How to Read Diabetic Test Results

Diabetics test their blood sugar on home meters, and their doctors run other tests on kidneys and blood sugar. When a diabetic patient has an A1C test run for their blood sugar, it can be confusing. The numbers are different than the numbers on the glucometer the patient uses for testing the blood at home, so patients need familiarity with the way the tests are read.

Instructions

• 1

  Test your blood sugar using your glucometer at home. These devices test your blood sugar level at the moment you got the blood from your finger. If the number is between 70 and 120, your sugar is in a good range. If the number is higher than 120, it is running high. If it is less than 70, it is running low. If the number is under 70 or above 180, contact your physician. Write the numbers down in a notebook to keep track of the days it runs too high or too low. Write down what foods you ate that day so you know what triggers a blood sugar spike or drop.

• 2

  Have the doctor run an A1C test on your blood, which checks the average blood sugar level you have maintained during the last two or three months. You want the level to stay around 6 percent to 6.5 percent. The percentage is the A1C level in your blood.

• 3

  Get a microalbumin test run by your doctor that checks your kidneys' protein levels. Diabetes damages kidneys and causes kidney disease, so you want the numbers under 30 mg. If it is between 30 and 300, you are developing kidney disease. If it is over 300, you likely have kidney disease.