Diabetes Testing

Testing Blood Sugar with Diabetes

Diabetes does not choose anyone. Young and old can acquire this disease. And it may strike at the most inconvenient time. However diabetes alone is not outwardly fatal. The complications it brings about are the things that one to be worried about, for they target the most important organs of the body. And that’s when the disease gets dangerous.

Everyone with diabetes should try to test their blood sugar or glucose levels regularly. If you know your body’s blood glucose level, it will help you in forming a good strategy of medication against the disease. Regular testing of blood sugar can also help reduce the risk acquiring the long-term complications of diabetes.

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There are several ways of testing your blood sugar and it may depend on the facilities available. The traditional method of testing blood sugar is known as the blood glucose monitoring. This method can even be used at home via the easy-to-use kits available at pharmacies today. It involves pricking your finger with a sharp needle, putting the blood in the test strip and then placing the strip into a meter that displays your blood sugar level.

However, there are new meters that test alternative sites of your body and you need not prick your finger. Newer meters allow you to test your upper arm, forearm and the base of your thigh and thumb. However, testing blood sugar via this method is less accurate compared to obtaining blood from the fingertips.

Another method is the use of laser to draw blood. With the use of a device that produces a precise beam of light that penetrates the skin on the finger, a good picture of one’s blood glucose is obtained. This is a one of the painless but effective way of determining one’s blood sugar level.

There are some devices used for blood sugar testing created by private companies. These are MiniMed and GlucoWatch. MiniMed is a continuous glucose monitoring system that involves a small plastic catheter inserted under the skin. It collects small amounts of fluid and measures the glucose content for 72 hours. GlucoWatch, on the other hand, is a watch-like device that helps people with diabetes measure their blood sugar via tiny electric currents. This device draws small amounts of fluid from the skin and then measures blood glucose levels three times in a span of twelve hours.

The above-mentioned devices provide patients with an easy, rather comfortable way of knowing whether their blood sugar is within normal or if require immediate attention. However the most effective method is still the finger prick method.