Choose the right blood sugar monitor for you
If you have diabetes, you will very likely benefit from monitoring your blood glucose regularly. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG for short) will help you know quickly what your blood sugar level is, see how your diet, lifestyle, and treatment are affecting your blood sugar levels, and make informed decisions with your health care team about managing your diabetes.
There are many kinds of blood glucose meter on the market, with different features that will suit different people. Before you decide which one to get, consider a few factors:
- How often will you be testing your blood glucose, and when and where?
- What’s your budget? If you don’t have drug insurance, the test strips are where the cost adds up. You may be using up to 4 strips a day, and a package of 100 can cost anywhere from $50 to well over $100.
- How easy is the display to read? Does it light up?
- How easy is it to carry?
- How easy are the strips to handle?
- Does it need to be calibrated for each new set of strips? How easy is that to do?
- How many test results does it record, and what tracking options does it give you – and what features will you actually use?
- Can it be connected to your home computer to display tracked information?
- Can it be altered by your endocrinologist to provide a more personalized recommendation?
- Does it let you note whether a reading was taken before or after food or exercise?
- How long does a test take?
- How much blood is needed?
- How big is the lancet?
- Where does it draw the sample?
Talk about your needs with your diabetes educator or your pharmacist. Once you have a meter, before you start using it, make sure you know:
- how and where to draw the blood
- when to test yourself
- what size of blood drop is needed
- what type of strips to use
- how to clean the meter
- how to dispose of strips and lancets
- how to check your meter for accuracy
- how often to change the meter
