Your Blood Sugar Reading Is Wrong 😒

If you live with diabetes you most likely poke your finger and measure your blood sugar (right? 😊) But did you know that the reading very likely could be wrong?!
Inaccurate readings make it hard to manage your diabetes so check out this video where I cover what is considered accurate and how to improve the accuracy of your blood sugar measurements.

00:00 Introduction
3:34 When is a glucometer meter (according to FDA and ISO)
6:47 What can you do to get more accurate glucose readings

FOLLOW DIABETES STRONG ON:

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a medical professional, never stop your current treatment without consulting with your doctor

[onekajun]

Frustrating in this day and age they can't produce a meter that is more accurate. Thank you for your videos.

[johnmclane]

I was diagnosed with diabetes just over a year ago and am still trying to navigate all of this from diet to readings. Thank you so much for this information.

[anncruz]

This video is very informative for those people seeking advice on meter fluctuations . Great job.

[Original]

If you are pre-diabetic, you don't need the same granularity and 'accuracy' of readings that fully-diagnosed hypo-/hyperglycaemic people do. You know that management of diet and fitness is the key. Rather than obsess over your sugar levels, a so-called 'lag metric', observe a reasonable low-carb diet, feeding-schedule and exercise regime, which represent 'lead metrics'; values which lead you to a desired goal. Trust the process. The body wants to do it's best for you, but you have to help it with some self-discipline. Good luck my Sweeties 😘

[kayoxford]

I help run a diabetic group, we ALWAYS tell people to wash their hands and dry with a clean towel before testing. Also do not squeeze your finger.

[jimwilliams]

1 day after a 3.75 mile walk, I tested my blood sugar w/o washing my hands and got a reading of 180. Then I tested my blood again after washing my hands, and got a lower reading by 50 points.
I told my P A about this experiment, and I said to him that my guess was because when we sweat, our sweat has sugar in it. He said to me, that's right

[daydreameravani]

It really does not matter, whether it is 146 or 161, it is already telling the fact that the blood sugar level is a bit elevated and we have to go for some exercise. If the meter shows 200, well, it does not have to be accurate enough to warn you that you eat something wrong in your previous meal.

[ArtStoneUS]

I frequently let myself become dehydrated, and there’s a consistent pattern that if you’re dehydrated, your readings will be higher. That makes sense because the reading is a ratio between the glucose and the total blood volume. If your blood is thicker, because it doesn’t have enough water, that all makes sense.

[arnoldpfusterschmid]

The taught procedure for paramedics here in Austria/Europe is, to wipe of the first blood drop from the finger and use the second one for the test strip.

[ekummel]

Different brand meters also report differently. I use a McKesson meter which my doctor also uses (she gave me my meter) When you touch the strip to the blood, the meter beeps to let you know that it has enough blood to test. Then it calculates the value and beeps again to display the result. My meter's instructions also say to never use a second meter. To always use that meter...I guess it's to make sure that if the reading are at least they are consistent. Sometimes consistency is better than accuracy!

[mehmetsayman]

I've found that the best way to check the accuracy of the meter is to take 2 readings less than a minute apart. If the reading is +/- 1 or 2 points, then that is an accurate meter. Low quality meters will vary 20-25 points with those 2 measurements.

[ix-Xafra]

My glucometer has a +/- 20% accuracy tolerance.
Add to that being dehydrated 1st thing in the morning can raise the reading 20%
PLUS the fact my glucometer is made, supplied and given free to me by the same pharma group that make several diabetes meds...

[TalkingGIJoe]

I found such a disparity in the continuous meter and the finger prick meter... disheartening to say the least. Chucked them both. Went Keto... quit carbs and never looked back. My endocrinologist was shocked. Normal sugar, normal blood pressure...

[dellagilchrist]

Don't squeeze the blood out, gently massage your finger. A nurse told me by squeezing you could get blood serum which can give you an inaccurate reading. I have found this to be true too.

[kathymalmquist]

I was taught to wipe off that first drop of blood, then use the second drop of blood. I do think it makes a difference 😊

[dantruitt]

Which is why the CGM is so handy. You can do a number of readings within a minute and get a fairly accurate measurement. Using one of these I average about 20 readings a day. I have type 2 and it really helped me fine tune my diet.

[Clint]

Excellent information. It was surprising to me how many people did not know that there is a +-15% range for glucometers. I only use trends of measurements over a period of time for test like my fasting test each morning. Never get excited about an individual reading. It can be very beneficial to track what you eat along with the glucose readings.

[mnorman]

This is part of why I kind of like using mmol/L instead of mg/dL. The smaller number seems to obscure those small differences in accuracy. 120 vs 140 mg/dL seems like a bigger deal than 6.7 versus 7.8 mmol/L. When i moved back to the states and started using CGM, it frustrated me that I couldn't change the units.

[risenart]

My son was diagnosed a few days ago, so I'm learning every day. Thanks!

[CaneFu]

My glucometer readings have been all over the board, to such an extent that they have been completely useless. I'll try these tips.