Introduction
Your child
needs to know when his or her blood sugar level is outside the target range.
Fortunately, your child's blood sugar level can be checked anywhere and anytime
by using a home blood sugar (glucose) meter. Blood sugar meters give results in
less than a minute.
Knowing your child's blood sugar level helps
you treat low or high blood sugar before it becomes an emergency. It also helps
you know how exercise and food affect your child's blood sugar and how much
short-acting insulin to give (if your child takes insulin).
Five
keys to success in monitoring your child's blood sugar are:
- Keeping the meter and supplies with your child
at all times.
- Making it a habit to check your child's blood sugar
level by building it into his or her routine.
- Pricking the sides of
your child's fingers, not the tips. The tip of a finger is more sensitive than
the sides.
- Checking the meter's accuracy when you visit the doctor
by comparing results with the doctor's results.
- Keeping the meter
properly maintained and calibrated with the test strips.
For more information, see:
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