For people with diabetes, it is very important to monitor your blood sugar regularly to manage it well. This way, you’ll be able to tell what makes the numbers go up or down, such as when eating certain foods, taking medications, and doing physical activities. By knowing your blood sugar levels, you will be able to work with your health care team to make decisions about the best diabetes care plan for you. This can help prevent diabetes complications, including stroke, kidney disease, heart attack, amputation, and blindness.
With the current Covid-19 circumstances, it is recommended for diabetic patients to have their own diabetic meters and a stock of test strips at home. Read on to know more about why you need to keep stock of your diabetic meter during the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
Importance of Having a Diabetic Meter During the Pandemic
One of the best ways to check the blood sugar level is by using a diabetic meter or a blood sugar meter. This can be bought from pharmacies and drug stores. However, it’s quite difficult for many people today to go out of their house and buy things due to the pandemic situation. This is especially true for the elderly and those who have comorbidities, which include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and more.
The current pandemic brings high-stress levels to people, disrupting diet and physical activities, which impact diabetes patients the most. With this, it is very important to have up-to-date supplies and prescriptions for your diabetic devices and medications. Stock up on glucose testing supplies, ketone test strips, insulin supplies, glucose tablets, and up-to-date prescriptions.
Therefore, if you have diabetes, you need to ensure that you test yourself regularly to avoid getting long-term health problems, especially during these difficult times. When you stick to your target blood sugar level, it can make complications less likely to occur. To do this, you need to have a blood sugar meter and a stock of test strips.
Try to aim for a 90-day supply at hand. During the Covid-19 pandemic, most insurers have waived the 30-day limit on prescriptions. You also do not need an in-person visit to get refills for blood sugar monitoring supplies. With this, check with your pharmacist or your state health department’s social media accounts for updates when it comes to these policies.
Checking Your Blood Sugar
There are various ways on how a person’s blood sugar level can be checked. You can use traditional home glucose monitoring, meters that test other parts of the body, and a continuous glucose monitoring system. Among these options, the most accurate is the finger-stick glucose or the use of diabetic meters. There are many different kinds and brands of diabetic meters in the market today. One of those is the Ascensia Diabetes Care’s Contour Next blood glucose meter.
Ascensia Diabetes Care is a global company that is devoted to cultivating the health and lives of people who have diabetes. It offers a range of blood sugar monitoring systems, which can truly help diabetic patients, especially during the Covid-19 situation that we have today. In fact, eligible privately insured patients can receive a free glucometer from them. You can also purchase their diabetic monitors and test strips easily, even without a prescription. With this, you’ll be able to stock up on test strips to avoid going out often.
For more information about Ascensia, please check out these pages:
https://www.ascensia.com/about-us/our-approach/
https://www.contournext.com/cash/
If you want to monitor your blood sugar level yourself, there are certain questions that you can ask your doctor. These include the target blood sugar range, how often you need to check your blood sugar, and what the numbers mean. Knowing about these things can be really helpful, especially with the current Covid-19 situation that we have.
How to Use a Blood Sugar Meter
As mentioned earlier, there are different kinds of blood sugar meters in the market. But you can find that most of them work almost the same way. It is also essential if you can have someone else in your home learn how to use one, in case you’re sick or unable to do it yourself. Here are the steps that you can follow on how to use a blood sugar meter properly:
- Always make sure that the meter is clean before using it.
- Get a test strip from the container. Make sure that you close the container tightly after getting one, as these strips can be damaged when exposed to moisture.
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water first and dry them well. Massage your hand to get blood into the finger that you will be pricking. It’s better to use soap and water than alcohol as it can dry the skin too much.
- Use the lancet that comes with the monitor to prick your finger. Squeeze your finger from the base and place a small amount of blood onto the test strip. After that, put the strip in the meter.
- The reading will appear on the meter after a few seconds. You can track and record your results, and as well as add notes about anything that may have caused that reading, such as the food you ate and the activities you did.
- Dispose of the used lancet and test strip properly in a trash container.
Always keep in mind that blood sugar monitoring equipment should not be shared, even with your family members, to avoid infections. Store the test strips in the container provided and do not let them be exposed to heat, moisture, and cold temperatures.
Conclusion
Covid-19 has indeed made our lives difficult, but you shouldn’t make it a hindrance when it comes to monitoring your health. Stocking up on your diabetic meter is one of the best steps that you can take to ensure that you are managing your diabetes well. We hope this post helped you in learning more about why it is important to keep stock of your diabetic meter during the Covid-19 pandemic situation.