How would you feel knowing a 5 second test could have saved you or your loved-one's limbs, eyes, kidneys...
even their lives? Diabetes can kill you or your children if left undetected.
In fact, it can QUICKLY kill if blood sugar levels have spiked beyond a doctor's ability to bring them back down without permanent brain damage or heart attack.
The five second life-saving test is of course a blood sugar level test that uses a blood glucose meter also known a "Glucometer".
How the meter works is: 1.
A healthcare worker uses a device called a lancet to prick your finger or even arm.
2.
They then squeeze a small drop of blood onto a strip that is attached to a Glucometer.
3.
In 5 seconds, a blood sugar reading is given measured in either milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) in the US or millimoles per deciliter (mmol/L) everywhere else.
HINT: To convert between the two standards, divide mg/dL by 18 or multiple the mmol/L by 18.
A non-diabetic's reading should be between 70 to 120 mg/dL (or 4 to 7 mmol/L).
The exact reading depends on when you last ate.
A "borderline" or "Prediabetic" would swing more between 60 to 200 mg/dL (3.
3 to 11.
1 mmol/L) slightly after eating (the keyword being 'swing').
An out of control diabetic will be wildly swinging from 170 mg/dL all the way up to the top of the scale (I know of one case where it was 1200 mg/dL but cases have been recorded of significantly higher).
My own test when I was diagnosed with diabetes type 1 was around 450 mg/dL.
Obviously I was diabetic when you take into account the other diabetes signs and symptoms I was experiencing -- especially frequent urination and thirst.
WARNING: Consult your physician for the exact numbers needed to diagnose you as either diabetic or prediabetic - more stringent diabetes blood sugar level standards are being released every couple years.
Most hospitals have a free diabetes screening program that you can go to and get the 5 second blood sugar test.
You can also ask a diabetic friend to borrow their Glucometer (you likely know one because 24 million people in the US have diagnosed diabetes).
Either way, if you even slightly suspect you have diabetes, get a blood sugar test immediately -- it can save your life.