When the sugar concentration is high in your blood, your kidneys can’t pull the sugar out anymore. Your body tries to dilute that sugar by pulling in more water from your tissues, leaving you feeling dehydrated. This makes you feel the urge to drink more water, resulting in you urinating more often.
With type 2 diabetes, your insulin has trouble getting sugar from your blood for energy. Therefore, it starts drawing from your fat and muscle reserves for energy, causing you to lose weight. [5] X Research source Keep in mind that not all early diabetics will lose weight. You may gain weight or see no change in your weight, even though you have diabetes.
Typically, this is because your body is having trouble drawing energy from the glucose in your blood, so it’s making you want to eat more.
You might also get gum or skin infections more often, as well as genital itching caused by fungus or sugar in your urine. [8] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source Unstable glucose levels can affect your blood circulation, which is why healing takes longer. [9] X Research source
Because unstable blood sugar can reduce your circulation, your blood can’t get energy and oxygen to your cells.
If you experience blurred vision, visit your doctor immediately for a medical evaluation.
You may also need to purchase needle tips for your lancing device if the kit doesn’t have them. Check to see if the kit needs batteries or has them already. Keep in mind that some kits may require a prescription, and they may be expensive without one. However, they’re available over-the-counter in some areas for as low as $10.
Dry your hands well on a clean towel. If you’re not near a place where you can wash your hands, use hand sanitizer or rub your finger with a rubbing alcohol wipe.
Some older glucose monitors may require that you place a drop of blood on the strip before pushing it into the machine. Typically, inserting the strip will turn on the monitor. However, you may need to put in batteries first.
If it didn’t come preloaded, you may need to put a needle in the tip of your lancing device. It should have at least 1 needle with it.
If you didn’t get enough blood, squeeze down your finger towards the tip to help draw up blood.
Go back and read the instructions for your monitor to see if you need to do something differently.
The kits range from $50 to $150 USD. Your insurance may cover the cost of this kit if your doctor prescribes it.
If you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer or wipe your finger with a rubbing alcohol wipe.
Always read the instructions for your A1C kit first, as it may differ from kit to kit.
If you’re having trouble getting blood, squeeze down the length of your finger towards the place where you pricked it.
For instance, try the one here: https://www. diabetes. ca/about-diabetes/take-the-test.
However, age is just one of many risk factors. Being over 45 doesn’t automatically mean you’ll develop diabetes.
While you can’t change your genes, you can take steps to lower other risk factors.
While you can’t change these conditions, you can work to lower other risk factors.
Losing weight, eating a healthy diet, and increasing your daily activity level can all help with these issues. If your numbers are still high, talk to your doctor about medications to help lower these numbers.
If you’re not sure how to eat a healthy diet, talk with a nutritionist. Work on limiting sugars and fats to lower your overall caloric intake.
You don’t have to hit the gym to get in your exercise. Try going for a walk at lunch, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking as far as you can in the parking lot to increase your daily activity. If you don’t like a treadmill, try other activities. You can swim, bike, play tennis, hit the basketball courts, hike, or even garden. Anything that gets you moving and works up a sweat counts. Exercise is important for preventing diabetes because it makes your body use up glucose in your blood and it increases your insulin sensitivity. Plus, it helps keep your weight in check.
You should always discuss your diabetes concerns with your doctor, even if your home tests come back normal. They’ll make sure nothing is wrong.
Don’t assume that you have diabetes after 1 reading. Take several readings at different times of the day for at least a week. Record all of the readings so you can look for trends. Certain foods, such as candy and alcohol, can cause higher blood sugar readings right after you’ve consumed them. If you take your blood sugar before you eat breakfast in the morning (and you haven’t eaten in 8 hours), see your doctor if your blood sugar is over 100 mg/dL, which may indicate pre-diabetes. However, this reading could be artificially high if you had a big dinner or a lot of alcohol the night before.
Certain conditions can make your A1C read falsely high or low. For instance, if you have a chronic bleeding disorder, that can lead to falsely low readings.
You’ll need to monitor your blood sugar daily to make sure it’s under control. You may take insulin or oral medications to help manage your blood sugar. You may be able to help control your blood sugar with daily exercise and a healthy diet. In rare cases, you might get a pancreas transplant to treat Type 1 diabetes. There are also rarer types like type 1. 5 and MODY. Ensure you get tests to rule out type 1 (e. g. autoantibodies), and it is worth getting tested for these additional types to optimize your treatment. When in doubt, consult an endocrinologist, as many specialize in diabetes treatment.
