Ways to Diagnose Diabetes at Home

The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are very similar. The first notable symptom is high blood sugar is increased thirst. This is followed by frequent urination. The increased thirst and frequent urination is caused due to the buildup of glucose in the blood stream that will steal fluids from various other tissues. Other major symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, rapid breathing, blurred vision and nausea. There are various tests for diagnosing diabetes at home. These include:

Blood sugar meter
This is the most accurate and the easiest home test for diabetes. The price of these blood sugar meters ranges from 10 dollars to 80 dollars. Usually, these blood sugar meters come along with small amount of test strips. There is a lancing device as well. It is very important to follow all the directions that are included in the meter. Also, before testing the blood sugar, the hands must be washed properly for the elimination of sugar residue. This could be done after the readings. The normal fasting blood sugar should range between 70 and 130 mg/dl. If the  testing is not done after 2 hours of eating, the results should be less than 180 mg/dl.

Test strips
Urine glucose test strips are used for testing blood sugar and are surely a less invasive method. The cost of these strips is an average of 15 dollars. These strips can be used only for the determination of high blood sugar.  The interpretation of these strips is very easy. If glucose will show on the urine test strips, testing the blood sugar level with the help of blood sugar meter is very important.

At home A1c kits
This is another method to test  diabetes at home. It is also known as home A1C kit. A three-month average of the blood sugar is given. The normal A1C should be under 6 percent. While a person is purchasing a home A1C kit, he should make sure that it will offer results within few minutes. Sending a blood sample to a lab is required by some at-home kits.

When to Call the Doctor
When medical advice is sought, the blood sugar can be tested by using a meter. A blood sugar level higher than 130mg/dl will be combined with frequent urination and thirst.  This can also lead to diabetic ketoacidosis.  If it is not treated immediately, it proves to be very deadly.