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Diabetes At-Home Monitoring

| June 11, 2014 Comment

Diabetes At-Home Monitoring – Monitoring your diabetes is just as much your responsibility as it is your doctor’s. Learn how to monitor and manage your diabetes at home with this video.

Expert: Peter Dabrowski, MD, P.C.

Transcript

Having diabetes can be quite a challenge. But by regularly monitoring your blood sugar and blood pressure AND taking steps to make sure they stay at HEALTHY levels, you CAN reduce your risk of kidney and nerve damage, vision problems and heart disease.

Monitoring your blood glucose can be done with a prick of your finger and a glucose monitor. The monitor gives instant results by measuring the amount of glucose in a drop of blood you place on a test strip.

Generally, people with type 2 diabetes who use oral medications should monitor glucose levels once or twice a day– IF they are having trouble maintaining healthy levels or are pregnant.

EVERYONE who uses insulin should monitor their levels 4 or more times per day. You’re aiming for a glucose level of 70 to 130 before a meal and a level of 180 two hours after you’ve eaten.

You can give yourself an at-home A1C BLOOD TEST every 2 to 3 months to find out your average glucose level over that time. A reading of around 7% your goal.

An at-home blood pressure monitor is also useful. Two-thirds of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure. That increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and vision problems. Fortunately, blood pressure can be controlled through changes in diet and exercise, as well as medications. You should aim for a reading of 120/80.

For more information on staying healthy with diabetes, watch the other videos on this site.

Last Modified: 2013-10-17

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Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos

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