Many ads everywhere. Some say do not need to puncture your finger anymore. They say nothing else. They need blood to test don’t they? Are they simply avoiding explaining that you puncture you arm instead?
I want to purchase a glucose testor under Medicare. But don’t know which one to get. I have forgotten the members on here who have disclosed they have diabetes. So I just wanna ask the whole community which tester to get.
tks in advance
Jim
Almost all testers do not require a finger poke. And yes you poke someplace and draw blood. I use the one touch ultra and like it, but I have never used anything else. Rite Aid has some great sales on meters once in a while (over 50% off) so keep your eyes open. Also some meters will conect to your computer and download the info. I use a monthly planner to keep a daily record to take to the Dr. so he can see what I’m doing. Best of luck with your testing and treatment.
Hey it isn’t near as bad to test as it used to be. today’s meters require such a small amount of blood that you can lightly stick the sides of your finger, your arm, your abdomen, heck even your thigh. I have used a few meters and I found my favorite to be the Bayer Contour USB meter. It is compact, rugged (it goes fly fishing, hiking, hunting with me) as tested by me personally, easy to use, easy to read, doesn’t require entering a code from the packet of stirps (called “coding”). You can either get your readings right on the meter or you and or the doc can plug it into a PC port to generate al kinds of charts/graphs to help you understand management of your diabetes.
Chek it out here:
Just because I like a meter doesn’t mean that you will. I would ask you doctor to give you one for free. They get samples given to them all the time by the manufacturers just to give to patients. I actually have two freebies as backup meters incase we have a failure. Get something that is comfortable for you to hold and easy to read the display. Mine is about the size of a good folded pocket knife with an LED dispaly that I can adjust the brightness on. It also has a LED light around the slot for the test strip that you can turn on and off. Really nice to have if you have to test while you are camping, hunting or fishing in the dark or low light.
Big thing is do not go without a meter. If you need one I will send you one of my spares so you don’t have to buy one. Just PM me your address.
Another must have for you is a wallet card that identifies you as a diabetic also showing what type of diabetes you have. You may want to consider a bracelet, necklace or other type of hardware that easily tells the EMS you are a diabetic. You can get them at reasonable prices on Amazon.com
Any questions or anyway I can help you just shoot me a PM and consider it done. Remember that now a day’s diabetes is not the death sentence it once was. With a proper low carb diet, moderate exercise (going for a walk in the evenings) monitoring your glucose levels by using your meter to test, you will live a normal healthy life. It’s like my doc says we aren’t asking you to stop living just live smartly. If you want a cheeseburger for lunch then eat a salad for dinner.
almost forgot here is a really good site for you:
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/Pages/index.aspx
Book mark it as there is lots and lots of very helpful information there.
God Bless. I am praying for you and here to help.
Eric
All pretty much the same to me. Check with your doc, they give them away, cause the meter companies make thier dinero on the test strips…and once you have their meter, they know they got you. Strips are usu. covered by prescription insurance, which is something I didn’t know at first, so check that out as well.
I’m with Eric on this I have the “Countour USB” and have never used the alternate site attachment just use a small poke on a different finger each day.
Also You dont have to buy a Proprietery cord(thats expensive) to download Your results.
PM Me if I can Help in trying to answer any questions.
Bill
I think the Freestyle Lite is best.
I use the “CLever Choice” talking meter. you do not have to buy one, there are a number of Companies that will give you one free and bill Medicare. All have different meters, but all do essentially the same thing! The alternate site thing is a gimmick. You still have to poke youself somewhere! All the new meters require only a minute speck of blood from some site.The features you want are no code, self dating and recording, talking if you have poor vision. I would reccomend you go to Walgreens or another of the big box dug stores ( Rite aid, Walmart, Safe way etc ) and look at all the meters and compare features and select the one you like. If it becomes known that you are diabetic, all of the Medicare suppliers ( Direct DIabetic source,Arriva Etc ) will inundate you with phone calls and offers of free products including blood pressure monitors, Dia betic socks etc. Negotiate with them and find the one that provides you with the type of meter that you have selected. All of the above advice is very, very good, but the choice of a meter is a very personal thing and should be made by you after appropriate research. Almost all diabetic supplies are a medicare benefit, so don’t buy anything you can get as a benefit.
HAPPY TESTING
You seem to have gotten lots of advice on your needs, that’s good. Ask your doctor’s advice and also your pharmasist(sp) they will be a wealth of info. Bottom it’s YOUR health, take good care of it and follow doctors orders. If your overweight start losing weight slowly, check blood/sugar and work at it. Get out and excercise, casting arm is good excercise and fun. Take care, keepus in the loop, John.
A lot of great information. I respect and appreciate all of it.
I live alone in the country where neighbors are not close by. Ten miles from a small town…which itself is a 3.5 hour drive one way to major Metro Phoenix. Point being I don’t get to talk to many people often about any subject.
My doc said I was diabetic…did not say pre-diabetic, or Type I or Type II. He said the first thing to do was bring down weight, cholesterol, and tri…etc’s. He wrote a script for Metaforum or something like that and said come back to see him in 3 months. I misplaced the script and never sent it in. But I have managed to lose 18 pounds. Guess that is an 18 lb bowling ball that I was carrying around 24/7 that I don’t have to pack around anymore. Don’t know why but weight ballooned after wife passed. Doesn’t make sense to me…I am not eating as well nor as much. I have heard sorrow can cause change in metabolism.
Anyway…I just look at things as if the cup is half full. So I figure this is the best thing to ever happen to me in old age. I will have to change my food intake and exercise. So I am now forced to address health issues and step up to the plate. I’ll probably be healthier…Lord knows I could use some of that…and feel better with a new way of life.
Thank you Desertman, Nighthawk, Maodiver, Bdesavage, BSwan, Paddy80701 and Breamchaser for reading one of my posts…and taking the time to reply.
Reckon I got all the help I need…right on HERE!
Thanks
Jim
Get the metformin. Take it as prescribed. It helps regulate the sugar you can’t. The doc will tell you to stop if needed. Kidney failure sucks
WhiteWulff, You would be Type 2. It’s controlled with diet, exersize and weightloss. Belly fat (internal fat chiefly the omentum is the biggest contributer to type 2 and a host of other problems). Type 2 is a gradual onset, that can go un notices for a long time. It’s usually been going on for a couple of years before the doc catches it. If caught early it can be controlled with, weighloss, diet and exercise. The disease will progress over time. Slower if you take care of yourself, faster if you don’t…and you will end up needing insulin to control it. but it is still type 2. Onset of Type 1 is the sudden and total inability of the body to produce insulin, usually very serious and you would be hospitalized until they sorted out your regiment.
I use a One Touch Ultra. Poking yourself in a finger isn’t bad at all. Just adjust the lance thingy in the One Touch kit to the lowest setting where you get enough blood to sample. My setting is 2 at the moment. I don’t even feel it. If I do, I know it’s time to change the lance. (yes you can use the lance more than once…four times is OK but then think of changing it) If you work with your hands for a living, you may have to set it much higher. Most start at around 4. The finger is still the best place to poke for an accurate reading, even though they say you can poke elsewhere. Make sure you’ve washed your hands. I found that if I cut up a banana or held some food in my hand then tested without a thorough wash, the reading will be off. Bananas send the thing through the roof! lol
In Canada, we can usually get the meter of choice for free at the local Shoppers or other chain drug store. The company’s do it. It has nothing to do with medical plans. They offer the meters for free as incentive. They do charge you for the test strips and that’s where the cost is. The strips will run up upwards of a dollar each. Hopefully your drug plan covers that part. You can only use them once. Until you get to know how your diet is going and how your readings are going, it’s not unwise to test 4 times a day for a couple of weeks. After you have an idea how your numbers are reacting to the foods you eat and activities, once a day will be fine.
I use Spark Peopleto help with meal planning etc…it’s a great resource with good information with regards to Diabetes. You can utilize their Tracking Tools. Nutrition Tracker, Weight Tracker and Glucose Tracker are all helpful. Their are also Diabetic support groups on Spark People , as well as recipes. It’s all FREE. Take a bit of care when sighing up. Their isn’t anything to worry about but if you don’t like a lot of emails, be sure to choose what you want and don’t want wisely. It can get out of hand if you just say yes to everything.
You can decide your own plan or have them supply one for you. When I signed on a couple of years ago, there used to be a disclaimer with regards to signing on as a diabetic. They were just starting up then. I don’t know if that is still true, but don’t let that scare you off. The info is very well researched there and quite good. If you need any direction, just let me know.
Use it for a while at least until you get the hang of how you should be eating, your diet under control and know what you need to do. I was able to get mine under control, loose enough weight to see a difference in my numbers and keep it that way. I’m now off the meds and still under control.
The other thing you’ll have to get used to…and this was the hardest part for me…get off the couch and walk. Walk or some other physical activity for an hour a day (minimum) . It doesn’t have to be all in one shot…15 minutes, 4 times a day works, too. I don’t have too much of a problem in the non snow months, because I’m usually out fishing but I tend to hibernate in the winter. I just joined the local trail club and that’s been a big help getting me outside and walking. It’s easier and more enjoyable when you have a someone to do it with. My other half doesn’t do a thing and I got tired of doing everything alone. The trail club works for me. A local gym is another option, or some sport you enjoy. I also have a treadmill. Exercise and weight loss are key. Next time you reach of those Cookies or extra potatos (carbs) think of it as ground glass going through your veins, because that’s essentially what it’s doing to you. . Your body can’t distiguish the difference between a candy bar and pasta or cookies, potatoes, bread, milk, etc. Carbs are carbs…and they all = glucose (sugar) . You need watch your carb intake and you do need some carbs. You need to make them worth it…ie nutritious. That doesn’t mean you can never have a cookie or a piece of cake. You just need to consider them into your meal plan within those bounds and decide if it’s worth giving up one thing for a small piece of what ever. I find it easiest to count carbs… For a man three meals a day with 45-60 carbs and a couple of snacks at 15-20 carbs a day, but most count Carb Units. 15 carbs = 1 carb unit. You get three meals with 3-4 carb units and a couple of snacks with 1 carb unit. You want to be eating something every four hours…and have that last snack at bed time. Your body uses up it’s glucose (sugar) during the night and then the liver kicks out sugar to compensate. (usually after 4-6 hours without food) That’s why morning readings are usually higher than later day readings.
The more you know and understand, the better you’ll be able to get this under control. Ask your doctor if there are any classes in your area that can help you. Thanks to Canadian health care we get that kind of thing for free, usually through the local hospitals or health unit. I’m not so sure it’s the same in the States. But like I said…if it’s not available to you, Spark People has all that info on hand for free.
Here is a link to AMERICA’S SILENT KILLER: OPRAH AND DR. OZ WANT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
It’s worth the time to look at the articles and view the videos. Hopefully it will motivate you into action.
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Oz on Belly Fat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM1uMdFe63c
Freestyle Lite works for me. Deb, you are amazing and continue to amaze. Do you do debt counseling too? You Type 2 people out there, inscribe what Mato says in your brain. Word!
mcsteff
WhiteWulff,
As of the beginning of this year, I am also newly diabetic. Everyone has had good advice. Mato Kuwapi really hit the nail on the head.
You are type 2. People who have type 1 do not make insulin in their bodies and depend on injections for all of their insulin. (before meals, the whole nine yards)
Your Metformin (also what I take) helps your body be more effective at regulating your blood glucose.
I also use the One Touch Ultra meter. It’s a good one…and it’s simple and painless. The test strips do get expensive if you are testing frequently. I do test frequently because I am new to all of this.
Some long time diabetics test much less frequently because they pretty much know where their glucose level is. You might look around and see how much the test strips are going to cost you. I don’t know what Medicare will take care of. My insurance company doesn’t like the One Touch test strips that I use, so I’ve considered alternatives. i.e. changing glucose monitoring systems, or getting the ones I use from a different source.
Diet and exercise will go a long way in helping your diabetes. I’ve already lost about 30 pounds since the beginning of the year. Be sure to have your A1C checked. That’s a blood test that looks at the hemoglobin in your blood. Glucose is delivered to the body on hemoglobin. By looking at hemoglobin cells the lab can tell how your blood glucose has been over the last 3 month. (A hemoglobin cell’s life is about 3 months long.) And have it checked every 3 months so your doctor and you know how things are progressing.
You will also learn what foods hit your body quickly. Some people are not affected by potatoes as much/quickly as others. Some people tolerate bread/pastas better than others. Yesterday I had some potato chips with lunch that were “healthier” than the others. But it still spiked my sugar. So that means no more for me…at least until I find a better solution.
There’s lots of help out there (and here). Take care of yourself.
Brian
Nighthawk, I second the ContourUSB. My doctor just gave me a ContourUSB unit last Friday and I really like the tester and most of all how you can track everything by downloading the data to your laptop. Now the only problem I have is the test strip cost, $95.00 for 200 test strips even with BCBS coverage.
I had the One Touch but my insurance no longer covers the cost.
A wonderful thread and so timely. I was told by my doctor last week to start monitoring my blood sugar. I currently control it poorly with diet and exercise. After reading most of this thread (some posts were not made at the time of 1st reading) I discussed types of testing devices with my pharmacist and decided on the Bayer Contour model. I have been using it for a couple of days now and I am already learning a little about what I am doing wrong and what I am doing right. I do exercise although I can improve on what I am doing; mostly increase the frequency of exercising. My diet isn’t as good as my exercise plan so with the help to my new little meter and some diligent reading I will learn to improve the diet also. Thanks to everyone who posted on this thread. It helps to know others are learning to deal with diabetes and how to live with it along with me.
It uses the same strip as the Ascensia contour Meter. I have very good insurance but like you said even then the cost can be a bit high. I think I am right at $25 dollars per 100 strips co-pay. Check the Bayer website and they may have coupons available.
The big thing is to count the carbohydrates but don’t just count them learn the difference between simple carbs and complex carbs. The two different types impact you body differently. Simple carbs like white bread, any potato product, pastas, sugar, etc…are easy for the body to rapidly convert to glucose. They are mostly converted right in the mouth, never reaching the gut and therefore immediately impacting blood serum glucose levels. These are the carbs you need to cut down the most.
Complex carbs like sweet potatoes (without the sugar glaze) some whole grain wheat breads, most fruits, nuts and berries are what they call complex carbs. Complex carbs must enter the gut to be fully converted over to blood glucose. That means they are broken down and enter the blood stream at a much slower rate than the simple carbs. This allows you meds to work more thoroughly and have more time to do it. Complex carbs will normally have a slower impact and are therefore easier for the body, with proper medication and exercise, to handle.
My doc said here is the deal with the exercise. Brisk walk 2 miles every other day or the equivalent that keeps the heart rate elevated for 20 - 30 minutes. That’s the base line. Some of us need more but even the minimum is better than nothing at all. If lifting weights, treadmill, aerobics, calisthenics, swimming, bicycling, rowing are your thing then go for it. The first two guides on this page are essential. I printed mine out so I have them on hand when I am not at home but now i have most of it memorized:
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/Pages/downloadable-materials.aspx
Here is another great diabetes site:
http://www.diabetes.org/?loc=logo
Now here is the big thing; We can all tell you how we control our diabetes but it is different for each individual person. The chemistry of your body is unique to your body. Food that drives my glucose levels up may not affect you or affect you as much. Foods that you cannot tolerate my be fine for me. Same with the type and amount of exercise. Keep close track of what you eat, how much and how often you eat, how much you exercise and what type, the amount of your meds you take and when taken along with your glucoes readings. Your going to have to experiment to see what works best for you but this will give you and the doctors the tools you need to maintain a healthy control of your glucose levels. Your doc will monitor something called A1c or the level of glycated hemaglobin in your blood every 2 - 3 months. Your A1C goal will probably be 7 or less.
Feel free to PM me anytime you need to. That goes for everyone here.