November is National Diabetes month ! Blood sugar testing tips!

November is the month to really focus on diabetes. If you don't have it, it is a good idea to familiarize your self with it so you can avoid it by taking care of your self. About 25 million people have it in the United States. Chances are you or someone close to you already has it or will have it someday. 

One thing about diabetes is that is NEVER silent. Even if it seems that way. Something is always going on. Our first focus for this month is blood glucose testing. No matter what diabetes medication you take, type of diabetes, or current HbA1c(glycosolated hemoglobin, or 3 month average) level, you should be testing. Of course the number of test times will vary from person to person. I have included the following tips to help you be more successful.

1. WASH YOU HANDS. Any sticky substances on your test site will alter the test giving you a false test. Don't use hand sanitizer. This has been proven to alter tests too. Use plain soap and water.

2. USE GOOD STRIPS.  These can be sensitive to extreme temperatures.So plan accordingly. Don't use expired strips either. Expired or damaged strips will give you a false result as well. 

3. RECORD YOUR RESULTS. I know your meter will store about 250 test results. I also know it is tedious write down every test result. From a health care professional's point of view, you need to know a filled out log book is "priceless". It is tremendously helpful to have blood sugar results recorded. An entire week  can be seen in a glance. It is easier for your health care provider and you to see patterns when a logbook is used. This means better and more accurate treatment you. If you are out of the habit start again today.

4. GET A NEW METER EVERY 2 YEARS. Meter technology is constantly changing and improving. There are improvements made that you are not aware of. Even if your meter seems to be working "just fine" it is recommended you get a new one after two years .Most insurance companies cover blood glucose monitors. Medicare currently covers a new meter at 80% every year. Heck hit the doctor up for one. The reps leave so many of those at his office. You can use the same make and model again. Then as a good friend would say" Give your old meter a "good burial".

5. USE CONTROL SOLUTION. This checks the accuracy of the strips. If you get an unexpected number when testing your blood sugar, test again. If you get another unexpected number...use the control solution in place of blood for a test. There is a test range on the bottle of your strips. The number should fall in that range. If it is above or below that range...something is wrong with your strips. You will want to start a new bottle. Control solution is only "good" for 90 days once it is opened. So plan accordingly. If you have any questions about testing call the 888 number on the back of your monitor.

Testing more accurately and recording your results can make a huge difference. In my experience, the payoff is huge.