We learn how to monitor blood glucose levels with purpose with the Accu-Chek® Testing in Pairs.
Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with diabetes for some time, it is important to manage your blood glucose. Monitoring your blood glucose (or sugar) levels forms an important role in helping you understand what is happening on a day-to-day basis.
Remember that one blood glucose value from a check does not tell you the whole story! When you consistently check at the right time and frequently enough in a structured manner, blood glucose patterns emerge. This can give you a better understanding of the fluctuations in your blood glucose, which are linked to your daily habits.
Accu-Chek® Testing in Pairs is a simple paper tool designed to help you see changes in your blood glucose before and after a specific meal, exercise, or other event. Use it to discover how one thing in your daily routine can affect your blood glucose.
What could you learn?
- Does what and how much I eat make a difference in my result?
- How does activity/exercise affect my blood glucose?
- Does packing my lunch instead of eating out affect my blood glucose?
Tumi’s example
Tumi would like to learn how breakfast affects her blood glucose. Here’s how it works:
- Start with a simple question and use your blood glucose results to see what works for you.
- Each day, check your blood glucose before the meal or activity, and write the number in the Before column. Check it again two hours after the meal or activity, and write it in the After column.
- How did your blood glucose change? Look out for any changes above 2,8 mmol/L.
What do I want to learn?
How does breakfast affect me?
| Day | Before | After | Change | Notes |
| Monday | 4,0 | 8,0 | 4,0 | Oats with milk |
| Tuesday | 7,4 | 9,7 | 2,3 | Boiled eggs and 1 slice whole wheat bread |
| Wednesday | 8,6 | 12,2 | 3,6 | Bran Flakes with milk and a banana |
| Thursday | 9,8 | 11,2 | 1,4 | Avocado and tomato on 1 slice of toast |
Tumi learnt that a breakfast lower in carbohydrates had a much smaller impact on her blood glucose levels than a breakfast higher in carbohydrates. The Accu-Chek® Testing in Pairs tool showed her that even small changes could make a big impact on her blood glucose control.
You can take that same step today. Simply visit the Accu-Chek® website to download a copy of the Accu-Chek® Testing in Pairs tool, and see for yourself how before-and-after testing can make a difference.
