Those close to relatives or friends with diabetes often see them checking their blood sugar at home.
A good blood sugar measurement is not only less painful, but also very important for diabetes control.
Today we have compiled 4 of the most important little details for measuring blood sugar, hoping to help your relatives or friends.
Listen to the doctor.
Each person’s condition and actual needs for treatment are different, and the time to measure blood sugar is different.
In general, blood glucose monitoring can be done at different times of the day, including before three meals, 2 hours after three meals, before bed, and if necessary Measure blood sugar at night (usually from 2:00 to 3:00 in the morning) [1].
It doesn’t have to be every day.
Generally speaking, people with diabetes who use oral hypoglycemic drugs can monitor their fasting or 2-hour postprandial blood sugar 2 to 4 times a week.
Those with diabetes who use insulin therapy can measure their blood sugar at different time periods, such as before eating and before going to bed[1].
diabetic friends who inject basal insulin should pay more attention to fasting blood sugar;
People with diabetes who inject premixed insulin should pay more attention to fasting and pre-dinner blood sugar
Tips
In some special cases, additional blood sugar testing is necessary.
For example, when hypoglycemia is suspected, before exercise or special behavior (such as driving).
For some special groups, individual monitoring programs should be implemented according to the doctor’s arrangement.
Such as perioperative patients, high-risk groups of hypoglycemia, critically ill patients, elderly patients, type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
1
Do your blood sugar test
In order to avoid a single needle without bleeding, or if the bleeding is not enough, move your fingers before blood collection to speed up blood circulation.
For example, let the arm hang down for a while or shake the arm, or massage the lower finger to make the fingertip engorged.
If your hands are cold in winter, you can also put your hands in warm water to warm them up before measuring blood sugar, and then go to blood collection when you feel that the temperature of your fingers is appropriate [2].
2
Blood on both sides of the finger
(1) Finger part
Don’t draw blood from your fingertips, choose the sides of your fingers.
The pain receptors on both sides of the fingers are less distributed, so blood is less painful.
(2) finger selection
The ring finger may be preferred, which has the most sparse pain receptors and the lowest pain sensitivity.
In addition to the ring finger, the little and middle fingers are also ideal blood collection sites.
These two fingers are relatively “idle” and not the main functional fingers. After piercing them, even if you continue to do daily work, the wound will not be so easily rubbed or squeezed, which is easier restore [3].
(can be favorited)
Of course, no soft persimmon can catch a dead pinch.
Whether it’s the piercing part or the finger, be sure to change it often!
3
Don’t ask for more blood, but ask for enough
Many people with diabetes will squeeze their fingers too hard when they are afraid that the blood will not be enough.
Actually, only the right amount of blood should be collected. Too much blood will easily contaminate the test strips, and secondly, the wound will not recover easily. Interstitial fluid may also be squeezed out, affecting the results.
Don’t be so hard on yourself…
When collecting blood, you can choose a device that requires less blood
You can adjust the blood collection intensity according to your skin
Now there are many adjustable lancing pens, generally with a scale of “1-5”, which is the depth of penetration into the skin. You can choose 3 at the beginning, and you can adjust it according to the skin condition later. Choose a shallow needle depth and collect the least amount of blood!
4
Alcohol dries before taking blood
Not only should you use alcohol to sterilize your fingers before blood collection, but you must also wait for the alcohol to dry before collecting blood.
Otherwise, alcohol will be mixed into the blood after acupuncture, and it will also chemically react with the components in the blood glucose meter test strip, resulting in a low blood sugar measured.
If you have noticed all of the above, maybe your blood collection will not hurt, but it does not mean that the blood collection will be successful. You should also pay attention to these three things when measuring blood sugar.
1
Before blood collection
Wash hands with 75% alcohol or soap and warm water, and dry hands (especially blood collection sites) with a clean tissue or cotton ball.
2
Blood is best taken on the first drop
If there is little or no bleeding, don’t force it out. Because not only blood, but also tissue fluid is squeezed out, the measured blood sugar will be lower than usual, which is not accurate!
3
Do not press or move blood test strips, blood glucose meters during the test
If you found this article useful, don’t forget to share it with those around you who need it.
Reviewer: Gu Nan
Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Endocrinology, Peking University First Hospital
References
[1] Diabetes Branch of Chinese Medical Association. Guidelines for Clinical Application of Blood Glucose Monitoring in China (2021 Edition)[J]. Chinese Journal of Diabetes, 2021, 13(10):13.
[2] Guo Shunxi. Clinical nursing experience of finger blood collection in diabetic patients [J]. Journal of Practical Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 2012, 20(8): 1413-1414.
[3]Sun Likai, Cao Hui, Zhou Yanqiong. Continuous quality improvement in alleviating finger blood sampling pain in diabetic patients [J]. Nursing Medicine, 2016, 23(12): 29-31.
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Author: Zhao Yanan
Editors: Zhao Yanan, Zhang Li, Zhang Jie
Proofreading: Wu Yihe | Typesetting: Li Yongmin
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