in medical science and getting hassle free and fewer painful blood sugar readings It received approved by the FDA in 2017 and was the first non finger prick technology to document the blood sugar level.
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