To know what your blood glucose levels are, you will have to perform capillary blood glucose tests. It is an essential tool for the self-control of patients with diabetes.
Through this technique we will know if blood glucose levels are correct, high or low, which allows us to make decisions to improve control.
Material:
-A glucometer (measuring device).
-A test strip.
-A pricker or lancet.
-A paper tissue.
-A control notebook.
How is capillary blood glucose measured?
-Clean your hands, to avoid what is known as “sweet fingers” that would alter the values giving higher readings than the real ones.
-Dry your hands to prevent the drop of blood from diluting (wet hands could give a lower blood glucose value than the real one).
-Have warm or warm hands so that the drop of blood comes out more easily.
-Prick on the sides of the fingers, alternating from one finger to the other (the prick in the fingertip is more painful and we can lose sensitivity).
Correct technique:
-Insert the test strip into the glucometer until it makes contact.
-Load the pricker, choose a finger, prick and squeeze the finger from the top to its base to extract a good drop of blood.
-Touch the drop with the strip and wait for it to absorb the necessary amount of blood.
-Write down the result in the control notebook.
-Remove and discard the strip.