Was told to do samples morning and night . So far I have tried 3 times and have yet to get a reading . There is only a small amount of blood and when I try to touch the strip to it , my hand is shaking and I cant get a result . Is the absorption hole at the end of the strip or on top ? I really don't think I can do it this way . How long do I have to touch the blood for ? Its almost impossible if you have the shakes , don't know what I can do about it .
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JUST BEEN GIVEN A GLUCORX NEXUS
- Thread starter tophope
- Start Date
C
catherinecherub
Guest
This video explains how to take a test.
What is making you shake? Is it a medical condition or stress?
irrationalJohn
Well-Known Member
While your reading seems higher than I would expect for a person with reasonably well-controlled D, my guess really doesn't mean diddly without any context.
What type of diabetes have you been diagnosed with? T1 or T2? What sort of treatment plan are you following? Who the heck gave you the meter and asked you to test twice a day?
People tend to think that diabetes is just one thing which everyone can relate to. While there are patterns and things shared in common, the truth is closer to everyone's experience of diabetes is unique at least to some extent. The more context you can provide, the more likely it is that someone can try to speak to it.
irrationalJohn
Well-Known Member
First, wash your hands. You want to make sure your BG (Blood Glucose) sample is not contaminated.
Second, if you think you are having problems getting a large enough sample to test, heat up a damp wash cloth in a microwave. It should be warm but not so hot that you can't hold it. Use it to warm up the fingers you want to prick for a sample. Dry your hand with a clean towel before taking a sample.
Third. sit at a table. Put both the hand with the blood drop and your meter on the table. With your other hand, move the meter gently along the top of the table towards your finger with the blood drop. Hopefully that approach might help reduce the problem with your hands shaking.
I have had type 2 for about 6/7 years , controlled by diet and tablets , but I never followed the diet and just ate anything . Now the doctor found my blood sugar to be very high and referred me to Diabetes Centre. The doctor there gave me the meter and told me test morning and night before meals
irrationalJohn
Well-Known Member
I don't know what is typical in the UK, but in the US doctors who only treat diabetes as one part of a general practice tend to treat T2's much more casually than I personally consider appropriate. The "test morning & night and call me maybe" directive seems to line up with that casual "We'll wait until something breaks and then maybe try to get more serious" style of treatment.
And, truth be told, there's not much point to testing more frequently if you won't use the feedback to try to more actively control your BGs.
Your body. Your choices. Your consequences.
Maybe you'll be one of those lucky ones whose genetics makes diabetic side effects less likely or less severe. It can happen. Just like people can smoke for years and not get lung cancer. Not really something which I would bet any money on, but not my body either.
In any case, if I am recalling correctly then you are likely approaching the time when bits of you may start to "go bad" from the neglect. You might want to consider making tentative plans for how you'll cope if/when that happens.
i fully appreciate your comments and i admit i never really took the diagnosis seriously enough . It is not the GP who has told me to take the samples morning and night , it is a diabetes specialist that i have just been referred to because of my high blood sugar count . I fully intend to take the situation more seriously from now on and will make a far greater effort to watch what i eat .
