Gestational diabetes: Checking your blood sugar
What is home blood sugar monitoring?
You need to check your blood sugar every day to make sure it is staying in a safe range. If it is staying too high, you may need to adjust your treatment, or you may need to start taking insulin if you are not taking it already. You can know what your blood sugar level is at any time by using a home blood sugar meter. This is often referred to as home blood sugar monitoring or self-testing. Your doctor may want you to check your blood sugar level 4 to 6 times a day. You will also need to test your blood sugar if you feel faint, dizzy, unusually tired, nervous, or jittery; break out in a cold sweat; have a headache; and/or feel sick to your stomach.
To test your blood sugar level
using a blood sugar meter, prick your finger with a small needle called a lancet to collect a drop of blood. Follow the directions to prepare your test strip and meter to receive the blood sample. Within a few seconds to 2 minutes, the meter shows the results of your test.
Test Your Knowledge
Home blood sugar monitoring involves:
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: December 4, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Lois Jovanovic, MD - Endocrinology | |
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