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An easy access environment offering a range of educational materials for the healthcare professional with information on various subjects in diabetes management.

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Monitoring

Controlling your blood glucose is a very important part of managing diabetes. Testing your blood glucose regularly helps measure the effectiveness of your meal plan, physical activity and medications. You can use this information to make large-scale decisions, like whether to continue with a particular workout program, or small ones, like whether to eat a snack.

To self-test your blood glucose, you need a blood glucose meter, a test strip and a lancing device. Then, follow these steps:1

  • Wash and dry your hands. Using warm water may help the blood flow.
  • Prick your finger with the lancing device to obtain a drop of blood.
  • Hold the strip to the blood so that it can absorb the amount of blood it needs.
  • Wait a few seconds to view your results.
  • Discard the lancet and test strip properly.

Follow the instructions included with your lancing device to get a drop of blood— which normally include shaking your hands below the wrist or gently squeezing your finger a few times. While testing from the tip of a finger is most common, it is possible to use alternate sites for testing. Other methods of testing and monitoring will look at your blood glucose in the long-term. An A1C, also known as glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c test gives you a picture of your average blood glucose control for the past 120 days (3 to 4 months)

1Joslin Diabetes Center. Blood glucose monitoring: your tool for diabetes control. Available at: http://www.joslin.org/managing_your_diabetes_650.asp. Accessed October 16, 2008.
2American Diabetes Association. A1C test, Available at http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/a1c-test.jsp . Accessed November 11, 2008.

 

A1C

The A1C test (also known as HbA1c or glycated hemoglobin) measures your average blood glucose levels over a period of time by taking a sample of a specific component of your red blood cells—hemoglobin A1C molecules.

Some blood glucose naturally attaches itself to these A1C molecules as the molecules move through your bloodstream. When this happens, the molecule is considered "glycated." The more glucose in your blood, the more glycated A1C molecules you will have.1

The A1C test is not a substitute for frequent self-monitoring. It shows the average amount of blood glucose in the body over the last 3–4 months. A lot of highs and low blood glucose results can give you an average result that looks normal. Only self-monitoring can show how meals, physical activity, medications, illness and stress affect your blood glucose over short periods of time. This provides more accurate information that you can use in the daily self-management of diabetes.

Most experts recommend an A1C test every 3 months. Your healthcare professional will help you schedule A1C tests and decide what testing schedule is right for you.

1 American Diabetes Association. A1C test. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/a1c-test.jsp. Accessed October 16, 2008.

 

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