By: Diabetes Care

Diabetes is a condition where the body is either unable to produce insulin or respond to insulin resulting in high blood glucose levels (high blood sugar). Learning how to manage diabetes can be overwhelming but it’s important to maintain healthy blood glucose levels in the body. Diabetes can be managed by insulin, anti-diabetic medications in a pill form and/or diet and lifestyle modifications and changes. A healthy blood sugar level which diabetics should keep in mind for a target range is 80-150. Unlike Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 diabetes can be managed by lifestyle modification. Exercise and diet changes can help to control and maintain a healthy blood glucose level. In a patient diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, they are insulin dependent- meaning they require insulin every day to maintain a healthy blood glucose level. This is managed with either insulin injections or an insulin pump which is continuously hooked up to the patients body to administer insulin. If lifestyle modification doesn’t help control a Type 2 diabetic, they may require insulin injections or an oral anti-diabetic medication. 

Supplies needed to manage diabetes:

• Glucometer
• Test strips
• Lancets
• Insulin syringes
• Alcohol swabs
• Insulin

How to check a blood sugar level at home

First, you will need to have a glucometer, test strips, lancets and alcohol swabs readily available. You will then set up the glucometer by turning it on and inserting the test strip into the glucometer. Once you have this set up, you will use the alcohol swab to disinfect your finger of choice, use the lancet to prick the finger which was just cleansed and you will get your drop of blood. Once you have the drop of blood, touch the test strip that is in the glucometer to the drop of blood and wait a few seconds for your blood sugar level to result. 

What do I do if my blood sugar is high?

Once you have your blood sugar reading, you may administer insulin according to the order from your physician. You should have either a fixed insulin amount before meals, or a “sliding scale” meaning the amount of insulin you self-administer varies depending on the level of your blood sugar. If your blood sugar remains high despite insulin, please seek professional medical attention. Below you will find a video attached on how to administer insulin. 

Learning that you are a new diabetic can be overwhelming but with all the proper supplies and education it can be managed safely at home. Although it may be a learning curve, there are different resources that can be helpful in providing you support. 

https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep/index.html

References

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Ginzburg, T. (2017). Improving diabetes control in the community: a nurse managed intervention model in a multidisciplinary clinic. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 35(2), 23–30.

Gonzalez, K. E. (2019). Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Primary Practice: A Review. Pediatric Nursing, 45(6), 293–296.

Guimarães Barbosa, J. A., & Martins Ribeiro de Souza, M. C. (2018). Nursing Perspectives and the Advanced Technologies in Diabetes Management. Journal of Nursing UFPE / Revista de Enfermagem UFPE, 12(4), 1112–1116. https://doi.org/10.5205/1981-8963-v12i4a231124p1112-1116-2018

Pawlak, J., Ito, R., Cahill, C., & Sweatt, M. (2019). Hemoglobin A1c testing and diabetes management. MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 51(1), 12–16.

Roselló-Araya, M., Guzmán-Padilla, S., Aráuz-Hernández, A. G., Arias-Rivera, D., Schmidt-Zumbado, M., & Vargas-Zamora, M. (2018). Effect of a therapeutic education methodology on type 2 diabetes mellitus patients by the assessment of biochemical, anthropometric, and dietetic changes. Revista de La ALAD, 8(3), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.24875/ALAD.M18000006