7 Helpful Tips for Checking Your Blood Sugar and Caring for Your Meter

Most meters come with three parts:

  • Lancet – A needle that is used to get a drop of blood from your finger or another part of your body.
  • Test Strip – The strip where you put the blood you are checking.
  • Control Solutions – Liquid used to make sure your meter is working properly.

Meters come in different sizes. Meters also come with different features. Some meters let you track and print out your results, you can upload them to a cloud service or they can get transferred to your smartphone via bluetooth. Others have audio and larger screens to help people who have problems seeing. The meter you choose should fit your lifestyle and your needs. We are now seeing more and more meters providng the option of report creation and data analysis, this is extremely helpful to identify patterns and make the needed changes.


7 Helpful Tips for Checking Your Blood Sugar and Caring for Your Meter

  • Read the directions for the meter and the test strips before you start using them.
  • Wash your hands before you check your blood sugar. Food, juice or dirt on your fingers may affect your blood sugar result.
  • Use the right strip for your meter and callibration code if needed. The meter may give you the wrong results if you use the wrong test strip or wrong callibration code.
  • Write down your results and the date and time you checked. Do this even if your meter tracks your numbers. Take the results with you when you go to your doctor.
  • Clean your meter as directed. Glass cleaners, ammonia and other cleaning products may damage your meter.
  • Talk to your health care provider about how your medicines will affect your blood sugar. Other medications can affect your blood sugar reading.
  • Take your meter with you when you go to your doctor. This way you can check your blood sugar in front of the doctor or nurse to make sure you are doing it the right way. Your health care provider may be able to print out your blood sugar results from your meter.
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