IS HOME BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING NECESSARY?
Absolutely! Would you drive a car if you couldn’t see? How well could doctors adjust blood pressure medications if we didn’t have blood pressure cuffs? How can we optimally adjust diabetic medications if we don’t know what the blood sugars are doing from day to day? Virtually all diabetics in good control use a method of home blood glucose monitoring. Test strips typically are read directly using a small machine called a reflectance meter to arrive at a specific number that will be displayed on a small screen. There are around 25 meters available in the U.S. marketplace. The ones with the longest track records are the Accu-Cheks, Glucometers, and One-Touch instruments. These all take blood samples from the fingertips. The Freestyle and One Touch Ultra meters can use blood drawn from skin over the arms or legs. To maintain optimal blood sugar control most studies have shown that blood testing needs to be done a minimum of 2 times a day. In some special situations, diabetics are monitori
