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Directions for One Touch Ultra

Diabetes have to monitor their glucose levels carefully. Using a glucose meter is an easy way to do so at home. A glucose meter is a little machine that allows you to test your glucose. One Touch is a company that designs glucose meters. They make two major brands of glucose meter--the One Touch Ultra and the One Touch Mini. The mini is a smaller version of the standard meter, which comes in different colors.

  1. When to Test

    • Diabetics, on average, usually check their glucose levels three to seven times a day, depending on the nature of their condition and the instructions from their physicians. Most diabetics check their glucose levels via their fingers, which makes for an accurate reading. Diabetics should make sure to wash their hands and try not to touch the strips too much and to use vinyl or latex gloves while putting on a strip. The One Touch Ultra also allows you to test on your forearm, but only at certain times, since forearm testing tends to be less accurate then standard testing. Forearm testing should be done before a meal or dose of insulin, or two hours after.

    Insert a Test Strip

    • Insert a test strip on the end of your One Touch Ultra in the slot designed for test strips. This is on the back of the meter. If you do not know where the slot is, consult your owner's manual for a picture. The test strip has a code, which should be facing up. When you insert the strip and turn on the meter, the screen on the meter will display the code on the strip. Make sure these numbers match. If they do not, use the up and down arrows on the keypad control of your meter to make sure the numbers match up. When the numbers match up, that means the test strip is inserted properly and is ready to take a reading. Press "OK." The screen where the code was written before should now read "Apply Blood."

    Test Your Blood

    • Take the cap off the end of the meter. There should be a lancet, or a needle-like instrument on the end of the meter. If the lancet has been used, you will need to pop it out and insert a new one. The lancet simply lifts out and the new one pops in. Consult your owner's manual if you have difficulty understanding how the lancet goes in. Press the front of the meter against your finger, and then press the "Release" button. A drop of blood will form on the edge of the test strip. When the there is enough blood, a confirmation will appear on the screen. You can then read the numbers that appear on your screen. Those numbers are your glucose reading.

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