Blood Testing for Diabetics
Starting with the understanding that the cells in our body need a constant supply of glucose as a source of energy.
By definition, a diabetic has an impaired ability to maintain a safe level of glucose in the blood.
For the diabetic, testing for sugar (glucose) in the blood is a requirement that must be observed.
Home daily blood testing device
It is the only way to know whether your blood-glucose is within a safe range, and if not, then a decision can be made on what actions should be taken to bring blood-glucose levels back to acceptable values. This assessment will take more than one blood test but by performing a series of tests over suitable intervals of time, the results should provide the necessary information to determine how the body is managing its glucose load. Testing falls into two categories: Self-tests and Clinical tests.
Self Monitoring Tests
Self testing is a simple procedure and is usually done daily first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and then, perhaps, with multiple blood tests each day. With the aid of a small blood glucose monitor, a test strip, and a small device enabling the almost painless pricking of the end of a finger, a very small drop of blood can be obtained and applied to the test strip which is then read by the monitor and within a few seconds the numeric result appears on the monitor’s screen. These obtained values and the date and time of their test should be recorded in a suitably simple fashion in order to gain a “picture” of what is occurring over any given time period, perhaps just a few days to weeks, or whatever length of time it takes to show the overall level of control. Without such a regular everyday testing routine it is not possible to know how well the diabetes is being controlled. The glucose levels in the blood vary depending on times and types of meals or food eaten during the preceding period. Instructions and advice on timing of self monitoring of blood tests should be obtained from the doctor.
Target reading on the blood testing monitor
While it is not necessary to know the details of the chemical units used in blood testing, it should be mentioned that the United States uses different measuring units than does the rest of the world. So for a US person the target reading would be between 108 and 124 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) whereas persons in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and elsewhere in the world would target for between 6.0 and 6.9 mmol/L (millimoles per Liter).
Clinical test:
The A1C or Glycosylated Hemoglobin Test
These are usually done three of four times per year and are performed by a medical laboratory on blood taken at a clinic by a technician. It is from the clinical test that the diabetes sufferer is able to find out their real condition extending back over the previous three or four months. This is based on the fact that the lifetime of red blood cells is approximately 120 days. About two million new red blood cells are being produced by your bone marrow every second and just as many are dying every second, having reached their approximate lifespan of 120 days. So that means there is a mix of cells of every age from seconds to 120 days in your bloodstream and in taking a blood sample, chemical analysis by the laboratory will determine average levels of glucose existing in your body over that previous 120 period.
But more than glucose levels are usually measured in the laboratory analysis. It is customary to also analyze for other relevant biochemical substances, including creatinine, albumin, cholesterol and so on, levels of which are necessary to enable the physician to evaluate the progress and effectiveness of a patient’s regime for controlling their condition.
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