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Some meters can test blood taken from an alternate site, such as the forearm or palm. The meter will display your blood sugar level on a screen after a few seconds.Touch and hold the edge of the test strip to the drop of blood.Prick the side of your fingertip with the needle (lancet) provided with your test kit.(Food and other substances can give you an inaccurate reading.) In general, here's how the process works: He or she can also help you learn how to use your meter.įollow the instructions that come with your blood sugar meter. Your health care provider or certified diabetes care and education specialist can recommend an appropriate device for you. Check with your health care provider about using a CGM if you're pregnant, on dialysis or critically ill, as these conditions may affect the blood sugar readings from a CGM. If you need to take medications that may affect the accuracy of the readings, your health care provider may recommend double-checking your CGM results with a standard blood sugar meter. Readings on newer CGMs don't seem to be affected by standard doses of acetaminophen (up to 1,000 milligrams for an adult). Check your device's user's guide to learn if you need to check, and if so, how often you need to do it.Ĭertain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), albuterol (Proair HFA, Ventolin HFA, others) and lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril, Qbrelis), may interfere with the accuracy of some CGM readings, particularly on older models of CGMs. Most of these devices still require finger-stick checks to calibrate the machine. Others require that you check your blood sugar by running the receiver over the sensor periodically. Some devices show your blood sugar reading at all times on a receiver, smartphone or smartwatch, and an alarm goes off if your blood sugar is going up or down too quickly. A transmitter worn on the body sends blood sugar information wirelessly from the sensor to a smartphone app.
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The newest type of continuous glucose monitor has an implanted sensor that can detect blood sugar levels for up to three months.
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