Tips For Diabetic Home Care and Monitoring
Managing diabetes is a lifetime commitment and requires both medical support and lifestyle changes. Type 1 diabetes requires insulin in addition to attention to diet and exercise, whereas the treatment for Type 2 diabetes focuses on weight loss. However, if proper diet and exercise do not do the trick to reduce weight and lower blood sugar, medication is the next step. Care at home on a daily basis is also vital.
Disadvantages Of At-Home Monitoring
Taking daily reading with strips and meters is expensive when it is a lifelong commitment. For some people, the thought of pricking their finger to draw blood is not enjoyable and for others, the process is not convenient when it has to be done around other activities or appointments. Similar to other challenges like losing weight, some people are frustrated by the results, assuming they will be better while they work at making changes.
Advantages Of At-Home Monitoring
It is very useful to monitor glucose readings at home because the results are immediate and convenient. If a diabetic realizes his or her levels are too high, he or she can take the steps right then to reach for insulin or make dietary and exercise adjustments. It allows people to carry on with daily life, while being able to conduct regular testing and have consistent results available for their medical team.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
Like Type 1 Diabetes, it is important for anyone at risk of Type 2 Diabetes to be aware of warning signs and symptoms. It is particularly an issue for people who are overweight. Signs to look for are similar to Type 1, including increased thirst and urination, an increased appetite, fatigue, weight loss, blurry vision, and sores that have not healed. If there are no symptoms, people at risk should have regular physical exams.
Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms
A critical thing to keep in mind for anyone at risk of Type 1 Diabetes is to keep an eye on symptoms. Prediabetes presents itself with vague symptoms that often go unnoticed, but warning signs are cues and include increased thirst, heightened appetite, fatigue, frequent trips to the bathroom, weight loss, blurry vision, and a fruit-like odor or breath. Sometimes there are no warning at all, making it a challenge to know someone is at risk.
Ketone Testing
Those with Type 1 diabetes are required to test for ketones, which are produced upon fasting or as a result of too little insulin. This is an important part of at-home monitoring because the detection of ketones alerts a diabetic that he or she has diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and needs insulin. If the condition is serious, a person can lose consciousness. Very few people, about 0.1 percent of people with DKA die from it, but the risk is there.
Glucose Oxidase Test
In this form of urine testing, the enzyme glucose oxidase. When it reacts to glucose in the urine, it changes the glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Then the chemical, toluidine reacts with the hydrogen peroxide to produce a change in color. Although not as expensive as the copper reduction method, they do produce errors if mixed with other substances in the urine. Conversely, some people find them more convenient to use.
Copper Reduction Test
A form of urine testing, this uses cupric sulfate. If glucose is detected, the cupric sulfate changes to cuprous oxide and at the same time, the color changes from blue to green or orange. Errors can take place if there are other components other than glucose in the urine, like aspirin or vitamin C. The false reading can have people assuming they are at a high glucose level when, in fact, they are at a healthy level.
Urine Glucose Tests
Urine tests are not very accurate because they only record results if there is glucose in the urine and the level has to be quite high (180 mg/dL) to show up. The result usually comes up negative at levels below 180 mg/dL. As well, the results do not represent the glucose levels at the time of testing, but the time between when the sample was taken and the previous time the diabetic urinated. They are not recommended to be used to change insulin doses.
Blood Glucose Meters
A blood glucose meter uses a reagent strip to more accurately test glucose levels than just the reagent strips alone. Each meter is different and errors can occur if they are not calibrated properly. Other errors to be aware of can happen if the meter is not clean, the battery is not charged, the strips are outdated, there is not enough blood supplied to the strip, blood is left on too long or not long enough, and if the diabetic is dehydrated.
Blood Glucose Reagent Strips
These strips are one way of testing blood glucose levels. They contain an enzyme which uses adrop of blood to create a reaction to change the color of the strip. This process makes it easy for users to determine how high or low their glucose level is at. They are not the most precise method, but their accuracy is enough to provide people with an awareness of extreme levels and when more attention is required.