Post by Steve on Mar 19, 2017 10:56:53 GMT -8
How presumptuous to tell you how to check your blood! But I have a few tips that may have escaped your attention (they did mine), so permit a bit of info that might surprise you! Or not.
For the sake of anyone new to this, it is actually important that you start by washing your hands with hot soapy water. Alcohol wipes also work but they will toughen the skin over time. You want to make sure there is no residue of food on your fingers that will give some way-high number! Been there, done that. Dry your hands on a clean towel, not one used at the kitchen sink. Again, avoid food contamination.
Did you know that delay in using a test strip can be a problem? And leaving the canister of strips open, or a test strip exposed too long (10 minutes?) can be thrown off by humidity! Snap the cap and get to the business. Stick your finger and get your blood drop. Tips: 1) poke the side of the finger tip, not the pad. The side is less sensitive and has a good blood flow; 2) if you have trouble getting a decent drop (maybe this size: •) rest your finger against the table and press the lancet hard against it. Much better results for me. Get a too-high number? Wash, rinse, repeat to check for an error.
This assumes that your test strips aren't running up a big bill at the pharmacy! You want to test several times a day, and while Medicare softens the blow, you can find the cost will put you off. Check at least twice: "fasting" and two hours after lunch[1].
I'm a big fan of my Accu-chek test meter. Test strips are a better price on Amazon, too.It has big digital read-out, but I confess I also use a 5x magnifier that helps. See the unit on Amazon. It works great and also helps read my blood pressure cuff, as well as food labels! I tried a OneTouch VerioIQ but it was too touchy and the strips were small and easily contaminated just by taking them out of the container (touching the tips) so too many error codes for me. VerioIQ meter was not a winner.
A page chock full of test strip trivia? Why do they cost so much? And more...
- - -
1. often described as postprandial. Post=after, and -prandial, from Latin prandium "luncheon" (usually bread, fish, or cold meat, taken around noon."– Online Etymology
For the sake of anyone new to this, it is actually important that you start by washing your hands with hot soapy water. Alcohol wipes also work but they will toughen the skin over time. You want to make sure there is no residue of food on your fingers that will give some way-high number! Been there, done that. Dry your hands on a clean towel, not one used at the kitchen sink. Again, avoid food contamination.
Did you know that delay in using a test strip can be a problem? And leaving the canister of strips open, or a test strip exposed too long (10 minutes?) can be thrown off by humidity! Snap the cap and get to the business. Stick your finger and get your blood drop. Tips: 1) poke the side of the finger tip, not the pad. The side is less sensitive and has a good blood flow; 2) if you have trouble getting a decent drop (maybe this size: •) rest your finger against the table and press the lancet hard against it. Much better results for me. Get a too-high number? Wash, rinse, repeat to check for an error.
This assumes that your test strips aren't running up a big bill at the pharmacy! You want to test several times a day, and while Medicare softens the blow, you can find the cost will put you off. Check at least twice: "fasting" and two hours after lunch[1].
I'm a big fan of my Accu-chek test meter. Test strips are a better price on Amazon, too.It has big digital read-out, but I confess I also use a 5x magnifier that helps. See the unit on Amazon. It works great and also helps read my blood pressure cuff, as well as food labels! I tried a OneTouch VerioIQ but it was too touchy and the strips were small and easily contaminated just by taking them out of the container (touching the tips) so too many error codes for me. VerioIQ meter was not a winner.
A page chock full of test strip trivia? Why do they cost so much? And more...
- - -
1. often described as postprandial. Post=after, and -prandial, from Latin prandium "luncheon" (usually bread, fish, or cold meat, taken around noon."– Online Etymology
