[acb-diabetics] Ten reasons for checking your blood sugar

Sun Aug 8 03:07:51 GMT 2010

To Bill Benson from Bill Lewis 

Bill, the meter is usually not the problem for finding the blood drop.  Instead, it is the common problem is getting blood to circulate fast enough to fill the capularies just under the skin.  As Mike Freeman stated, try soaking your hand in warm water first.  It is not necessary to soak your head, unless you wish to take a shower at the same time.  
 Swing your arm around a few times.  Shake your hand up and down.  Wiggle your wrist a dozen time.  Masage your designated finger a few times.  

Now, you are all set and ready.  Place the lancet on the spot on the designated finger but do not press the button yet.  Next, take your thumb on your designated hand and reach across the palm of that hand and touch the tip of the thumb against the side of the lancet to mark the spot.  Press the buatton on the lancet to create the release of a blood drop.

Now, put down the lancet and pick up your meter with the strip inserted and ready to go.  The blood drop should be located about a half inch from your thumb tip.  Touch the strip to the end of the fingertip to orient yourself to location and direction.  Then slowly slide the strip or carefully tap the strip and move the strip away from the fingertip, hoping to locate the blood sample where the needle entered the skin.  As your strip locates it, it will beep.  Hold the strip there for several seconds.  A vocal reading should be forthcoming.  

If you do not seem to be finding any trace of blood on the finger, it may be that your needle is not set deep enough.  According to what I've read through the years, the needle should be set to enter the skin only deep enough to reach the skin layer beneath the surce layer.  The second layer is where the capularies are located.  At that level, the "needle sting" will be minimal but the drop should still be coming out okay.  

If the sample drop does not appear, try setting your needle to an additional click upward.  Most lancets have four to six setting click.  The sixth is the deepest; number one is the most shallow.  I set my lancet at three.  Although the sting of the lancet is more noticeable, the needle does a better job reaching beneath the thick skin into the under layer.   

If these suggestions that you have picked up from us still don't work, get back with us here again.  You know us: we got suggestions we haven't even used yet!  (brin)  Good hunting.  

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mike Freeman 
  To: Discussion list for diabetics and/or ACB issues 
  Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:07 AM
  Subject: Re: [acb-diabetics] Ten reasons for checking your blood sugar

  Not really. The Solo will tell you if you haven't enough blood but you have to take a second reading anyway, just as you would with the Prodigy Voice. My best advice is to practice, practice, practice, warming your hands in warm water for a couple of minutes before attempting to test, perhaps milking the finger that has been punctured a bit (but not too much). Also, although some may not understand what I shall say next or disagree with me, I say forget about painless testing. Set your lancet on max penetration: if it doesn't sting, you're not doing it right. Moreover, the "ouch" gives you a better idea where to put your strip to get the blood (I always move the meter to the strip with the hand lying flat, not the other way round as this helps to allow the blood to bead and helps to prevent smearing).

  Best of luck.

  Mike Freeman

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Bill Benson 
    To: plawolf at earthlink.net ; Discussion list for diabetics and/or ACB issues 
    Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 10:19 PM
    Subject: Re: [acb-diabetics] Ten reasons for checking your blood sugar

    This is a very good article, however, I don't seem to be able to get enough blood, or get it on to the right spot.  I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with any of the new meters, and are they a lot easier to work with?

    Bill
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Patricia LaFrance-Wolf 
      To: blind diabetics of the Blind ; Acb-Diabetics at Acb. Org ; Joy Steigel ; Julie Cantrell ; Don Bishop 
      Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 5:58 PM
      Subject: [acb-diabetics] Ten reasons for checking your blood sugar

      Ten Reasons to Test Your Blood Sugar

      Rachel Garlinghouse

      Aug 3, 2010 

      We can all come up with plenty of excuses not to test our 

      blood sugar

      . For one, yeah, it stings a little (No pain, no gain, the angel on my shoulder whispers in my ear). For another, testing isn't convenient, no matter how

      quickly the meter works or how small it is. While seemingly everyone else is carelessly enjoying a meal or leaping into the swimming pool, you are on the

      sidelines trying to ignore your 

      diabetes

      . And of course, sometimes, we just do not want to know what the number will be. It's easier to ignore the ugly truth than face it.

      There are, however, plenty of reasons to test.  Good reasons. Let's examine them:

      list of 10 items

      1. You are hungry. If you are hungry, it's possible your blood sugar is on the low side or you are in an official state of 

      hypoglycemia

      . It's better to know your number before treating versus eating, without testing, based on hunger. Sometimes I'm ravenous because it's 

      lunch

      time, but other times my body is trying to tell me my blood sugar is low and I need an immediate source of 

      carbohydrate. 

      2. You are thirsty. Sure, you might just be dehydrated. But thirst is one of the symptoms of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Again, it's always better

      to test than to assume you just need a glass of water. Testing can reveal a high blood sugar that requires your attention. If you are high, drinking plenty

      of fluids is important to rehydrate. 

      3. You are tired. I can become tired when I am high or low, so if I'm feeling especially exhausted, I check my blood sugar. A low can run me down for a

      few hours, so after a 

      low blood sugar

      , I have to check frequently. A high can have me in a fog, and it's easier for me to not be inconvenienced by checking again a few hours later, but I usually

      test anyway.  I set my alarm and make sure I'm not still running high or that I haven't roller coastered into a low.  

      4. You are going to drive. Getting behind the wheel with a high or low blood sugar not only endangers you and your passengers, but other people on the roads

      and sidewalks as well.  Consider driving to be a privilege and a great responsibility. If you are too low to drive, it is best to treat your low, check

      fifteen minutes later to see where you stand.  Another option is to ask someone else to drive even after you've treated, especially if your blood sugar

      is unstable that day.  

      5. You are going to bed. Some people are incredibly deep sleepers, and a high or a low blood sugar (called 

      hypoglycemia unawareness

      ) will not awake them. I have to remind myself that eight hours is a long time to not check my blood sugar, so I need to be sure to have a good number before

      I hit the sack.  On many occasions, I have set my alarm and tested in the middle of the night.    

      6. You are irritated. One of the tall tale signs that I am low is if my alter-personality comes out. And be warned; she is angry!  The beauty of hypoglycemia,

      if there is such a thing, is that our bodies do a pretty good job warning us that we need carbohydrates. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include irritability

      or nervousness, shaking, a racing heart, sweating, hunger, and more.   Each patient is different, so it's wise to reflect on what your symptoms are and

      review with your doctor how to treat a low. 

      7. You are stressed. I remember going through periods of high blood sugars. Frustrated, I called my dietitian and diabetes educator and asked her what the

      possible cause could be.   She asked me about what was going on in my life. If you are feeling stressed over family, job, or other personal matters, consider

      how that is impacting your blood sugars.  You might need to make some serious changes in your life and seek professional help. 

      8. You are busy. Ahhh, aren't we all? Some days I am rushing from classroom to classroom, and then I drive home from work and realize that I didn't check

      my blood sugar for five hours.   This results in high sugars staying high for too long or me skipping my afternoon snack which almost always leads to an

      evening low.   I have found that setting an alarm or writing down a reminder and placing it somewhere visible helps me remember keep tabs on my diabetes.

      9. You are going to 

      exercise. 

      Exercise is both a beauty and a beast of diabetes.  Initially, exercise does increase blood sugars, but the after effects of exercise generally lower blood

      sugars, sometimes for days afterward.   Talk to your doctor about what an acceptable pre-exercise blood sugar number should be.  You also need to figure

      exercise into your meal planning.  Always wear your medical identification, carry an emergency source of carbohydrate, and have a partner or a cell phone

      nearby when exercising. 

      10. You just do not feel right. Everyone, 

      diabetic

       or not, has days when they just feel off.   However, people with diabetes must be ultra-sensitive to their bodies cues and not blow off a strange or unfamiliar

      feeling. Oftentimes I begin to feel anxious up to an hour before I have a low blood sugar, and other times, my hypoglycemia comes on quickly and without

      much warning. Because I do not have a pattern of common symptoms, I know to check my sugar at the first sign of discomfort or uneasiness.  

      list end

      There are many other reasons to test your blood sugar, and I'm sure you can come up with equally as many excuses not to test.  However, you hold most of

      the power in your diabetes management, and of course a key component of living well with diabetes is testing, testing, and testing more.   May you find

      the conviction and motivation to keep your meter handy.

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Categories: 

      Blood Sugar,

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