Diabetes is a serious condition that can have grave consequences on your health. Using diabetic strips to test your blood sugar regularly is one of the ways to keep your diabetes under control. According to Diabetes.org, 47% of people struggle to self-monitor their blood sugar because testing is inconvenient. It's vital that you learn the proper ways to test your blood sugar levels. Keep reading to learn important tips for testing.
1. Prioritize Hygiene
Any time you're dealing with health-related testing, you need to prioritize hygiene. You can start by simply washing your hands thoroughly before testing. You should use warm soapy water to wash well. Follow up by drying your hands on a clean towel. You should also clean the testing area with an alcohol swab. Allow the swabbed area to dry completely.
2. Proper Lancet Preparation
It's also crucial that the testing lancet is properly prepared as well. You should insert a clean needle into the lancing device. This device is spring-loaded. It holds the needle and is used to prick the end of the finger to draw a drop of blood.
3. Prepare the Test Strip
Following this, you'll need to prepare the test strip. You should use your clean hands and remove a new strip from your supply. Close up the bottle completely so that other strips aren't contaminated or lost.
4. Strip Insertion
You're now ready to insert the strip. Modern meters have you insert the strip before you prick your finger. You should make sure that the strip is securely inserted and ready to receive the drop of blood sample.
5. Finger Prick
You should conduct the finger prick at this point. You will prick the side of your fingertip with the prepared lancet. You will see a drip of blood come up. You will then wipe off the first drop of blood with an alcohol wipe and then use the second drop of blood for testing. You should try to keep the testing strip off of your skin and allow only the blood to touch the strip if possible.
Following these steps and memorizing these steps should make it easier to conduct your blood sugar testing. If you need diabetic strips or supplies, please contact us today at Pay For Strips.
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