My father was diagnosed as diabetic when he went through the medical check-up last year. And from the session onward, his monthly routine is seeing the doctor for monthly check-up and more often than not, he returned home with bunch of diabetes medication packages. But, but, but, being my father,a typical folk with sooooo little attention to medicine intake, he only popped the diabetes pills whenever he please. Aiyoo~
You know, chronic deseases like these- diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease - are lifelong diseases. The medications used in diabetes are only to control the blood sugar, but not to cure the disease itself. Thus, taking the medication matters seriously is very important in ensuring the blood sugar is not rising abnormally high and worsen the complications to the patients.
It was very very very rare that my father fell sick until recently when he was having a long fever. He lost his appetite and subsequently many kilos until his face has become visibily shrunk. Yes he did suffer a few infections on his body before, but not to the certain of being very very very week and pale like this time. Oh man, I was so scared and worried that all bad things crossed my mind. After many attempts from me, siblings and relatives to bring him to hospital- which is after almost one month of being sick on his bed, he finally agreed to be cured in the hospital.
Ok, back to the diabetes story, only after he was admitted that he couldn`t escape from taking the diabetes medication daily, day and night. And the result was, his blood sugar decreased after proper medication is taken.
When my father was discharged from the ward, I felt the need of having a glucose monitoring device so that my father can monitor his blood sugar level at home. It was when Ziela told me that the glucose level monitoring device is available in the market, I was relief.
It was so many glucose meter brands available in the market. I chose Accu-Chek Advantage, for I have seen it in a clinic that we have visited previously to check my father`s glucose level. One reason of diabetes treatment is to keep the blood glucose levels near the normal range of 3-6 mml/L before meals and under 8mml/L at two hours after eating-ideally.
The device comes with the test strips which will last until 25 tests and a lancing device which holds the lancet inside it to prick the skin of the fingertip. And for this brand, it comes with handy pouch which stores all these items.
From bottom clockwise : lancing device, test strip, pouch, glucose meter
The blood sugar level is typically determined by pricking the edge of the fingertip with the lancing device and applying the blood on a test strip and insert it in a glucose meter, which reads the value.
Note from nurse : it is important to carefully prick at the edge of the fingertip, so that it will not accidently affect the nerve which is located at the center of the the fingertip. Diabetic has a high risk of nerve complication.
And the meter is reading the glucose level
And the glucose level was,
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Uh-oh~
My father should have taken the medicines before getting the reading. Huhu ..
.JPG)
