Using Diabetes Test Strips

When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, your physician will suggest that you test your blood glucose regularly at home. To do this you will need a blood glucose monitor and diabetes test strips.  At first, testing your blood may seem to be a daunting prospect.  Many people are put off with the idea of sticking themselves repeatedly to draw blood.  But this is truly the most effective way for you to learn how certain foods and activities affect your blood sugar levels.  It is also a very important way to monitor how you are managing your disease.

Now that you know why your are supposed to test your blood, here's a short primer on how to test your blood:

1. First you should gather your supplies together.  Having everything together and ready will prevent you from wasting any test strips or having to stick yourself multiple times for one test.
2. Clean your injection site.  Most diabetes test strips are most effective with a blood sample from your fingertip, however increasingly, more meters are offering "alternate site" testing.  This means you can take a sample from your arm or your leg.  In any event, you will want to either wash the area well with warm, soapy water, or wipe the area with an alcohol wipe.  Allow the area to completely dry so your blood sample will be untainted.
3. Get your lancet ready.  Always make sure to use a new lancet each time you test your blood as you can develop a blood infection if you do not.  Most lancets are designed to be used with a lancing device and these usually come pre-packaged with your meter.
4. Get the meter ready.  In most cases you put the strip into the meter.  Some meters come with disks of pre-loaded strips.  Some meters will turn on automatically when a test strip is loaded.  (Read the manual before using to become familiar with how your meter works.)
5. Once your meter is on and a strip is in position, it is time to take get a blood sample.  To do this, you will need to stick yourself with your lancet in the area you have prepared, most often a fingertip.  Your meter's instruction manual will indicate how large a sample you need.  Usually it is a very small drop.  Touch the strip to the drop of blood and it will be absorbed up the strip.  (Your meter may work slightly differently, make sure to read your manual first.)
6. Your meter will display the test results of your blood test.  Most meters keep a history, but many people find it helpful to keep track in a journal or a spreadsheet.  It is also very helpful to indicate what you have eaten prior to your test, how you are feeling physically, and what if any exercise you have had.  Over time, you will be able to discern patterns between these things and your blood sugar results.  Your doctor will give you target blood sugar numbers.  If you are much higher or lower than the levels your physician has indicated are your targets, you should contact him or her and discuss what to do next.
7. After you are done taking your blood glucose levels, you should wash the site from which you have gathered your blood sample.  This is to avoid infection.

So you see, using a blood glucose meter and diabetes test strips is not difficult at all, and can provide valuable information in helping you to manage your diabetes.

Click Here: Best Prices on Diabetes Testing Strips