How do you manage diabetes with a glucometer and test strips
How do you manage diabetes with a glucometer and test strips? It's very easy, but the test strips have to be kept in a controlled environment so they will give active readings when you need them.
The test strips will be the most expensive part of the finger poke testing process. An average price is around $20 for a pack of fifty.
You may want to take your test kit everywhere you go and that is a good idea, but remember that the strips have a coating of reactive material that is sensitive to heat and cold. If you leave the kit in the car on a hot day, the strips may not work as intended and it becomes a big waste of money.
I think that's worth noting as part of the maintenance of the glucometer and test strips.
I used to think the test strips needed to absorb enough blood to saturate the entire strip, but that's not how the process works. It only needs a small amount of blood to absorb on the tip of the strip so the chemical reaction can start. It's a cool process too.
These test strips use electrochemistry to give accurate blood sugar levels. As the small drop of blood touches the strip and gets sucked up, certain enzymes react to the glucose in the blood. The blood mixes with certain reagent enzymes in the strip like glucose oxidase.
Those enzymes break down glucose and turns them into electrons. The strips also contain tiny wires of conductive carbon that capture freed electrons from the glucose reaction and turn them into a small measurable electric current that the glucometer recognizes.
I don't really fully understand this process and to me it's not important to understand it. The important point here is that these test strips are complex and have to be stored properly. By doing that, you will have peace of mind that your readings are correct all the time.
How do you manage diabetes with test strips and use store them properly?
The test strips usually come prewrapped for protection and also for preservation from the environment or air where they may find impurities.
You will need to unwrap a strip each time you need to do a test so you can get an accurate reading.
You may be concerned about opening the wrapper and ripping the test strip in half. I know I was. I learned quickly that these strips are durable. They almost feel like plastic except they aren't. Instead they are made of a tough material and small wiring lines and coatings of chemical enzymes. It won't make a difference if you touch it with your fingers when you pull it out. It's always best to have clean fingers and hands when you're taking a glucose reading though.
There are many different choices for glucometers and test strips. I use Abbott Freestyle glucometer and strips, but I think most kinds work about the same.