Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 j_rose360 wrote: >One of my friends was just diagnosed with diabetes. He doesn't know >too many people in the city and I was wondering if anyone here knew >where he could purchase a meter? And if so, what kind should he >get? He's 23 years old if that makes a difference. Any help would >be greatly appreciated. > Meters are pretty easy to get. You can buy them at any drugstore. www.hocks.com and many other on-line pharmacies sell meters at discounted prices. At Hocks.com, look for " meter deals. " The thing with meters is that they hook you into using that manufacturer's test strips, which is the biggest expense over the years. For that reason, it's often possible to get a meter at steep discount or even free. Often you will find promotions which gives you free meter if you purchase 50 or 100 strips. You might look for some of those. However, if you or your friend is bold, you might call the manufacturer's Customer Service department of your choice and ask for a free meter. These depts are extremely generous and give free stuff away at the drop of a hat. You give them a little sob story and they'll break loose. I called the LifeScan company once to request a free meter for a neighbor of mine. Not only did I get the meter for the neighbor, but they overnighted it (which is what they usually do.) Sometimes you get a grump who won't come across. Just call back and talk to another rep. They know the meters are loss leaders. Go to your nearest drugstore. Copy the phone numbers off the sides of the boxes and call. I like LifeScan products. Their Ultra meter is a nice little meter and is liked by most people. Bayer sells the Asensia Elite Plus meter which is also quite nice. The Accu-Chek meters are also liked by many people. One advantage of the Accu-Chek meter is that it comes with the nicest lancet gizmo for drawing blood samples. Less painful. Meters vary in cost quite a bit. Typically, I think they run from around $35 to $75. LifeScan's Ultrasmart meter is still fairly new and offers Palm Pilot-type features, and is not being offfered for free anywhere that I've found yet. It's expensive. If your friend is in a hurry, Wal-Mart and most drugstores have housebrand meters which sell for around $9.00. One hundred test strips would cost an additional $42 or so. That will get him started and he can switch to any other meter as soon as he uses up the strips .... or stay with it if he likes it. It would be really great if your friend could join this list. Having a place to come to learn and ask questions is invaluable. Many of us find the patient education offered by our doctors is inadequate and leave big gaps. If he's unable to come here himself, I hope you'll feel free to ask questions here for him. Your friend is getting off to a good start. Testing is crucial to our remaining healthy. It's an essential tool and it's good he's interested in getting started. Good luck for your friend. Edd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 My doctor started me on the Freestyle monitor and I recently got the Freestyle Flash monitor free for buying at least a 50 pack size of strips. I can test from any of several sites like my forearm instead of my finger. I was told to use my finger if I tested sooner that 2 hours after a meal but after 2 hours could use an alternate site. Alternate site testing is much less painful than your finger tips although finger testing isn't bad at all. You can buy monitors from Walmart, Walgreens, Eckerds, or any store with a pharmacy. Sometimes if your insurance covers it and there is a rebate, you can even make a small profit. His pocketbook will probably have a big influence on which one to get. Check the price of the strips before buying. My Freestyle strips are from $75 - $85 for 100 strips and if he tests several times a day it can get expensive. There are much less expensive models available. The Freestyle flash is quite small and is easy to carry in my purse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of my friends was just diagnosed with diabetes. He doesn't know too many people in the city and I was wondering if anyone here knew where he could purchase a meter? And if so, what kind should he get? He's 23 years old if that makes a difference. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 It should be covered by his insurance, if he has insurance. I would NOT recommend the kind I have as it runs very high, although when I do control tests, they are within range. Although the company has very helpful service people who overnighted me a high control solution as well as more test strips, for free, it continues to read high, even though the high control test was fine too. I can't explain why, but it is not too reliable in my opinion. It also uses a large drop of blood and you have to wait 30 seconds for the result. The doctor did a test in her office at the same time as I did, and she got 70 points lower, in 5 seconds. My trouble is that brand is the only one my insurance will cover, strips too. My doctor has offered to give me a free meter (the kind they use) but the problem is the test strips wouldn't be covered by my insurance, and that is the true expense (even though they are no more expensive than the ones I use - go figure!). I would go for one that uses a small amount of blood, and lets you test anywhere on your arm, finger, wherever, and that should keep you clear of my brand. Dawn P.S. 'Just wondering why it makes a difference where you test (finger vs. arm for less than 2 hrs after you eat)? It's all the same blood - did she give you a reason for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 The nurse who takes care of diabetic patients and counsels them and taught at our diabetic class said that the blood in your fingers is capillary (sp) blood and changes faster than the blood in other places. So after you eat, you can detect the changes in your fingers first. After 2 hours, the arm sites and other alternative sites should be about the same as you finger. Also if you are feeling bad, use the finger not an alternative site. }P.S. 'Just wondering why it makes a difference where you test }finger vs. arm for less than 2 hrs after you eat)? It's all the }same blood - did she give you a reason for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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