50
RESULTS
■
Never use your meter with blood
that has been placed in a gray top
test tube.
A variation between meter and lab
results can occur because blood glu-
cose levels can change significantly
over short periods, especially if you
have recently eaten, exercised, taken
medication, or experienced stress.
7
In
addition, if you have eaten recently,
the blood glucose level from a finger-
stick can be up to 3.9 mmol/L higher
than blood drawn from a vein (venous
sample) used for a lab test.
8
It is there-
fore best to fast for eight hours before
doing comparison tests. Factors such
as the amount of red blood cells in
the blood (a high or low hematocrit)
or the loss of body fluid (severe dehy-
dration) may also give a meter result
different from a laboratory result. For
more detail, see Health Conditions
Causing Out-of-Range Results, pages
54–55.
Expected Test Results (Target Range)
Your test results will vary somewhat
from test to test because blood glucose
levels change throughout the day. The
types and amounts of food you eat,
your activity and stress levels, and the
insulin or other medication you take
affect your blood glucose levels. If you
are controlling your diabetes well,
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