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Blood Sugar Readings Spreadsheet Instructions
Keep track of your blood sugar readings via the web! You'll never go anywhere w/o your blood sugar
log being
readily available. Easy access for your healthcare provider, too. Best of all, you don't need to buy any software. Google
provides free spreadsheets to everyone. Create your own Blood Sugar Readings Spreadsheet Log by following these easy instructions.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me.
Also, thanks JR for helping me refine these instructions and teaching me how to
make the spreadsheet copy available to everyone!!
Keeping track of your
blood sugar is
simple when using diabetes
supplies. All of your compex medical
questions can be
answered for you as well after you
find a doctor
at our site.
Google Spreadsheets.
You will have to create a Google Account, if you do not have one. Believe me, it is well worth it to create a Google Account.
Many, many free features are available with such an account. Once you've created your Google Account,
log in and enjoy all that Google has to
offer.
Here's Your Google Spreadsheet!
Click
here to obtain an online copy of the Google blood
sugar readings spreadsheet, as designed by me (with help from Google's
JR).
Go to the "File Tab" (at the Google
Spreadsheet site). In the drop down box, select "copy spreadsheet" and
you'll have your very own copy of the spreadsheet.
It
will not have any numbers filled in because that will be your job.
Fill in the spreadsheet, as you take your blood sugar readings. Below
are the directions on how to use this particular Google Spreadsheet
Document, which I've designed.
Saving your spreadsheet.
At this point, you should name and save your spreadsheet. Click on "Save" and you'll be able to name your
spreadsheet. If you "Save & Close", but didn't mean to close it, you'll be able to click on the spreadsheet again, thanks to Google's
Documents' Home page.
Using your spreadsheet to
record blood sugar readings.
Now you are ready to start using your spreadsheet to record your blood sugar readings.
In the mm/dd/yr section, simply type in the first day of the week. The
"mm/dd/yr" will disappear, as you type in the date.
Each highlighted column is where you type in
your blood sugar reading numbers. The column prior to that, type in
the time when you took your blood sugar reading.
Formulating your blood sugar readings' averages.
This spreadsheet has a row for weekly blood
sugar readings' averages.
Here's how to figure your blood sugar readings averages. Go to the tab entitled:
Formulas.
- Put your mouse
cursor on the first rectangle that you want to include in your Averages. Middle Night,
for example, you will put the cursor on Column D and Row 2.
- Hold down the "Shift" key
and use the keyboard arrow to highlight each rectangle in
the column where you are averaging the readings. Be sure to highlight the blank rectangle
in row 9 and row 19, etc.
- Click on the word "Average",
which is found in the upper right hand header of the Google spreadsheet.
Row 10 will then pop-up with "=Average". Strike the "enter"
key. The Average will then pop-up in that rectangle that did have "=Average" in it. You can
repeat those procedures to formulate every blood sugar reading column.
Making it your own.
If you'd like to
spruce up your spreadsheet with colors and bold print, go to the Google
Spreadsheet's Edit Tab. All the
editing tools are right above your spreadsheet.
Sharing your spreadsheet.
If you want to share your speadsheet with someone,
say your healthcare provider, click on the Google Spreadsheet's "Share" tab. I prefer to have other people just
be "Viewers", rather than "Collaborators". But, that's up to you.
Copy Google spreadsheet's
URL and give it to the person(s) that you
want to Share your spreadsheet with. That way, they'll know where to
view your spreadsheet online.
Share your Google Spreadsheet URL with your
diabetes care team when you talk to them over the phone. It is much
easier to do that, then to read out every time and every number while the
care provider writes it down.
Also, if you are a teen-ager, who has
diabetes, perhaps you'd like to share your blood sugar readings with your
parents. Instead of telling them the information every day, just share
the link to your Google Spreadsheet with your parents. They can see it
for themselves and you won't even have to talk to them! ;)
Prefer Visuals? Charting the
course of your Readings
Perhaps you'd like a more visual picture of
your blood sugar readings trends. What do you know! Google now
has pie charts (sugar-free, I'm sure) available on their spreadsheets.
Click
here to see my blood sugar readings
spreadsheet with the
charts.
Locate the blue header at the top of your
Google Spreadsheet. Next to the phrase "Wrap Text", you'll see a round
blue, orange and red pie. Click on the pie
to add chart. Pick whichever chart you prefer.
So, you've clicked on "Add Chart" and
selected "Columns". You'll see a pop-up window that says "Create
Chart". Under "Labels", title your
chart. In my
sample, I've titled my first chart "Middle
Night BSR" because my chart was a graph of middle night blood
sugar readings. For a simple chart, don't fill in the horizontal and
vertical axis blanks and go directly to the Legend. In the drop-down
box, I elected to have my Legend show on the bottom
of my chart. (Keep in mind, these are very simple charts,
which I use to visualize any dramatic changes in my blood sugar readings.)
In the blank under "What
data?", you'll want to put the column
and row rectangle location of the beginning of the data you want to chart
(graph). In my
spreadsheet example, I charted the middle
night readings, so my first letter & number: D2. I want to chart
it through D20. Put a semi-colon between the two
letter/number units. So, the data box will read "D2;D20" or
whatever columns and numbers you are charting.
Click on "Group Data
by Columns".
Click on "Save chart".
Your chart will most likely be in front of
your spreadsheet numbers and hiding your spreadsheet data. Don't
panic. Just put your cursor on an edge of the chart and
drag the chart down to the bottom of your spreadsheet
page.
Pie charts, such as this, are excellent ways
to visual your blood sugar trends and spikes.
I have found the Google Spreadsheet Document system to be an organized and highly effective way to keep track of my
blood sugar readings. Hope you'll give it a try!
--- Sherrie
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