Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 HI, Alison...it's not the tester that's expensive; it's the strips. Unfortunately, almost across the board they're expensive. And if you want to gain good control, at the beginning, at least, it's important to test frequently -- despite what your doctor may have told you. What you need to do is learn how different foods affect your BGs, and to do this you need to test before each meal and 1 and 2 hours afterwards, with different foods, keeping good notes and weighing out each portion. After a while you'll have a good sense of how different foods affect your BGs and you can cut back on testing and avoid the foods that cause BGs to go up. In most cases, this would be t he " whites " -- all grain products including cereal and spaghetti, potatoes and rice. This may seem expensive at first, but if you look at the big picture, it's not, because it's going to save you from painful periopheral neuropathy, possible kidney failure, blindness, amputation. Having said that, there is one meter that has test strips that are about half the cost of most others and that's the one they sell at Walmart. So if you have access to a Walmart you're in good shape. It's a bare-bones meter, no bells or whistles, but from what I've heard, it's accurate. I personally use the Ultra meter. It's small , accurate, uses only a tiny drop of blood and gives results in seconds. There are 2 books I refer newbies to, and I strongly suggest you get ahold of them. Your library may have them, but IMHO, they should be in your personal library for easy reference. The first one is called " The First Year, Type Two Diabetes, An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed " by Gretchen Becker. Gretchen is a list member . It's in paperback and available online from Amazonif your local bookstore doesn't have it. The second book is called " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. You can get it from the library but it's such a good reference that you really should have it in your home library. Dr.. Bernstein is a longtime type 1 who controls his diabetes using a lowcarb diet as well as insulin. He also reversed some diabetic complications he had years ago. Many of us - both type 1 and 2 -- on this list have found great success using a modified version of his plan. .. And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of good stuff: http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml These two books will give you good basic information on the ins and outs of diabetes management. Take care, Vicki Blood glucose testers > Can someone recommend a good tester for me to use. I am just recently diagnosed and using a borrowed tester. I would like something simple, painless of course, and also not terribly expensive. > Thanks > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 I like the BD tester... it can be adjusted, and I like the lowest setting -- 1. Sandy Can someone recommend a good tester for me to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 > HI, Alison...it's not the tester that's expensive; it's the strips. > Unfortunately, almost across the board they're expensive. And if you > want to gain good control, at the beginning, at least, it's important to > test frequently -- despite what your doctor may have told you. > This may seem expensive at first, but if you look at the big picture, > it's not, because it's going to save you from painful periopheral > neuropathy, possible kidney failure, blindness, amputation. They don't have to be as expensive as you think I talked to my doctor about trying to achieve tight control, and told her that I wanted to test up to 8 times a day. I contacted my insurance company and they said that if the doctor wrote the prescription for a specific number, they'd override the normal 100 test strip max. SO -- I now have a prescription for 250 strips instead of 100, for the same $30 copay. > > Having said that, there is one meter that has test strips that are about > half the cost of most others and that's the one they sell at Walmart. > So if you have access to a Walmart you're in good shape. It's a > bare-bones meter, no bells or whistles, but from what I've heard, it's > accurate. My local grocery store chain (H.E.B., which serves much of Texas, and I think has expanded into Louisiana?) has it's own meter. Like Wal-Mart, it's fairly inexpensive. > I personally use the Ultra meter. It's small , accurate, uses only a > tiny drop of blood and gives results in seconds. I use the Accu-Check Advantage with the comfort-curve strips. The meter, test strips and lancet pen all fit in padded carry case that's about half the size of my day planner. The case, which came with it, also contains a pocket for your logbook and a zipper pocket for alchohol swabs and/or extra lancets. I received this particular meter free at my diabetes education class. The company had given them some free samples, and my insurance was giving me a bit of the run around with the meter. You may find that while you can pick up a meter just about anywhere, your insurance may require you to get it from a medical supply place. For me, the closest one was 40 miles, and my insurance had no clue where they were sending me. They even tried to send me to Petticoat Faire -- a bra shop -- because due to selling breast forms it was listed as durable medical supply to them. With the price of gas, traffic, and other considerations you may find that buying one at your local pharmacy is worth the money you end up spending, esp. if your insurance only covers half of it anyway. Many meters run in the $50-$80 range, but many, such as the new Freestyle meter, often have a rebate of up to $40 so you end up getting it for half price ANYWAY. > And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of > good stuff: > > http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml > > These two books will give you good basic information on the ins and outs > of diabetes management. > > Take care, > Vicki Vicki, was it you who posted this one: http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/ This site is AWESOME. It's a lot of info to digest, but you can take it a little at a time. Welcome aboard, Alison. SulaBlue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Yes, I think it was I (me?) who posted that....and yes, it's a TERRIFIC site. But I think it was Gretchen who referred me to it, on one of my other diabetes lists. Gretchen is here now, too, though -- thanks, Gretchen!! I printed it out to give to my doctor. IMHO, it's a must-read for all diabetics. And their doctors! Vicki Re: Blood glucose testers > > > > HI, Alison...it's not the tester that's expensive; it's the strips. > > Unfortunately, almost across the board they're expensive. And if you > > want to gain good control, at the beginning, at least, it's important to > > test frequently -- despite what your doctor may have told you. > > > This may seem expensive at first, but if you look at the big picture, > > it's not, because it's going to save you from painful periopheral > > neuropathy, possible kidney failure, blindness, amputation. > > They don't have to be as expensive as you think I talked to my doctor about trying to > achieve tight control, and told her that I wanted to test up to 8 times a day. I contacted my > insurance company and they said that if the doctor wrote the prescription for a specific > number, they'd override the normal 100 test strip max. SO -- I now have a prescription for > 250 strips instead of 100, for the same $30 copay. > > > > > Having said that, there is one meter that has test strips that are about > > half the cost of most others and that's the one they sell at Walmart. > > So if you have access to a Walmart you're in good shape. It's a > > bare-bones meter, no bells or whistles, but from what I've heard, it's > > accurate. > > My local grocery store chain (H.E.B., which serves much of Texas, and I think has > expanded into Louisiana?) has it's own meter. Like Wal-Mart, it's fairly inexpensive. > > > I personally use the Ultra meter. It's small , accurate, uses only a > > tiny drop of blood and gives results in seconds. > > I use the Accu-Check Advantage with the comfort-curve strips. The meter, test strips and > lancet pen all fit in padded carry case that's about half the size of my day planner. The > case, which came with it, also contains a pocket for your logbook and a zipper pocket for > alchohol swabs and/or extra lancets. > > I received this particular meter free at my diabetes education class. The company had > given them some free samples, and my insurance was giving me a bit of the run around > with the meter. You may find that while you can pick up a meter just about anywhere, your > insurance may require you to get it from a medical supply place. For me, the closest one > was 40 miles, and my insurance had no clue where they were sending me. They even tried > to send me to Petticoat Faire -- a bra shop -- because due to selling breast forms it was > listed as durable medical supply to them. > > With the price of gas, traffic, and other considerations you may find that buying one at > your local pharmacy is worth the money you end up spending, esp. if your insurance only > covers half of it anyway. Many meters run in the $50-$80 range, but many, such as the > new Freestyle meter, often have a rebate of up to $40 so you end up getting it for half > price ANYWAY. > > > And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of > > good stuff: > > > > http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml > > > > These two books will give you good basic information on the ins and outs > > of diabetes management. > > > > Take care, > > Vicki > > Vicki, was it you who posted this one: > http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/ > > This site is AWESOME. It's a lot of info to digest, but you can take it a little at a time. > > Welcome aboard, Alison. > > SulaBlue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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