Please don't despair if you are just returning from the doctor’s office with instructions to take your blood sugar on a constant basis. Don't go nuts if you are returning from the physician’s office with a diagnosis of diabetes. And, please don't lose hope if you are told that you have a potential for developing diabetes type two. Consider this a learning experience. There will be many new terms for you to learn. There will be many things for you to purchase, and there will be a vast amount of new things you will have to do. You will constantly have to be on top of your blood sugar levels. You will begin the day with it, and you will be ending the day with it. It will dictate what you eat, and when you exercise, and what medication you take. It will make you be very close with your physicians, and you will want to be in touch with them on a regular basis. You want to make sure that everything is going as planned. You should begin with this and then move on to many more articles to gain a better understanding of your disease. You should learn what needs to be done to gain better control over your health, the various monitors needed, what makes each of them different from each other, and how each will affect your daily life. You need to know why the monitor will alter the way you test yourself, and how the test strips and the monitor go hand in hand; the amount of blood and the amount of time it takes to get a reading; how often you have to take a test. Gaining a better handle on these items will give you an improved life and better health.