Your glucose meter provides a snapshot of your blood glucose level at any given moment. But your doctor wants to see the big picture: How is your body handling glucose over a period of weeks and months? That's where your logbook comes in.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd. You can use a logbook to record your blood glucose levels.

Think of a logbook as a blood-sugar diary. You use it to record your glucose meter reading every time you test your blood. A page in a typical logbook features a large chart, with columns for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime, and other/snack. The rows list the days of the week, with an "average" row at the bottom. When you fill all the days of the week, use a calculator to figure out your average glucose level for each period of the day.

Some logbooks have space where you can log in other information, such as how many grams of carbohydrates you consumed during a meal and how much insulin you took if you're an insulin user. The chart may also include a column for "comments," in which you can note any activities (such as exercise) or events (like eating a pound of Godiva chocolates) that may have affected your glucose levels.

This information is a gold mine for your physician. A logbook can help determine whether your medication is adequate to keep your blood glucose within a healthy range, suggesting whether you may be taking too much or too little. It also reveals patterns in blood-sugar fluctuations that may offer clues about how you can avoid peaks and valleys.

If writing things down on a piece of paper sounds hopelessly low-tech, fear not: Techno-geeks have discovered diabetes. For starters, your physician may ask you to use a specific type of meter that allows him or her to download your data onto a computer. Then, special software can create charts and graphs that indicate trends in your glucose levels. What's more, the technologically inclined can use personal computers, personal desk assistants, Web sites, and even their cell phones to record glucose data.

The closer you look at glucose meters, the more you may be overwhelmed by bells and whistles; each year brings new models that do more for you. If you are having trouble choosing one, check Diabetes Forecast, the American Diabetes Association's magazine, which publishes an annual review of glucose meters on its Web site (find it at www.diabetes.org). The ADA doesn't endorse products, but the comprehensive review it publishes allows you to compare the features of different meters.

Troublshooting Checklist: Glucose-Reading Problems If your glucose meter consistently produces readings that seem inaccurate, it's important to make sure it's working properly. (For instance, say you feel fine, but the meter keeps insisting that your blood sugar has plunged to hypoglycemic levels.) Before you toss your meter in the trash, consider the following, which might be affecting your readings: Is your glucose meter properly calibrated? Do you know whether your glucose meter measures whole blood or plasma? Have you recently performed a quality-control check on your glucose meter as recommended by the manufacturer? Are the test strips spoiled? (Strips wrapped in aluminum foil are less prone to spoilage.) Are you using the right test strips for your glucose meter model? If you're using "third-party" strips made by other manufacturers, are they appropriate for your meter? Could some other influence or substance, such as another medical condition or high doses of vitamins, be interfering with your test results? Do you live at a high altitude? Has the meter been stored in an unusually cold, hot, or humid place? Climate can affect how glucose meters function.

For more information on blood sugar and diabetes, try the following links:

• Read Blood Sugar for valuable information about blood glucose and its link to diabetes.
• How to Test Blood Sugar will show you how to test your glucose levels accurately.
• To learn why it is important for you to test your glucose levels, read Benefits of Monitoring Blood Sugar.
• For more information on the machines that test you blood sugar, read Glucose Meters.
  
• To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
• For a description of treatment options for diabetics, read Diabetes Treatment.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and the author of several books. His work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including Prevention, Health, Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Gardens, Men's Health, Esquire, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS

Dana Armstrong, R.D., C.D.E., received her degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of California, Davis, and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She has developed educational programs that have benefited more than 5,000 patients with diabetes. She specializes in and speaks nationally on approaches to disease treatment, specifically diabetes.

Allen Bennett King, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.E., C.D.E. is the author of more than 50 papers in medical science and speaks nationally on new advances in diabetes. He is an associate clinical professor at the University of California Natividad Medical Center and cofounder and medical director of the Diabetes Care Center in Salinas, California.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.