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    Checking Your Blood Sugar

    Step-by-Step

    • Supplies for checking blood sugar, including glucometer, lancet, lancet holder, test strips, and cotton balls.

      1. Gather your supplies.

    • Hand holding open instruction booklet for glucometer.

      2. Read your glucometer instructions.

    • Hands scrubbing with soap under faucet with running water.

      3. Wash your hands.

    • Hands drying with towel.

      4. Dry your hands with a clean towel.

    • Hand holding clean lancet between thumb and index finger.

      5. Use a clean needle (lancet).

    • One hand holding lancet holder and other hand inserting lancet into lancet holder.

      6. Place the lancet in the holder, if you use one.

    • One hand holding glucometer and other hand inserting test strip into glucometer, with test strip bottle in background.

      7. Insert a test strip in the glucometer.

    • Hand with palm up and highlights on inside and outside of pads of all 5 fingers.

      8. Use any finger.

    • One hand holding lancet in lancet holder and poking side of index finger on other hand with lancet.

      9. Poke the side of your finger.

    • One hand squeezing drop of blood from index finger on other hand.

      10. Squeeze a drop of blood from your finger.

    • One hand holding glucometer with test strip touching drop of blood from index finger on other hand.

      11. Test your blood.

    • One hand holding cotton ball to left index finger on other hand.

      12. Stop any bleeding.

    • Lancet being ejected from lancet holder into sharps container.

      13. Throw the lancet away.

    • Hand writing down results with pen and paper.

      14. Record your results.

    Online Medical Reviewer: Michael Dansinger MD
    Online Medical Reviewer: Raymond Kent Turley BSN MSN RN
    Online Medical Reviewer: Rita Sather RN
    Date Last Reviewed: 9/1/2023
    © 2000-2026 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
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    Southern New Mexico
    Surgery Center
    2301 Indian Wells Rd. Suite B
    Alamogordo, NM 88310
    www.snmsc.org

    Phone: 575.437.0890
    Fax: 575.437.0905
    Email: info@snmsc.org

    Copyright © The StayWell Company, LLC. except where otherwise noted.
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