Importance of Blood Glucose Testing

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I know none of us enjoy the finger prick and testing of our blood glucose (BG) levels.  But we should truly be aware that this is very important for keeping this disease under control.

By keeping our BG levels under control, we help lengthen our lives and certainly avoid some of the very serious complications.  Who wants to go blind, lose limbs or go on dialysis? or have to have a liver transplant?

I’ve been told that I need to keep my BG levels between 90 and 180.  I tend to run high, so this takes real work for me to achieve.  My goal is to have my A1C down to the 6’s next time I see my doc.  It was over 9 last time I was him, but I’ve been working on it and I know its coming down.

Testing Frequently

I should be testing at least once a day but right now I’m trying to test twice (before breakfast and before bedtime. and then other days before lunch and before dinner.  If you run out of test strips, ask your doc to prescribe more – he will probably be glad to know you are wanting to keep tighter control of your disease.

Keeping a record is very helpful, especially for my doctor to tweak my meds when he sees me every 3-4 months.

Recordkeeping

My doctor has a printed sheet I can use to keep my numbers but I like to keep my numbers on an Excel spreadsheet.  I keep about 30 days of numbers and average up each time of day and then the overall average (like the A1C for one month).  This helps my doc quickly see what is going on with my BG numbers on a daily basis.  He asks to see my recordkeeping every time I see him.

I’m including my Excel Spreadsheet as a download for your use. If you like.

I have a key showing which cells contain formulas – so don’t mess with those.  You can also add your meds to the bottom area and your name to the top before you print out the sheet for your doc.

Here’s another trick, if your printer isn’t working and you have a iPad or tablet, just sow the worksheet full screen and take a pic of it with your tablet to show your doc.  My doctor was quite intrigued when I showed in my numbers this way one visit.

Click to download the Excel Spreadsheet. Blood Glucose Spreadsheet download

Comments

Thanks for looking at my site and coming to this page. I would love for you to leave any questions or comments below.  In addition, I’m open to new topics to research and comment on as they pertain to my own health and experience living with diabetes.  Please share your interests and questions in your comments.  I also love to hear others stories about how they handle their own diabetes issues.

– Shirley