Blood sugar test: When and how to do it correctly

Do you know how to do it?
For someone suffering from diabetes, keeping a track of their blood sugar level is paramount. The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin. In a diabetic patient, their body either does not make enough insulin or the insulin produced doesn't get utilised properly, which often leads to a spike in the blood sugar level. High blood sugar, if left untreated, can damage organs, increase the risk of heart attack, kidney disease and liver problem.

Constantly monitoring the blood glucose level helps to manage the health condition and prevent complications. Nowadays testing blood sugar has become easier with a portable blood glucose meter. You can test your sugar level anytime at your home with a simple blood sample test. We tell you the right time and method to measure your sugar level.
 
When to test your blood sugar

You can do the test multiple times a day to monitor the fluctuation, but it is important to consult your doctor about the frequency. Depending on your health condition, your doctor will tell you how often you should do it. You can do it:

Before meals and snacks

Before and after exercise

Before going to bed at night

Also, ask your doctor about your reasonable blood sugar range. Your doctor will tell your maximum and minimum level depending on the type of diabetes, age, pregnancy status, complications and overall health.

As per the American Diabetes Association (ADA), your general blood sugar level should be:

Between 80 and 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 4.4 to 7.2 millimoles per litre (mmol/L) before meals

Less than 180 mg/dL (10.0 mmol/L) 2 hours after meals

Here is how you should test your blood glucose correctly

Directions

Wash your hands and dry it properly.

Put a test strip into your meter.

With the help of your lancing device (needle provided with test kit) prick the side of your fingertip to get a drop of blood.

Touch and hold the edge of the test strip to the drop of blood.

Wait for a few seconds for the meter to show the results on the screen.
​The risks of self-testing

There are several benefits of self-testing, biggest being it is easy and convenient. But there are also some risks like:

Multiple punctures

Excessive bleeding

Lightheadedness or fainting

Blood collecting under your skin

Infection

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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One-hour exercise with proper hydration may tackle low BP

Suffering from low blood pressure? Do an hour or more of daily exercise and stay hydrated to improve the condition and control fainting or dizziness episodes, finds a NASA-funded study on astronauts.

The study is the first to examine the condition called “orthostatic intolerance” during daily activities when the astronauts returned home.

The researchers found that exercise regimens during space flight, followed by saline injections after landing, were sufficient to prevent the condition from occurring.

“Doing an hour or more of daily exercise was sufficient to prevent loss of heart muscle, and when it was combined with receiving hydration on their return, the condition was prevented entirely. We expected to see up to two-thirds of the space crew faint. Instead, no one fainted,” said a cardiologist.

A similar condition is also diagnosed in patients as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is predominantly found in women. The dizziness that it causes is life-changing and can be debilitating.

The Dr. has helped one Dallas patient return to a normal life.

For the study, the researchers used a small blood pressure cuff on astronauts’ finger to measure blood pressure and every heartbeat.

These measurements were taken during multiple 24-hour periods before, during, and after six months of spaceflight. Twelve astronauts were involved — eight men and four women.

This treatment is just one of the ways medicine, heart research, and space travel have connected throughout Dr Levine’s work. The successful moon landing in 1969 was an early influence on his career.

The early interest led Dr Levine into space research within the field of cardiology, and he began working with the space shuttle programme in 1991.

“We put a catheter in an astronaut’s heart — it was former UT Southwestern faculty member — and sent him into space. It was probably the most expensive right-heart catheterization ever,”  the Dr . reminisced.

“Much of our early research was devoted to understanding why astronauts faint when they return from space. Now, we can prevent it from happening”

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                    

                                https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

 

Tips to prevent fainting

You're Dehydrated

Dehydration can happen if you don't drink enough or you lose too much fluid. Then your blood pressure drops and your nervous system can't control it well, which could make you faint. That's why it's a good idea to get plenty of water, especially when it's hot outside. If your pee isn't clear, you may need a bit more to drink.

Arrhythmia

It means your heart has an irregular beat. That sometimes slows the flow and amount of blood that gets to your brain, which can make you pass out. It may be the first or only obvious symptom of the problem. See your doctor right away if you suspect arrhythmia because it could be a sign of a serious heart problem that needs treatment.

Cyanotic Breath-Holding

It happens mostly in kids between ages 6 months and 5 years. They cry hard enough to cut off oxygen and trigger an automatic response that makes them faint. They may turn blue, pass out for about a minute, and seem groggy afterward. They don't do it on purpose. It's a reflex they can't control. Though it's scary to see at first, it's nothing to worry about and might even happen repeatedly.

Pallid Breath-Holding

This one also happens mainly in young kids. A sudden fright or pain causes the heart to stop for a few seconds. With no sound, a child might open his mouth before turning very pale and passing out for about a minute. Pallid breath-holding sometimes happens after your child gets hurt. It's not the injury itself that causes this automatic response, but the shock of it. It should go away by age 5.

Low Blood Sugar

The medical term is hypoglycemia. It may make you dizzy, shaky, tired, confused, and blur your vision. You can usually fix the problem if you get a few grams of carbs from juice or candy. Otherwise, you could pass out. If that happens, you need medicine called glucagon to help your body release more sugar.

Diabetes

High blood sugar from diabetes can damage the nerves in your body that help keep your blood pressure steady. That could lead to unusually low blood pressure that makes you pass out.

Medicine

Some medications, like high blood pressure drugs and antidepressants, affect the way your heart and blood vessels act when you stand. This can drop your blood pressure and make you pass out. Insulin used to lower blood sugar when you have diabetes might cause hypoglycemia that also leads to fainting. In older people, different drugs sometimes combine with illness and the situation you're in -- like standing in a hot room --  to make you faint.

Seizure

It's a sudden change in the brain's normal electrical signals. Some symptoms, like eyes rolling back and jerking movements, may be similar to breath-holding. The difference is seizures make you unconscious for minutes, not seconds, and might make you lose control of your bladder. And you could see flashes of light or get unusual smells or tastes with no obvious source. See your doctor if you suspect a seizure.

Standing Up

If you faint when you rise, you could have a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). It increases your pulse too much when you stand or sit up. You might feel sick, dizzy, shaky, or sweaty, and your heart may skip a beat. And you could pass out. It can help to drink plenty of fluids, limit caffeine and alcohol, and try to get up more slowly. Your doctor may suggest medicine to treat it.

Heart Problems

Damaged heart muscle, blocked or narrowed blood vessels (coronary heart disease), and other kinds of ticker trouble can stop enough blood loaded with oxygen from getting to your brain. When it makes you pass out, it's called cardiac syncope. It may happen without warning, sometimes repeatedly over a period of weeks. See your doctor right away if you suspect this or also have chest pain, arrhythmia, fatigue, or other symptoms.

Shock

The technical term for this is vasovagal syncope. Your body overreacts to the sight of blood, sudden intense emotion, fear of injury, or something else that jars you. Your heart rate slows as blood vessels widen and blood pools in your legs, away from your brain. You may be cold, clammy, pale, and nauseated right before it happens. If you feel like you might faint, lie down and raise your legs.

Hyperventilation

You feel like you can't get enough air, so you start to breathe in more quickly. Though it's unclear why, this makes blood vessels around your brain shrink, which limits oxygen and makes you lightheaded and possibly faint. Fear, rather than a physical problem, usually causes it, though you can bring it on if you hold your breath. Your hands, feet, and mouth might also tingle.

Coughing

Especially if it's deep and you can't stop, it might prevent your blood from getting enough oxygen, which could make you faint. It's more common in babies with pertussis, but it can happen to anyone. Asthma, which makes it harder to breathe, may have the same effect. Get to a hospital right away if you have a serious asthma attack or pass out from coughing.

Drinking Alcohol

It causes your blood vessels to expand, which can lead to a drop in your blood pressure. You can pass out when you drink so much that you reach a dangerously high blood alcohol concentration.

Your Collar's Too Tight

Carotid sinus syncope, or "tight-collar syndrome," happens when something pushes on nerves at a wide part of your carotid artery in your neck. This interferes with blood flow to the brain and makes you faint. It happens quickly and without other symptoms like nausea, paleness, and sweating. In some cases, if it hasn't happened before, it may be a sign of narrowed arteries that need treatment.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                        https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

8 Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Unless we’re in extreme pain or one of our bones is sticking out, few of us want to admit that we need to go spend hours waiting in the emergency room, just so we can spend a load of money on health insurance bills. After all, it might be nothing, and we’d have wasted all that time and money for nothing.
However, this is not a wise move to make for your health. We fully understand why you would not want to make a trip to the ER, but while it’s easy to push your symptoms aside, there are some that you should never ignore. Below are 8 red flag signs that you need to see a doctor as soon as possible:
1. Spiked Fever
The only time it’s normal to have a spiked fever is when you have a cold or flu – the raised body temperature shows that your body is fighting something. However, if a fever suddenly spikes out of the blue – and spikes high – you should take yourself to the ER. According to doctors, any temperature higher than 105 degrees in an adult is a medical emergency. A consistent fever over 103 degrees indicates a serious infection that needs to be treated urgently.
2. Feeling Faint
If you stand up quickly, or haven’t had much to eat or drink, then you might feel lightheaded. But if it comes out of the blue and is so extreme that you feel like you might faint, you need to go to the ER. Not only can this indicate some larger problem, but you could injure yourself if you do fall over.
3. Feeling Breathless

Did you just climb a load of stairs or go for jog? If that’s the case, then it’s okay to feel a little out of breath. However, this is a totally different story if you get breathless out of nowhere and cannot seem to catch your breath. If you start to feel short of breath and your lungs and throat start to feel tight, you should head on down to the ER.
4. Splitting Headache
It’s so easy for us to consider a headache to be “normal.” You might take a pill, drink a glass of water, and sleep it off. However, you need to draw the line at some point. Should you have a headache for more than a day, or if you’re experiencing excruciating pain, seek medical help.
5. Upset Stomach
If you have been around someone who is ill or you ate something a little funky, having an upset stomach isn’t the end of the world. However, if diarrhea continues for more than five days, or you start becoming dehydrated, go straight to the ER.

6. Chest Pains 

There are different types of chest pains. If you’re experiencing a squeezing feeling that turns into a tight and painful ache, seek medical attention immediately. This is especially important do if you’re experiencing these pains straight after exercising as this could be a sign of cardiac arrest.
7. Pins and Needles
If you’ve been sitting on your foot and you get pins and needles, that makes sense since you’ve been restricting the blood flow. However, if you get this feeling out of the blue, especially in your limbs, this could be a potential sign of a stroke and should be immediately examined.
8. Random bump
Everyone should know that an unrecognized lump anywhere on your body should be handled with care. Unexplained lumps can indicate all sorts of things. If it hurts, it could be an infection or a small fracture. If not, it could be cancerous. Either way, going to the ER will give you peace of mind.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         https://my crochet creations.blogspot.com  

  
 

SOME WARNING SYMPTOMS THAT WE'VE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT

Normally no one wants to get sick and worse none of us want to get admitted to the hospital. But here are some warning symptoms of which we've to be careful about.

1) Sudden high fever-It’s normal to have a spiked fever when you have a cold or flu – the raised body temperature shows that your body is fighting something. However, if a fever suddenly spikes out of the blue – and goes high – you should rush to the emergency. According to doctors, any temperature higher than 105 degrees in an adult is a medical emergency. A consistent fever over 103 degrees indicates a serious infection that needs to be treated urgently.

2. Feeling Faint
If you stand up quickly, or haven’t had much to eat or drink, then you might feel lightheaded. But if it comes out of the blue and is so extreme that you feel like you might faint, you need to go to the ER. Not only can this indicate some larger problem, but you could injure yourself if you do fall over.

3. Sudden breathlessness-

It’s okay to feel a little out of breath after jogging or climbing a flight of stairs. However,  if you get breathless suddenly without doing any work and you start to feel short of breath and your lungs and throat start to feel tight, you should rush to the ER.

4. Splitting Headache- It is normal to get a headache when one is tense or when one has fever or cold. But sudden excruciating headache and a headache that lasts for some days, then seek medical help at once.


5. Upset Stomach
Sudden upset stomach without eating any food from outside and the others at home are feeling fine. Or when your diarrhea doesn't stop, even after a couple of days, it is better to seek urgent medical attention.

6. Severe chest pain-

There are different types of chest pains. If you’re experiencing a squeezing feeling that turns into a tight and painful ache, seek medical attention immediately. This is especially important do if you’re experiencing these pains straight after exercising as this could be a sign of cardiac arrest.

7. Pins and Needles/ Numbness
If you’ve been sitting on your foot and you get pins and needles, that makes sense since you’ve been restricting the blood flow. Sudden feeling of numbness in any part of the body without any rhyme or reason, it may be a sign of stroke, better to seek medical attention immediately.

8. Random swelling
Everyone should know that an unrecognized swelling anywhere on your body should be handled with care. Unexplained ones can indicate all sorts of things. If it hurts, it could be an infection or a small fracture. If not, it could be cancerous. Either way, getting it attended will give us peace of mind.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.                                                                                                             https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations                                   https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes                 https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement