Can you manage diabetes without adequate monitoring?
Introduction
A good question. From our perspective at Damndiabetes.ca, adequate monitoring of blood glucose levels is critical to good management practices. Without a good diabetes treatment regime that includes monitoring, how can one know what is really going on inside our bodies?
What is the Minimum for Monitoring
Diabetes Canada has a great tool for helping to determine recommended testing of blood glucose levels. The Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Tool provides guidelines on how often to check, and what pattern of testing may be right for you.
To the extreme, their guidelines indicate that testing about 120 times per week would provide optimal blood glucose level readings. That is about 17 readings per day and a lot of finger pricks if using the lancet method. Of course, it is possible to “cut back,” but cutting back reduces the accuracy of the results and the knowledge of what is going on in your body.
Personally, I typically test up to twelve times per day. For me, that is adequate to allow me to “tweak” my diabetes treatment, including exercise and food, all with the goal of me being able to lower blood glucose levels.
Recommendation for Testing
Almost from the get-go, I have been using the Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor System. It painlessly takes glucose level readings even when I am not testing. Each minute the sensor stores the readings, allowing for the opportunity to see intimate insight into my glucose levels. The built-in alarm system is also a blessing to know if there are unintended highs or lows in glucose readings.
To see how the Sensor System works, we attach this Video from Abbot. Please be advised that we do not make any commission on any sales of the Sensor System. This information is provided as a recommendation as to what we believe is best and it is up to each individual to make the decisions about what is best for any diabetes testing and treatment plan.
If you would like help with your diabetes treatment plan or wish for support to a better quality of life living with diabetes, we at Damndiabetes are always here to help. Email or call us today!
Conclusion
Diabetes is an insidious disease that if left untreated, or improperly treated, can lead to serious life-threatening conditions. A major factor to knowing what is going on inside your body with diabetes is being able to adequately test blood glucose levels as part of a diabetes treatment regime.
To test adequately, there are really only two options open to us. The standard “finger prick” method, or using a blood glucose meter such as the Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 which provides up-to-the-minute readings.
Please look at the videos and information and then you decide what is best for you. If you would like some help or support on your journey to a better quality of life living with diabetes, please Email or call us at Damndiabetes.ca.
Best wishes...
Wayne Drury was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes over one year ago. He was frustrated with the lack of usable information on the treatment of diabetes and how to lower blood sugar effectively. His passion now, using all he has found with diabetes research, is helping others on a path to a better quality of life living with diabetes, which he shares on his personal website.
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