If I ask you to tell me about someone living with diabetes among your family and friends, I am sure many will have at least 1 or 2 people to name. This alarming truth speaks so much about the prevalence of diabetes in India. Monitoring blood sugar (blood glucose level) is an important tool in managing your diabetes and preventing any related complications.
List of Contents
Why is Diabetes Management Important?
Diabetes refers to a disorder that affects your body’s capacity to metabolise sugar. Type 1 (Juvenile Diabetes) and Type 2 Diabetes are the two most common kinds. However, due to multiple factors, Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy is also on the rise.
All these types of diabetes can result in high blood glucose levels which can be a trigger to many other ailments.
Diabetes management, therefore, is important for #LivingFullyWithDiabetes.
Monitoring Blood Glucose:
For diabetes management, monitoring blood glucose is the key. To manage any form of diabetes, on a regular basis one should keep a tab on blood glucose levels especially before and after meals, after medicine or insulin shots, and after any strenuous activity.
Why Monitoring Blood Glucose is important?
Testing blood glucose can assist you with the following
- Identifying high or low blood glucose levels
- Keep track of your progress with respect to the medication and treatment objectives.
- Understand how blood glucose levels are affected by diet and daily activities.
- Analyse the effect of stress on blood glucose levels
How many times does one need to test Blood Glucose?
Depending upon various factors like diabetes type, age, medical history and more, your doctor will advise you how often you should monitor your blood glucose levels. In my family my mother-in-law being diabetic has been advised by her doctor to get Hb A1C testing done every two months which she religiously follows. According to her report, the doctor modifies her medicines. In addition to this, she also checks her blood glucose levels regularly or in case of emergencies like extreme weakness. However, when she was just detected with diabetes, she had to check her blood glucose levels thrice a day.
What is the recommended Blood Glucose Range?
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) people with diabetes excluding pregnant women generally should have 80-130mg/dl blood sugar level before meals while post an hour or two after meals it should be below 180mg/dl. This might vary depending on your health condition so I would highly recommend you check with your doctor for an appropriate good blood glucose range you have to target.
Traditional style of Blood-Glucose Monitoring
Apart from the periodic Hb A1C test that is done in pathology, one needs to do blood-glucose monitoring at home as well. Using a glucometer is what many people do. For checking via a glucometer, one has to prick the finger with a small, sharp needle, put a drop of blood on a test strip, and then place the strip into a meter that displays your blood sugar levels. Post the test you need to note down the test results to share them with the doctor.
Latest Doctor recommended Technology for Blood Glucose Monitoring: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device
For people diagnosed as pre-diabetics and, of course, persons with diabetes, regular blood glucose monitoring is very crucial. With finger pricking required every time with traditional glucose monitoring devices, it becomes a painful, difficult task. So, for people wanting to live fully with diabetes, pregnant women with gestational diabetes, or for diabetic senior citizens, continuous glucose monitoring is highly recommended by doctors.
In my opinion, a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device like Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre is truly a blessing for diabetics as they don’t need to prick their fingers. Doctors today prefer to know about glucose reading data with reference to the time-in-range concept. This helps them give precise treatment for which a continuous glucose monitoring device like FreeStyle Libre is very useful.
Buy FreeStyle Libre
FreeStyle Libre is a flash continuous glucose monitoring device which is wearable. It comes with a small reader device and a sensor. The sensor has to be worn on the back of your upper arm once in 14 days. This wearable device is the first of its kind in India. To get a detailed picture of your glucose levels in real-time one has to simply put the reader over the sensor.
Blood Sugar Monitoring with CGM devices like FreeStyle Libre is very easy and convenient to use because
- It measures and records glucose readings within seconds. No scope for procrastination in measuring whatsoever!
- The diabetic person can take the reading without causing pain even through the clothes. Imagine the relief the person will feel at work or anywhere outside.
- With the help of CGM device one can see the blood sugar trend, and take up to 1400+ readings per day at different moments like before and after meals, after exercise and many more. It also stores and shows trends within the day, and over a period of 90 days.
- FreeStyle Libre is water-resistant and can be used by children above 4 years and adults easily.
- Features like low or high blood sugar alert make it a smart choice even for me as a caregiver to my mother-in-law.
Here is a comparison between the CGM device and the traditional monitoring device.
I feel a CGM device like FreeStyle Libre can be a great aide in monitoring glucose levels for better diabetes management. If you found this article helpful, then do share for benefit of your family and friends.
Such a detailed post about the need to monitor glucose levels. I remember we had a handy device that was used to check Mom’s sugar level. This device is even more convenient and monitors better.
Wearable Glucose monitors have really been in demand but the market has only recently started producing accurate wearable glucose monitors. These are especially good for people dependent on insulin or with active lifestyles. Well reviewed!
I have checked CGM device before and loved all the feature that they have. indeed they are best option for diabetic patients to monitor their blood glucose level with less discomfort.
I also need freelibre. After reading your detailed review about it I am convinced to go get one. I am borderling but still have to monitor it all the time. The pricking glucometer is uncertain.
Good that elders now have a device that does not require frequent pricking and blood sugar levels can be monitored through Libre device.
What should say, i am blessed that no one is diabetic in my family. But it is an informative post and one should know about it ,it may help in future.
Very great information.now a days one can check it at home .this post is very helpful.
My husband is diabetic and his doctor always says that you can easily manage your diabetes if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and monitor glucose levels regularly. However, he’s struggling with it because he finds testing quite frustrating, he doesn’t like pricking his finger everyday. I have suggested him to get FreeStyle Libre as it will solve his problem as once he will have the glucose trend he will be able to manage his diet and ultimately his diabetes.
Diabetes is one diseases that can be kept under control if regular monitoring is done with good diet and regular exercise. These kind of products are like boon.
Painless monitoring of glucose is such a real boon.
This is so useful for someone living with diabetes
Living with diabetics at home, this came as a saviour.
Glad I stumbled across your blog post. Sharing it with my family.
Loved reading this. So informative.
FreeStyle Libre has helped in painless monitoring of blood sugar levels. This is an innovation.
Painless glucose monitoring is actually helpful for diabetics and caregivers
This is so useful for someone living with diabetes.
FreeStyle Libre is very helpful for diabetes management and helps in managing blood glucose level
This is a really informative post. Thank you for sharing.
It is an informative post that helps caregivers as well in monitoring glucode levels painlessly.
I was just looking for information on this product and found your post.Thank you!
Monitoring is such an important aspect of diabetes management. With Freestyle libre, it will be easier.
Freestyle libre sounds like a really convenient product.
I knew that checking sugar levels was important. FreeStyle Libre is such a useful device!
Good to know that one can monitor glucose levels effortlessly.
This is a very useful post for people with diabetes.
My sister would be happy to know about FreeStyle Libre and the fact that one can swim while having it on.
This looks like such a cool device for anyone with diabetes.
Managing diabetes with painless CGM looks promising.
Freestyle libre sounds like a really convenient product.
Managing blood glucose levels with painless monitoring is helpful for all diabetics
What a detailed and thoroughly informative post you have shared Judy. And on a topic that is the need of the hour too. Kudos!
Being a diabetic,I understand the importance of maintaining health and keeping a check on blood sugar levels. This is something that is going to be very helpful for me
It is important to monitor glucose regularly when you have diabetes. And FreeStyle Libre helps us in doing that in the most easiest manner possible.
Monitoring is very essential in proper Diabetes Management. The comparison clearly lists why Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring System is a great option for Diabetes patient, will check for my parents
We have been using Freestyle libre for my mother and mil and they also have had great experience. It makes monitoring so easy and it’s accurate too