DIABETES: RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT

Regular monitoring of blood sugar is the foundation of good management of their disease by diabetics. Between two blood tests - with dosage of glycated hemoglobin in analysis laboratories - every 3 to 4 months, self-monitoring at home (by dosage of capillary glycaemia) is essential.

Why monitor your blood sugar?

Regular monitoring of blood sugar (glycaemia) is a vital necessity for type 1 diabetics to whom insulin must be administered in doses adapted to their blood sugar levels. But it is also essential for type 2 diabetics, treated with a diet, alone or in combination with taking medication: it allows them to measure the effect of their diet, their physical exercise, their treatment and so on. rectify the situation" to bring the blood sugar level to acceptable values.
 

You are on a diet

Losing the extra pounds and following an appropriate diet is the basis of type 2 diabetes.
This personalized diet will be set up by the diabetologist, after a dietary survey which will have specified the points to be reviewed in your diet.

The main principles, you know them: hunt for hidden fats, priority for complex sugars in starchy foods, pasta, rice... and monitoring of simple carbohydrates (the "sugar") , etc.

The self-measurement of your blood sugar, 1 to 2 hours after a lunch, a snack... will take you from theory to practice: take a test after a few "typical" meals and you will be able to determine the foods that raise your blood level of sugar and those that suit you: why deprive yourself of a macaroni gratin or a chocolate cream (at the end of the meal) if your level does not change?

 

You exercise

It is the same for exercise: your diabetologist recommends that you have a physical activity, and anyway, in everyday life, if you are active, you are led to move, tinker, garden...

Here again, take advantage of the facilities of self-measurement to appreciate the benefits … or the risks of hypoglycaemia linked to the efforts made to better correct them simply by biting into a piece of sugar!
 

You don't feel well

Another scenario, you are "woozy": is it really hypoglycemia or does the discomfort have another cause? Quick, a self-measurement and you know what's going on.

If hypoglycemia is confirmed: everything is back to normal with a piece of sugar or a small snack. But maybe you are catching a flu, starting a cold, a gastro... in this case, be wary of certain drugs that raise blood sugar: talk to your pharmacist, he will be able to guide you.
In all these circumstances of everyday life, where the intervention of a biologist at home is not even possible, self-measurement at home provides valuable assistance; it is not a question of spending your time doing checks but of monitoring yourself regularly, at different times of the day, of noting the circumstances of the measurements (meals, outings with friends, physical activities, etc.)and blood sugar values ​​to better control your disease and thus better live with it.