Your blood contains glucose (sugar) levels that change. With today's technology, these levels can be monitored with state of the art meters using very small amounts of blood.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends blood glucose readings to be:

Before Meals:   90-130 mg/dl
2Hrs After Meals:<180 mg/dl

Don't get too frustrated if you get readings higher or lower than this. Remember that these are goals to shoot for. You will have highs and lows, no matter how hard you try not to.
This is better known as low blood sugar. Pretty scary. It can happen at just about any time. Sometimes there are warnings, other times, there are none. When it does occr, you have to act now. The best advice I can give is to be prepared at all times with a snack or juice of some sort.  If you suspect  you are low, check your blood sugar level NOW.  Take a snack of 15-20 carbs and wait for 15 minutes. Re-check to see if you're going up. If not, take another snack.

Hyperglycemia    

Also known as high blood sugar, this will also occasionally occur. The most common reasons these occur are miss judging insulin doses or corrections. You can also have high blood sugars when you have problems with a pump site, pinched tubing that delivers your insulin, your body not absorbing well due to over-using a site for injection, or insulin that has gone "bad".

High blood sugars over time are the leading cause of complications . If you are struggling  to keep your blood sugars down, talk to your doctor for a detailed  plan.

A1C Test

A1C tests should be done on a quarterly basis (about every 3 months). My young son used to dread these as they required blood drawn from the arm. This is no longer the case. A simple finger stick now works for reslts, so there should be no fears anymore.

A1C Test results show an average of blood sugars over an extended amount of time. Since everyone has occasional highs ad lows, this average is the best gauge doctors have to see how your control is doing.

Generally speaking, "new" and very young diabetics often have higher A1C's. Good blood sugar control takes time to learn. Over time, with a plan, you can lower your A1C to an acceptable range.

The ADA recommends your A1C to be <7%

Remember, don't fret if you're above this. Make this your goal and work to keep it there. The better you control your blood sugar, the better off your body will be in the long run!

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