A beginner's guide to diabetes: testing, injecting and regulating your blood sugar

Once you've been diagnosed, testing your blood sugar regularly will become part of your life. That's because knowing your blood-sugar level will help you tweak your diet, exercise and other habits to help keep blood sugar within normal range. Here's how to safely test your blood and maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

Your doctor or someone in the doctor's office should demonstrate how to check your blood.

• You'll start by sticking your finger with a tiny needle, called a lancet. Some meters have a built-in lancet that takes blood from your forearm or thigh; others have spring-loaded lancets.
• Apply the drop of blood to a testing strip.
• Your meter will provide results in about five to 30 seconds, and most meters record and store the results so you can compare them over time.
• Get specific directions on what times of day you should check blood sugar. Everyone's schedule will be different.

When it comes to deciding where to inject, any place that you have a layer of fat just below the skin is fair game. Your abdomen, the tops and outer sides of your thighs, your buttocks and your upper arms work fine. The abdomen usually has the most ample folds of fat and absorbs insulin faster and more consistently than other areas do. Here's how to proceed:

• Clean the injection site first with plain soap and water. If you use alcohol as a disinfectant, wait until it dries before going ahead with your injection or the needle may sting when it goes into the skin.
• Insert the needle quickly. As with tearing a bandage off sensitive skin, slowness and hesitation make it hurt more.
• Keep the angle of the needle steady as it goes in and out so it's not swivelling around under your skin.
• Choose a fresh site with each injection so you're not putting the needle into tissue that's still sensitive from your last shot.
• Avoid giving shots in the inner thigh, where rubbing from leg movement can cause soreness at the injection site.

Here are some easy ways to keep your blood sugar from dipping to dangerous levels:

• Carry a source of fast-absorbing carbohydrates, such as hard candy, glucose tablets or gels. In a recent study, sugary candy worked as well as more expensive glucose pills!
• Get to know your own subtle early warning signs, such as confusion or trouble concentrating. Take action immediately; don't wait! Eat or drink 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates, such as 125 ml (1/2 cup) of a regular soft drink or juice, or about 20 pieces of sugary candy.
• Check your blood sugar 15 to 20 minutes after consuming the fast-acting carbs; repeat if it's still low. Your blood sugar is considered low if it's below 70 mg/dL (3.89 mmol/L) as measured on a meter that tests whole blood, 80 mg/dL (4.44 mmol/L) or below on a meter that tests plasma glucose, or 90 mg/dL (4.99 mmol/L) and below if you also have symptoms.

Once you're diagnosed with diabetes, checking your blood and controlling your blood sugar is incredibly important. Keep this guide in mind and take control of your diabetes with regular tests.