Blood glucose self-monitoring.
For many people, suffering from diabetes, is  very important to be able to measure and determine what their
blood glucose level is throughout the day.
As a matter of fact this is an imperative for patients, using insulin, including pregnant women, being diagnosed with
gestational diabetes. Typically, these people are
advised to monitor their blood glucose twice or three times per day. The main reason that
this action is required is to prevent any hypoglycemic episode due to the use of
insulin, combined with other risk factors, like stress, missing meals or laborious
exercise. As it is apparent, blood glucose self-monitoring is critical for patients with
hypoglycemia
unawareness.
Another reason that self-monitoring can be used is to produce tables or graphs, regarding
the levels of the blood glucose over a certain period of time. This may be an important
piece of information for the healthcare provider to determine how effective a diabetes
therapeutical scheme is.
What are glucose monitors or glucose meters?
A blood glucose monitor or meter is an electronic device, powered by a battery. Such
monitors are used in combination with special absorbing paper testing strips. The strip
is put on a tiny amount of blood, usually taken from a fingertip. As soon as the strip is
saturated, it is inserted into a monitor’s special slot. The amount of glucose
found in the blood sample is traced and measured automatically within a few seconds. This
measurement can give a very good idea about the blood glucose level at that particular
moment.
What blood sugar monitors are available in the market?
There is a great range of monitors with a variety of features. For instance, a glucose
meter may keep a back-up history of your measurements, transfer your data to your
computer or to produce different beeping sounds if there is an error or when a
measurement is finished.
When the monitors were first used, the only blood sample that could lead to a safe result
was the one taken from a fingertip. Luckily, the latest generation of these devices can
give accurate results with blood samples taken from other parts of the body, including
hand, arm, calf and thigh.
High measuring speed, minimum possible blood sample, high result accuracy and a facility
of storing previous measurements, combined with a reasonable size and price are the main
features of a good monitor.
Where can I find glucose monitors?
We have spotted some glucose meters, which include all or most of the above
characteristics, and if you try the following links you will be able to find them online.
If you use the links in the right column, you will find the test strips which are
suitable to each meter.
Click the following links, if you want to read about the
sites we recommend and secured
transactions.
How do I do blood glucose self-monitoring?
Although some manufacturers of glucose meters may provide slightly different
instructions, we will try to describe the basic steps that you should follow to monitor
you blood glucose level.
1. 
Make sure you have everything you need for your blood glucose
self-monitoring procedure.
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2. 
Wash and dry you hands thoroughly. |
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3. 
Take a blood sample from your fingertip by using the lancet, found
in the kit. |
4. 
Place a drop of blood on a testing strip. |
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5. 
Activate your monitor and insert the saturated strip into the
slot. |
6. 
Keep the day, time and measurement in your records for possible
later review. |
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The illustrative material has been provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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