Diabetes Tests - Diabetes requires special tests and exams to watch blood sugar levels, and diagnosing the disease. You should always start with a thorough exam by your doctor. Then, you will be asked about your family history, if diabetes runs in the family, and other risk factors. Another question will be asked, "What medications you are on?" You will also be asked if you are allergic to any medications and if you have high cholesterol or other early signs of cardiovascular disease.
One of easiest diabetes test is a simple finger stick. This will give blood sugar levels immediately but not always as accurate as a laboratory test. A pinprick is made on a finger, a drop of blood is placed on a test strip, and then it goes into a small machine. These machines are usually the way that diabetics keep track of their levels at home. You will sometimes get an unusually high or low reading and are only accurate to within about 10 percent of the reading a laboratory would read. If you would like free blood glucose monitor we have arranged for you to get one just click here to receive a free Blood Glucose Meter.
Going a little further, a fasting plasma glucose diabetes test may be needed. You will need to fast the eight hours before your test is scheduled. Your blood will be drawn, usually in the morning, and your reading should not be more than 126 mg/dl. If the reading is higher, you probably have diabetes. The test may be done again on another day just to corroborate the results, or you may be asked to take a glucose tolerance diabetes test or a glycosylated hemoglobin test. These diabetes tests are more accurate and will confirm you either have diabetes or you are considered prediabetic.
The oral glucose tolerance diabetes test involves drawing blood and testing it, then drinking a drink that is sweet and two hours later you will have another blood sample drawn. If this test shows your blood glucose level to be over 200 mg/dl, you are diabetic. A reading between 140 and 200 would suggest a prediabetes condition.
The most accurate diabetes test is called the glycosylated hemoglobin test. It's a measurement of how high your sugar level has been over the last 120 days. This is the normal life span of all red blood cells. Extra glucose attaches to red blood cells and stays there for the life of the cell. It is the best measurement for people who already have diabetes. This test is being used more often as a diagnostic tool for testing for diabetes.
You may have seen advertisements on TV about monitors that don't need you to stick your finger each time you need your blood levels tested. This will make it easier for those of us, who use our fingers for our work. Using a different method needing less blood and not sticking the finger every time, makes this method best for those who need to test several times a day. Many diabetics will test their sugar levels and adjust their insulin accordingly.