after meals Monitoring: Control your the Power to bedtime before meals ActiveCare Basics ActiveCare Basics

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "after meals Monitoring: Control your the Power to bedtime before meals ActiveCare Basics ActiveCare Basics"

Valerie Rich
8 years ago
Views:

1 ActiveCare Basics This pamphlet is an educational resource published for participants in the Diabetes ActiveCare Program through Prescription Solutions. To order your diabetes testing supplies, call toll-free Monday Friday 7 A.M. 7 P.M. CT Hearing impaired may call TTY With Medicare Part B and your Medicare Supplement insurance, you may pay nothing at all for your supplies. Deductibles and co-payments may apply. HMOs are not eligible. For additional information and support, visit our Web site: diabetes.rxsolutions.com To learn more about diabetes, call the American Diabetes Association at DIABETES. Reference: American Diabetes Association. Prescription Solutions is an affiliate of United HealthCare Insurance Company Prescription Solutions. All rights reserved. ActiveCare Basics Monitoring: the Power to Control your fasting Blood Sugar before meals bedtime after meals MSS07-030B 7/

nday Friday 7 A.M. 7 P.M. CT Hearing impaired may call TTY 1-866-747-1014 With Medicare Part B and your Medicare Supplement insurance, you may pay nothing at all for your supplies.

2 Monitoring blood sugar levels is essential in diabetes care. Using your numbers is one of the most important ways you and your diabetes care team can help keep your condition in control. The results from checking your blood sugar can tell you many things about your health and your lifestyle. In fact, by monitoring your blood sugar at specific times of the day, especially before and after meals, you can adjust ActiveCare Basics Stay Focused on how your Blood Sugar level Changes During the Day. your diet and exercise program, as well as adjust any medications you take as your doctor prescribes. Using a blood sugar meter and test strips, blood sugar monitoring can be quick and easy. The benefits of following your doctor s instructions can go a long way to helping you be your healthiest.

In fact, by monitoring your blood sugar at specific times of the day, especially before and after meals, you can adjust ActiveCare Basics Stay Focused on how your Blood Sugar level Changes During

3 Who should check blood sugar levels? Anyone who has diabetes. It is especially vital for those who use insulin and for women who have diabetes during pregnancy. Monitoring blood sugar is important for people who take medicines by mouth, and even important for those who manage their diabetes with lifestyle alone. In fact, knowing blood sugar levels can allow anyone with diabetes and their care givers to take steps to keep their numbers within their target range. What is blood sugar monitoring? There are two kinds of blood sugar monitoring: self monitoring and medical monitoring. With self monitoring, you check a small drop of your blood using a blood sugar meter and test strip. This tells you your blood sugar level at that time. Checking frequently can help you keep an eye on your blood sugar level on a regular basis. However, self monitoring does not tell you how well your blood sugar is controlled over a longer period of time. Medical monitoring is done through a laboratory blood test called an A1C. This requires a blood sample that is tested to measure your blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months. Instead of being a single blood sugar result such as 170 mg/dl, it tells you a percentage, such as 7%. Your healthcare team can help you understand what your reading means for you. When should people with diabetes check their blood sugar? Ask your doctor when and how often you should check. The goal is to check often enough to be able to achieve your blood sugar control target. The American Diabetes Association suggests that people using insulin should check at least three times per day. People with diabetes who do not use insulin should check as needed to achieve control. To gain the greatest value from checking blood sugar levels, you and your doctor need to review and use the results to make decisions about your diabetes care plan. You may learn that you need to adjust your food choices or exercise plan, or that a change in your diabetes medicine is required. It is also important to know when to check if you have a change in your health. When you are sick, your monitoring schedule may be different from usual. And, what you do Know the 5Ws of Blood Sug Monitorin Who, What, When, Why & Whe

In fact, knowing blood sugar levels can allow anyone with diabetes and their care givers to take steps to keep their numbers within their target range. What is blood sugar monitoring?

4 ow the s of od Sugar onitoring: hat, When, Why & Where. with your blood sugar results may also be different. Work with your healthcare team to develop sick-day guidelines you can use to manage your diabetes at times when you are not in your usual health. Why check your blood sugar? Knowing your numbers can help you take charge of your health. When your blood sugar is in control, you lower the risk for developing short or long term problems from diabetes. If your numbers are not in target, talk with your healthcare provider. You may also use your blood sugar levels to help you understand how a new diet or exercise plan is affecting your blood sugar. To see the results from a change in your meal plan, ask your healthcare team whether you should check before and after meals.t A good rule of thumb: Two hours after the start of a meal, your blood sugar should be within 10% of the reading before the meal. If you find that often you are not within your target range, you may need an adjustment in your diabetes treatment plan. Where to obtain a blood sample? Fingertips are the most common spot used to obtain a blood sample. Many of today s blood sugar meters and their strips have received FDA approval for monitoring on the fingertips and also sites such as the forearm, upper arm, thigh, base of the thumb, abdomen or even the calf. Each of these meters has specific alternate sites that have been approved. Be sure to check with your healthcare team for guidance in how and when to use any alternate sites for blood sugar monitoring. Wherever you are when you check your blood sugar, be sure to have all your supplies on hand. This includes your meter, strips, cotton or gauze, lancing device and a fresh lancet, and a clean site. you are done, dispose of your testing supplies, such as the used lancet, in a safe and sanitary manner.

Knowing your numbers can help you take charge of your health. When your blood sugar is in control, you lower the risk for developing short or long term problems from diabetes.

5 CLIP AND SAVE My Blood Sugar Results Log Make copies of this log to record your blood sugar results. Mark this log with a small x in the corner of each box indicating the days and times you plan to check. When you check, write the number in the correct box for the time of day and the day of the week. Date S M T W T F S Breakfast Breakfast Lunch Lunch Dinner Dinner Bedtime 3:00 A.M. CLIP AND SAVE Understanding Your Blood Sugar Results Examples of testing times and what the test results might tell you: Test time Fasting meals Results can help you answer: Is your treatment plan working well overnight? Is your treatment plan working well with your meal plan, returning your blood sugar to a normal level before eating? 1-2 hours after meals Is your treatment plan working well with your meal plan, returning your blood sugar to target levels after eating? Bedtime Is your blood sugar level in your target range to go through the night? 3 A.M. Is your blood sugar in your target range in the middle of the night? A1C Is your overall medical and self-care plan achieving your blood sugar control goals? This number reflects your blood sugar throughout the previous 2-3 months.

I have diabetes. In case of emergency, please call: Healthcare Provider s Name. Name. Telephone. Address. Hospital. City. Pharmacy.

Self-Care Diary Name Address City Healthcare Provider s Name Hospital State ZIP I have diabetes. In case of emergency, please call: Name Pharmacy Diabetes Educator s Name Address 1 Small Steps to Managing