Aramis - unofficial diabetes educator!

I have decided that as part of my Public Relations work for Paws for Diabetics Inc I should also become an unofficial diabetes educator and tell you all about diabetes. This post is going to be about blood glucose level checks. Diabetics have to check their blood glucose level and then have food or insulin if needed. To do this they need to use a thing called a glucometre (metre).

The meter comes in a case that has spots to hold the finger pricker (pricker), testing strips (strips), needle, spare needles for the pricker, and other stuff.

To check your level, you need to take the pricker and a strip (shown here in the blue stuff!).

You take the strip out of the packet, and put it into the metre. You prick your finger with the little needle inside the pricker (to do this you only put it on your finger and press a button and the needle shoots out and pricks your finger). Then you get a bit of blood and put it on the end of the strip. Then the machine counts down and shows your blood glucose level (BGL). I got Mum to check her level to take the next picture (she isn't diabetic by the way).

Hopefully, the metre will say that your level is somewhere around 6. If it doesn't you need to eat (if lower) and have insulin (if higher). Dad has an insulin pump that he uses to give himself insulin. This means that he has one needle every three days, as opposed to four or more needles each day.

This is an insulin pump. It attaches to Dad using that tube. It pumps insulin into Dad all the time (very little bits) and then when needed Dad puts the level from the metre into the pump and it gives him extra insulin to get his level down.

I hope this wasn't too confusing... stay tuned for my next lesson on hypos!

Aramis - unofficial diabetes educator