Re: XPost: Please forgive this newbie

[Guest guest]

Hi Patrice,

Welcome, and so sorry you had to join us.

There are lots of good meters out there - you might call your insurance

company and see if they have any preference in terms of co-pays for strips for

th

meter - it's the strips that are really expensive.

Other than that, personally, I use a one touch ultra smart - I like that it

holds lots of test results, does averaging, and will take information on carbs

eaten, exercise, medications and insulin.

I haven't used it, but the freestyle flash looks good - mostly because it's

so small.

Stacey

[Guest guest]

At 01:30 PM 1/13/05, staceypmartin@... wrote:

>Hi Patrice,

>

>Welcome, and so sorry you had to join us.

>

>There are lots of good meters out there - you might call your insurance

>company and see if they have any preference in terms of co-pays for strips

>for th

>meter - it's the strips that are really expensive.

This meter is supposed to be as good as many of the more expensive models

and the strips are less expensive than most:

http://www.prestigesmartsystem.com/index.asp

-=sky=-

Type 2 dx'd 9/04. Low Carb, Metaformin XR (1500mg).

Supplements: B50, CoQ10 (200mg),Omega 3 (1000mg)

Also: 20mg Lipitor, 100mg Cozaar, 175mcg Synthroid,

and 25 mg Hydrochlorothiazide, Beta-Blocker and Nitro.

[Guest guest]

Hi, Patrice...I like my Ultra meter (not the fancy one with the bells

and whistles, although I'm sure that's nice too). The Ultra is small,

fast (5 seconds), uses only the tiniest drop of blood, comes in a nice

zippered carrying case with an adjustable lancet holder (a Very Good

Thing!) and also will give a 2-week average. Oh, and it tells time, too,

smile.

XPost: Please forgive this newbie

>

> Please forgive the cross-posting, but I really need help.

>

> I was diagnosed on 12/14/04 with Type 2 Diabetes: BG 254, A1c 9.7.

> Since then, I have been taking 1000 mg of Metformin XR (or ER,

> whichever), but my doctor might be putting me on additional meds.

> (already on HBP med Captopril HCTZ 25/15). I will be going to an

> education program soon.

>

> I had my follow-up meeting with my doctor yesterday, at which time she

> gave me prescriptions for a glucometer and lancets. Naively, I took

> these to the pharmacy and left them to be filled. When I went back to

> pick them up, the pharmacy hadn't filled them because (shock!) I

> didn't tell them what brand I wanted. How should I know?!

>

> So, can anyone give me some direction here? I did some research and

> discovered the wide field of diabetic products marketing, which was no

> help at all. I'm not even sure what my question is to listmembers.

> Recommendations? Considerations to take into account? I have no idea

> what I should do (neither did my oh-so-helpful pharmacy).

>

> I will be most grateful for any and all advice. And thanks again for

> your patience with my crossposting.

>

> Patrice

> land, USA

> (51 y.o. in March)

>>

[Guest guest]

Diabetic writer Mendosa did a really good comparison of different

meters not too long ago. It may be available on his website..check it

out. URL is

www.mendosa.com

Vicki

XPost: Please forgive this newbie

>

> Please forgive the cross-posting, but I really need help.

>

> I was diagnosed on 12/14/04 with Type 2 Diabetes: BG 254, A1c 9.7.

> Since then, I have been taking 1000 mg of Metformin XR (or ER,

> whichever), but my doctor might be putting me on additional meds.

> (already on HBP med Captopril HCTZ 25/15). I will be going to an

> education program soon.

>

> I had my follow-up meeting with my doctor yesterday, at which time she

> gave me prescriptions for a glucometer and lancets. Naively, I took

> these to the pharmacy and left them to be filled. When I went back to

> pick them up, the pharmacy hadn't filled them because (shock!) I

> didn't tell them what brand I wanted. How should I know?!

>

> So, can anyone give me some direction here? I did some research and

> discovered the wide field of diabetic products marketing, which was no

> help at all. I'm not even sure what my question is to listmembers.

> Recommendations? Considerations to take into account? I have no idea

> what I should do (neither did my oh-so-helpful pharmacy).

>

> I will be most grateful for any and all advice. And thanks again for

> your patience with my crossposting.

>

> Patrice

> land, USA

> (51 y.o. in March)

>

>

[Guest guest]

As others have said it is the strips that cost. Actually you can

frequently " buy " a meter for almost nothing. I even once came out

with an extra $5.

To me there are 2 prime considerations. First $$$. No insurance:

Accuchek Active is cheap, a few dollars and no rebate, and the strips

are less expensive. Co pay: Find out what they cover.

2nd how it works. Some meters will read when the blood is 1/4 the

size that other meters need. Some meters are much quicker than

others. I don't mind waiting 30 secconds rather than have it in 5,

but the size of the drop of blood needed makes a big difference to

me. Then there is the memory functions and software that they can

use. This isn't as mind boggling as it seems at first. Good luck

Betty

> So, can anyone give me some direction here? I did some research and

> discovered the wide field of diabetic products marketing, which was

no

> help at all. I'm not even sure what my question is to listmembers.

> Recommendations? Considerations to take into account? I have no

idea

> what I should do (neither did my oh-so-helpful pharmacy).

>

> I will be most grateful for any and all advice. And thanks again

for

> your patience with my crossposting.

>

> Patrice

> land, USA

> (51 y.o. in March)

[Guest guest]

Patrice,

Welcome to the club. You'll find a lot of helpful people and support

here.

I use One Touch Ultra and I see them quite often when I cross paths

with others. (The other day I was out to lunch with two new

customers and we all put ours on the table at the same time. None of

us knew the others knew what they were.)

To me the most important feature is speed. The better ones work in 5

seconds. Check out who has good rebates going on. You can often get

one 'almost free' as they say on the beach in Mexico.

Check with the pharmacist on the amount you will have to pay for 100

strips from various vendors. I hope your insurance covers these, as

they are where the real cost is over the long haul.

Once you have one, I'd keep an eye out for a great deal on another

for a back up.

I've left mine at home twice now while traveling. Both times I

picked up a 'throwaway' store brand that came with enough strips to

cover me for a couple of days, then threw it in my drawer once back

home.

Good Luck,

Jim

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/13/2005 1:10:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

patrice.roe@... writes:

When I went back to

pick them up, the pharmacy hadn't filled them because (shock!) I

didn't tell them what brand I wanted. How should I know?!

Hi Patrice,

Another suggestion for finding out which meter to use is to call your

insurance company and see what they recommend. Also, some insurance companies

require that you purchase diabetes testing supplies from a mail order pharmacy

rather than your local pharmacy.

I know all of this is overwhelming, but don't let it upset you. Just take

one day at a time.

CVS has the One Touch Ultra meter on sale this week and you can mail in the

rebate and it will be free. You may want to look into that, especially if

you don't have insurance or your insurance doesn't pay for a meter.

hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

Hello Patrica,

You're doing the right thing: Asking for help. The question

not asked may be one with the feeling you 'should' know, but people are

usually happy to tell what they know.

I am a type 1 diabetic, have been almost my entire life (I am 43

in March) and I hesitate to recommend a glucose meter because new things are

coming out all the time.

What I use is the OneTouch Ultra Smart meter. I can keep track

of my 2 insulins, some meds, food intake (by grams of carbs, fat and

protein) and, of course, BG's.

You may want to consider a basic (BG only) meter to begin with

and keep a paper log, then upgrade to one that does more later and have the

basic one for a backup meter (a couple of months ago my meter dropped out of

my pocket into a bucket of water; glad I had the other one).

The meter manufacturers will just about give you the meter; it

is the test strips that they want you to buy. Keep this in mind if you

damage your meter (like drop it in water); I called the manufacturer and

told them what I did and they sent me a new meter.

I don't know if you have any choice in pharmacists, but I would

be inclined to inform them that you will need to be informed with regard to

diabetes and ask them which pharmacist you should go to who knows about and

can help you (the customer) with your diabetes. They are professionals and

it isn't like diabetes is a rare, exotic disease. If you ask, they may be

inclined to become more helpful.

I hope this is of some help to you and wish you the best.

Ted

Seattle, WA

I had my follow-up meeting with my doctor yesterday, at which time she

gave me prescriptions for a glucometer and lancets. Naively, I took

these to the pharmacy and left them to be filled. When I went back to

pick them up, the pharmacy hadn't filled them because (shock!) I

didn't tell them what brand I wanted. How should I know?!

So, can anyone give me some direction here?

[Guest guest]

Hi Patrice,

I am here in land also. I am in Boyds which is just northwest of

Germantown. Where are you?

Do you have health insurance? I know my insurance which is Mamsi/Optimum

Choice will pay all but a copay for the Accu-something brand. But I

bought the Freestyle Flash while it was on sale and with the rebate got

it free at the end. So just check out the sales and rebates, vs what the

insurance will cover. The smaller meters are nice, mine is tiny - about

the size of an egg, and I love it. The insurance also covers most of the

strips and lancets too no matter which brand you end up with.

Your numbers are about where mine were when I was diagnosed this time

last year. I was put on 500 mg Metformin 2x per day and 2 weeks later

they added Glipizide 2x to that. These are very commonly prescribed

meds, so do not worry.

Just get that meter quickly so you can test. Very important to know what

is going on daily.

Patrice wrote:

>

> Please forgive the cross-posting, but I really need help.

>

> I was diagnosed on 12/14/04 with Type 2 Diabetes: BG 254, A1c 9.7.

> Since then, I have been taking 1000 mg of Metformin XR (or ER,

> whichever), but my doctor might be putting me on additional meds.

> (already on HBP med Captopril HCTZ 25/15). I will be going to an

> education program soon.

>

> I had my follow-up meeting with my doctor yesterday, at which time she

> gave me prescriptions for a glucometer and lancets. Naively, I took

> these to the pharmacy and left them to be filled. When I went back to

> pick them up, the pharmacy hadn't filled them because (shock!) I

> didn't tell them what brand I wanted. How should I know?!

>

> So, can anyone give me some direction here? I did some research and

> discovered the wide field of diabetic products marketing, which was no

> help at all. I'm not even sure what my question is to listmembers.

> Recommendations? Considerations to take into account? I have no idea

> what I should do (neither did my oh-so-helpful pharmacy).

>

> I will be most grateful for any and all advice. And thanks again for

> your patience with my crossposting.

>

> Patrice

> land, USA

> (51 y.o. in March)

>

>

>

>

>

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>

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>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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