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Things to Consider Before Choosing a Blood Sugar Monitor Test

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, the blood sugar monitor test is an important part of your diabetes care. Learn more about the different things that must be considered before you choose a blood sugar monitor test.

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that affects how the glucose is processed in your body, increasing your blood sugar level. There are two types of diabetes, namely, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Usually diagnosed in children and adolescents, type 1 diabetes is when your body does not produce insulin to break down the glucose. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is when the body is unable to use the insulin properly, termed as ‘insulin resistance’.

Whether it is type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is a lifelong condition and you will need to follow up with your doctor often. Certain cases of type 2 diabetes can be controlled by weight loss, healthy eating habits, and increased physical activity, at least initially. Eventually, you may have to take diabetes medications orally or in the form of insulin injections. For type 1 diabetes, the treatment plan typically includes daily insulin injections as oral medications aren’t effective for this form of diabetes.

The signs and symptoms of diabetes vary on the basis of the level of glucose in your blood. Some of these include extreme hunger, increased thirst, fatigue, frequent urination, irritability, unexplained weight loss, and blurred vision. Diabetes can also lead to hyperglycemia, when the glucose level in your blood is extremely high. This high glucose level can cause some significant damage to your organs, which then results in certain complications. The complications that are generally associated with diabetes are kidney problems, stroke, myocardial infarction, problems with scarring, and sexual problems like erectile dysfunction. In order to avoid these complications, it is important that you minimize the hyperglycemia risk by controlling your blood sugar level. Therefore, your treatment plans will most often include a blood sugar monitor test.

Along with medications and lifestyle changes, a blood sugar monitor test is a self-test that is very essential to help manage your diabetes. This test lets you see how the measures that you have taken such as weight loss, medications, and exercising, have impacted your diabetes control. The blood sugar monitor test helps you control and manage your diabetes by letting you know the level of glucose in your blood at any point in time. If this test indicates that your sugar level is too high, you can take the necessary measures to bring it down to normal again.

There are several types of blood sugar monitor tests available in markets today, right from basic models to the advanced multiple features ones. They are about the size of a cell phone, and the price range is from $20 to $70 depending upon the features of the model. It is advised that you study your options carefully before choosing a blood sugar monitor test. Here are the several things that you must consider before buying a blood sugar monitor test.

Costs – Although, the machines price ranges from $20 to $70, it is the glucose strips that can be expensive, say about $1 per strip. So if you need to check your blood sugar level quite often, you will end up spending more than $100 per month. So do not forget to factor the strip costs in your calculations.
Ease of Use – Some blood sugar monitor tests are easier to use and maintain than the others. So when you are choosing a particular blood sugar monitor test, check how long it takes for the numbers to appear on the screen, how easy it is to get your blood on the strip, as well as how comfortable the machine is to hold.
Information Storage – There are some machines that come with a software that tracks everything and stores information such as the time and date of the tests, the results, as well as the trends over a period of time. There are others which allow you to download the blood glucose level readings to your phones or computers. So do your research before buying a blood sugar monitor test device.
Support – Choose a blood sugar monitor test that has clear instructions on how to use the machine as well as a toll-free number, which you can call if there is any problem with the device.

You can also choose the blood sugar monitor tests that come along with multiple features like large buttons, illuminated screens, as well as audio. Only by researching the above things, will you find a blood sugar monitor test device that is ideal for you.

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