Re: Re: I am new diabetic.. what's with this?

March 24, 2002

Hello whitestarx@...,

In reference to your comment:

ð I am sorry i do not know what an A1C is.

its a blood test that they do every 3 months or so....

gives your average blood sugar for that 3 mth period.

March 24, 2002

Hi, Darren...well, yes, a glucometer is the first thing. Then you need to

test a lot...before meals, and one and two hours after eating...and keep good

notes of what you ate and how much. In this way you'll get excellent

information on how food acts on your body. Diabetes is a very individual

disease...we often say " YMMV " -- this means your mileage may vary -- what

works for one won't necessarily work for another. There are lots of possible

solutions to diabetes.

A1C is a test that should be done very three months and basically gives your

average BGs for that period. The higher it is the more likely you are to

have complications down the road. Non-diabetic A1C is 6.0 or below, so that's

what you need to aim for. You should always ask your doctor for a printout

of your test results and keep track of them.

Please read the books and info on our links...this will answer many of your

questions. But feel free to ask us too. Take care, Vicki

In a message dated 03/24/2002 2:44:25 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

whitestarx@... writes:

> Hello Vicki,

>

> My name is Darren... My doctor told me i was type 2 diabetic and said

> take these tablets (Metformin).

>

> I do not have a glucometer but i intend to get one tomorrow.

>

> I am sorry i do not know what an A1C is.

>

> Thank you for your help Vicky

>

> Darren.

>

March 24, 2002

Did your doctor tell you anything about diabetes at all besides just handing

you a pill and telling you you had diabetes? What did he tell you? Vicki

In a message dated 03/24/2002 2:44:25 PM US Mountain Standard Time,

whitestarx@... writes:

> My name is Darren... My doctor told me i was type 2 diabetic and said

> take these tablets (Metformin).

>

March 26, 2002

Hello whitestarx@...,

In reference to your comment:

ð But seriously is it true that your fingers get really

ð sensitive with all this testing ?

No,.....

I test 4-6 x a day, due to my stubbornness and being a chicken i only test on

one finger all the time.....

The others don't feel good to test on... ie its harder for me to manuever the

test stuff with them....

My finger, that i test on, is never sore, and i also type an awefully lot

during the day, and night and i use all my fingers to type, like a typist,

not like a hunt and peck person.

I use accu-check and soft click lancets, with the accucheck poker thing, i

have it set on 5, cuz les than that doesnt get me enough blood, and i'm never

sore.

March 26, 2002

Hi, Darren...I test a LOT...10-12 times a day (I'm not a type 2, I'm a 1 on

insulin so this is necessary)...and I've been doing it for four plus years.

My fingers are just fine. I type for a living (medical transcriptionist) so

it's really important that my fingers not be sore. I use the spring loaded

lancet holder that came with my Ultra meter. It has settings from very light

to very heavy. I still use the lightest setting and it hardly hurts at all.

I rotate fingers -- left hand, last three fingers, both sides for one week

then right hand, last three fingers onb oth sides for one week, etc.

However, I will point out that it's important to change the lancet fairly

frequently as a dull lancet will hurt more. There are several spring loaded

lancet devices on the market if you don't have an Ultra meter...I think one

is called Soft-Clix. Vicki

In a message dated 03/26/2002 6:18:02 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

whitestarx@... writes:

> But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

> all this testing ?

>

> ( i have some mental image of me walking around like a pin cushion).

> Darren.

>

March 26, 2002

....well, not necessarily. I use the tops of the pads, sorta off to the

side..but not the side. I guess whatever works, smile. Vicki

In a message dated 03/26/2002 10:14:21 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

rita.clack@... writes:

>

> I might mention that you want to use the sides of your fingers instead of

> the pads.

>

March 26, 2002

But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

all this testing ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mine do. . . .more bruised up than anything.

Art

March 26, 2002

But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

all this testing ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mine do. . . .more bruised up than anything.

Art

March 26, 2002

But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

all this testing ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mine do. . . .more bruised up than anything.

Art

March 26, 2002

I have little calouses on my fingers oh how pretty hahaha. They hurt like

crazy cause with all the testing you build up scar tissue and it isn't as

easy to get a sample.

Kathy

March 26, 2002

duh I never realized that a dull lancet would hurt more. Thanks for pointing

that out. My fingers thank you. I sometimes don't change mine for a week.

Kathy

March 26, 2002

Darren, some here have complained about finger soreness, but mine have never

bothered me. I use the sides of my finger tips (because it works best for

me), not the more sensitive ball of the tip, and I set my lancet to the

lowest setting that will give enough blood.

Dr. Bernstein's book has other suggestions that might be worth trying.

I don't look like a pincushion because I don't walk around with the lancets

sticking in my fingers.

Tom the Actuary

> -----Original Message-----

> But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

> all this testing ?

>

> ( i have some mental image of me walking around like a pin cushion).

March 26, 2002

Darren, some here have complained about finger soreness, but mine have never

bothered me. I use the sides of my finger tips (because it works best for

me), not the more sensitive ball of the tip, and I set my lancet to the

lowest setting that will give enough blood.

Dr. Bernstein's book has other suggestions that might be worth trying.

I don't look like a pincushion because I don't walk around with the lancets

sticking in my fingers.

Tom the Actuary

> -----Original Message-----

> But seriously is it true that your fingers get really sensitive with

> all this testing ?

>

> ( i have some mental image of me walking around like a pin cushion).

March 26, 2002

My dad passed away on September 6, 1999 and it was all diabetes and smoking

related. He had to be on a morphine patch for all the pain he was having.

Kathy

March 26, 2002

Christy said....

keep

> learning. It's the best way to master this disease before it masters

> you.

I know I'm not supposed to do this " I agree thing " but Darren...no truer

words were spoken....honestly alot of us walked around for a long time not

understanding this and doing it ALL WRONG...what Christy is saying here is

so true. What I do may not be right for someone else, and what they do may

not be right for me but at least well all learn from one another's

experiences....this is so valuable in learning to live a healthy life with

diabetes.

Before joining this list I thought the words healthy and diabetic spoken in

the same phrase were an oxymoron....thanks to this list now I know better.

Deb

_________________________________________________________

March 26, 2002

But don't tell those that aren't diabetic. If they think it really hurts,

they look up to us more. :>)

Actually, I agree with Debbie. The longer you do it, the less of an item it

is. Although, I do try to jump when I know someone is watching.......

Nah...it's really not that bad...you're just getting that mental picture

because it's something most people don't have to do. I test on my same two

fingers all the time and it's not a problem at all....I'm never sore and it

never hurts when I test. You do get very used to it pretty quickly.

March 26, 2002

Bill said...

> But don't tell those that aren't diabetic. If they think it really hurts,

> they look up to us more. :>)

>

Although, I do try to jump when I know someone is watching.......

LOL! it's true that you do have to milk this condition for all the sympathy

you can get...after all there does have to be SOME kind of advantage of

having to go thru all this mess!

One word of warning though....a while back our lancet device quit working

(at the time we, my Husband and I, only had one in the house and were

sharing it...(naturally switching lancets every time) and the spring in the

device quit working...we had to jab ourselves by hand for a few days till

the medical supply house got our order to us...well let me tell you...this

HURTS! You'll jab too hard and if you want it to be pain free make sure you

keep a working lancet device around the house. Now we each have our own...so

if one happens to give out and we have to share for a time it will be better

then having to jab by hand.

Deb

_________________________________________________________

March 26, 2002

It is never bad for me. I use all four fingers on both hands, never used

the thumbs. I rotate and if you look at my fingers, you could tell I was

diabetic, but I can't tell, no pain, just a little blue mark.

If it really bothers you, you can get the new machine that you take

blood from your forearms. I haven't tried this.

When you test it is just like a pinch. It is nothing compared to the way

my legs ached about 1 week ago, a complication from diabetes, so the

testing is a joke compared to what happens to you when you don't test.

I always knew diabetes killed you, but it was never stressed to me until

I got into studying, reading and joining these groups that I could live

a long time, but be in constant misery. I have seen the light and felt

the flame, so I am testing and have good control and hope to get better

everyday.

Phyllis

March 26, 2002

It is never bad for me. I use all four fingers on both hands, never used

the thumbs. I rotate and if you look at my fingers, you could tell I was

diabetic, but I can't tell, no pain, just a little blue mark.

If it really bothers you, you can get the new machine that you take

blood from your forearms. I haven't tried this.

When you test it is just like a pinch. It is nothing compared to the way

my legs ached about 1 week ago, a complication from diabetes, so the

testing is a joke compared to what happens to you when you don't test.

I always knew diabetes killed you, but it was never stressed to me until

I got into studying, reading and joining these groups that I could live

a long time, but be in constant misery. I have seen the light and felt

the flame, so I am testing and have good control and hope to get better

everyday.

Phyllis

March 26, 2002

It is never bad for me. I use all four fingers on both hands, never used

the thumbs. I rotate and if you look at my fingers, you could tell I was

diabetic, but I can't tell, no pain, just a little blue mark.

If it really bothers you, you can get the new machine that you take

blood from your forearms. I haven't tried this.

When you test it is just like a pinch. It is nothing compared to the way

my legs ached about 1 week ago, a complication from diabetes, so the

testing is a joke compared to what happens to you when you don't test.

I always knew diabetes killed you, but it was never stressed to me until

I got into studying, reading and joining these groups that I could live

a long time, but be in constant misery. I have seen the light and felt

the flame, so I am testing and have good control and hope to get better

everyday.

Phyllis

March 26, 2002

I usually use one lancet for a whole vial of 50 test strips. The only

reason I change then is so I don't have to wait until it is dull. Of

course, never use a lancet on more than one person.

Tom the Actuary

> -----Original Message-----

> duh I never realized that a dull lancet would hurt more.

> Thanks for pointing

> that out. My fingers thank you. I sometimes don't change

> mine for a week.

March 26, 2002

I usually use one lancet for a whole vial of 50 test strips. The only

reason I change then is so I don't have to wait until it is dull. Of

course, never use a lancet on more than one person.

Tom the Actuary

> -----Original Message-----

> duh I never realized that a dull lancet would hurt more.

> Thanks for pointing

> that out. My fingers thank you. I sometimes don't change

> mine for a week.

March 26, 2002

Vicki,

Thank goodness for this list and all the people on it. I changed my lancet

earlier and suprise it didn't hurt. It was getting to hurt and I just

chalked it up to testing more often.

Kathy

March 26, 2002

How many fingers am i gonna have to slain with diabetes ?

>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

How many do you have now? <VBG>

Art

March 27, 2002

I wonder why I don't. I use all five fingers (only the bottom side of the

thumb and the pinky) and have for years... test as a rule 6 to 8 times a

day, depending on what is going on. I have olive skin and it is suppose to