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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.