Principle 5: Monitor Your 
Blood Sugar Level

You may need to test your won blood sugar on a regular basis to help control the diabetes attacking you.

Talk with your health care provider about:

• What type of test to use

• How to do the test right away

• How often to test

• How often to report the test results

• Getting supplies you need to do the tests. If you get Medicare, it can help pay for your diabetic supplies.

Hemoglobin A1c Testing

A hemoglobin A1c test is done by your doctor. It measures how well your blood sugar has been controlled over the last 2 to 3 months. This test is extremely important because it tells you how well you are doing. It provides a marker so you can see your progress.

To learn more about this and other blood sugar tests, you can call (in the USA) 800-438-5383. This is from the US government. Ask for the brochure called: "Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers: The ABCs of Testing for Blood Sugar Control."

• Ask your doctor or nurse educator what your last hemoglobin A1c test result was and mark it on a chart along with the date of the test.

• Ask your doctor or nurse educator what your target hemoglobin A1c test result should be. Mark that down as well. Compare the two.

Some people prefer to mark on a graph with colored pens or pencils.

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This information has been gleaned from research and from publications of the National Diabetes Education Program among others.

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