Getting the Most Out of Blood Glucose Meters
By BarryE
July 14, 2008
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Keeping glucose levels under control can help people with diabetes feel better and also lower the risk of blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Very high or very low blood sugar can have serious consequences.
Although blood glucose meters are fairly simple to operate, many things can go wrong if the user isn't careful. Here are some tips that can help people with diabetes get accurate results from their glucose meters.
• Be prepared before you do the test. Carefully read all instructions for your meter and test strips. Calibrate the meter or test it to be sure it's calibrated before you use it.
• Be sure that you're using test strips that are specified to work with your meter. Even if an incorrect test strip fits in your meter, it could give you the wrong results. Don't use test strips from a cracked or damaged bottle and don't use test strips that have passed their expiration date.
• Once you're ready to test, wash your hands, because even a little bit of food or sugar can affect the results. Make sure the drop of blood is the right size. Let the blood flow freely; don't squeeze your finger, since that can affect the results. Always use a whole test strip and insert it into the meter until you feel it stop against the end of the meter guide.
• Storage and maintenance are important, too. Be sure to keep your meter clean, and test it regularly with control solution. Have extra batteries charged and ready. Heat and humidity can damage test strips, so replace the bottle cap promptly after removing a strip. And store your meter and supplies according to manufacturer instructions.
What about glucose meters that allow you to use blood from places other than fingertips, such as the upper arm, forearm, base of the thumb, and thigh? This can give you more options. But blood from a finger stick shows changes in glucose levels more quickly than blood from other parts of the body. That means that glucose levels from these other places may not always be as accurate as readings from the fingertips, particularly when glucose levels are changing rapidly, including after a meal, after taking insulin, during exercise, or when you're ill or under stress. During these times, you should use blood from a finger stick. You should also use fingertip blood if you think your blood glucose is low, if you don't usually have symptoms when your blood glucose is low, or if the result from the alternative site doesn't match how you feel.
Glucose meters are generally reliable, but they're not as accurate as testing done in your doctor's office. So take your meter with you when you visit your doctor so you can compare it with your laboratory results. Finally, if your meter gives a normal reading but you still suspect your glucose is too low or too high, contact your doctor immediately.
FDA Patient Safety News: June 2008
For more information, please see our website:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cf...
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Comments (15 comments)
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I will check out the link that you posted.
All diabetics should be aware of the importance of their Blood Glucose Meters !
Thanks for highlighting this. I also did a video on "best practices" for using your glucose meter, which can be found at:
www.diabeticconnect.com/v­ideos/369-gluco...
Best,
AmyT
A very interesting and informative video on the proper usage and care of a Blood Glucose Meter.
For more information click here :
http://www.diabeticconnec­t.com/news-arti...
For a Free Blood Glucose Meter click here :
https://offers.bayerdiabe­tes.com/FreeMet...
This is a very good video especially for beginners and for those of us who need reminders. On the video it said not to squeeze the blood out of the finger tip for a more accurate reading. When in the ER or hospital, they squeeze and wipe away blood and squeeze again. It is more painful that way and I usually bruise more that way.
Thank you for submitting.
Turtle
same here if i don't squeze finger i don't get enough blood
I always hear that you are not supposed to squeeze your finger, but if I don't, I never get enough blood.
It's the only way you know if there is anything wrong,especially when you have no physical alerts. This way you can call your Doctor for advice!
This video was very infomative. I learned a lot more from this than reading my meters instructions.
I have been doing it wrong. Thank You Bayy this explains a lot.
Jackie
I did not know humidity could change the effectiveness of my strips. thanks, I will have to keep an eye on that. Florida is a bathtub of humidity most of the year.
I knew this. Always good to review..
NamVet
Already knew all of this. Good video.
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS INFO WITH ME…VERY GOOD INFO… LISA
very goodinformation.
Very good information. I will have to start doing it this way. Thanks for sharing the video.