Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

Sold at WalMart ? Do you have to get the "Control Solution" the users manual talks about before the meter will actually work and give you a glucose reading ?

Hi,
I work with ReliOn. The Ultima is sold only at Walmart and Sam’s Club Pharmacies in the United States. You can get control solution for free by calling 800.992.3612, but you do not need it to start testing. We also have a couple of newer meters (micro and Confirm) that have the same pricing as Ultima.

More info is available at www.relion.com.

Thanks!

I have tried four types of blood glucose monitors, and so far none of them are as accurate as i need…
i have tried the "one touch ultra smart" "one touch ultra" abbott’s "freestyle lite" and i am currently
using the "contour" by bayer.
I was just wondering if anyone had some helpful information/experience
with any kind of glucose monitor.
Thank you!

I like the Contour — is it not giving u accurate readings?

I have gestational diabetes, as I’ve had with all 3 of my pregnancies. I am using the same meter from my last pregnancy, which was 2 1/2 years ago. I was curious as to how long the meters stay accurate before you need to purchase a new one.

I know some diabetics who’ve kept the same one for over five years. I’m going on three years. The battery stopped working recently, but that was a $5 fix.

Obviously, there is some concern that the meter will become less accurate over time, but that’s fairly easy to verify. Bring your meter with you to your doctor’s appointments and test your blood sugar with the same sample the nurse uses. If your meter is within a close range, then you have your answer. You can also bring your meter to the lab, but you won’t be able to use the same blood. Just test shortly before or after the technician draws your blood.

or do i have to buy one? what are some good cases? please send links!

Yes, it comes with a case.

http://relion.com/contact/diabetes_products.asp

Hi. I know this has been asked before but it’s been awhile and meters and technology change.

I bought a One Touch Ultra Mini and the results look great. Then I was reading online that a lot of people feel it’s inaccurate, but others say it’s highly accurate.

Does anyone have experience with the 2011 model? I’d hate to go out and buy a new meter and strips for no reason.

Also, what works best for you?

Most meters are accurate enough. I use a cheapo TrueTrack from Walgreens. The meter is always very close to my doctor’s office and laboratory results. I never get wildly inaccurate readings, either. I’ve heard of people seeing 100-point gaps from one reading to another in a short span of time. My meter never shows me a ranger wider than 15 points, and even that’s rare.

Send away for some free meters–most companies are happy to give the meters away–and bring them to your next appointment. Have the nurse squeeze an extra large drop of blood from your finger and then test as many of your meters as you can while the nurse tests you on the office’s meter. Go with the closest one or the one that reads you slightly higher (so that you won’t be surprised when you get your A1c).

I’ve recently been diagnosed with PCOS, a hallmark of which is insulin resistance.
I’m not technically a diabetic YET (my last fasting glucose was actually 89, and I’ve been started on Metformin as a preventative)
but I’d like to take a very proactive approach and start monitoring my glucose at the same time every week.

Any recommendations for a blood glucose meter, one that’s not only consistent in it’s own readings but is accurate when calibrated against a physicians?

I’m also a big wuss when it comes to the finger-pricking thing, so are there any that can be used on the arm?

Thanks in advance! (=
Accuracy IS important, Frank. 125 vs. 123 isn’t a problem. 76 vs. 156 IS, and that’s how out of whack I’ve read some of the more poorly-made meters can be.
Thanks for the advice Jessica. I’m guessing the lancing device "pricks" your skin automatically, whereas without one you have to do it yourself? I hadn’t considered that. Excellent point.

There are plenty that can be used on the arm.

First, find out if your insurance will pay for a glucose meter. Many of them will. See if it will pay for the test strips, too.

Glucose meters are kind of like printers…that is, the main device is usually sold at or under cost, because they get you on the ink cartridges/test strips. Those suckers are EXPENSIVE.

I have a One Touch Ultra Mini, and it works pretty well, when I actually use it. I can take a sample from my arm or the back or heel of my hand. It came with a lancet device, and I urge you to use a lancet device, too, no matter what sort of glucose meter you end up getting. Lancet devices will allow you to load a lancet into them, and then just push a button, and the lancet will quickly pop in and out of your site, at the proper depth. It’s much easier to use than just a plain lancet. Most meters come with one.

Edit: a lancet device has a spring loaded mechanism that will quickly "pop" the lance in and out of your skin. You don’t have to try to judge how deep to go with the lancet, and it’s over much more quickly, which is a big plus in my book.

Also, I got the Walgreen’s meter one time, when my old one had died. I don’t recommend it. It seemed accurate enough, but I got a lot of "error" readings on it. I was having to take three or four blood samples for every testing session. Not fun.

Metformin/Glucophage can be a very effective oral antidiabetic. However, it can cause explosive liquid diarrhea in some patients. Some people will adjust to this. Others won’t. I couldn’t, and after a few months I told my doctor that I was NOT going to take it any more. He could either prescribe another medication, or I simply wouldn’t take what he prescribed. I found that side effect to be intolerable.

Ask your doctor about diabetes education classes in your area. My insurance paid for the classes, I had no co-pay. They’ll do this because a diabetic who is well-controlled is a diabetic who will cost them less money.

I’m just curious if there’s a way to test your blood sugar without a meter and test strips. What did they do before meters were available? I have a friend who’s son has type 1, and we were just talking about if they ran out, is there a way.

If your blood sugar gets fairly high, it will spill into the urine, so it’s possible to check the urine to see if it has too much sugar in it. My grandmother used to do this before home blood glucose meters were available. However, this involved getting a good sample of urine, dipping the test strip in it, and then waiting to see what color the strip turned. This method was better than nothing, but it was not really accurate, and it was only good to see if your blood sugar was way too high. Oh, and while those test strips weren’t as expensive as today’s strips for glucose meters, they weren’t cheap, either.

It’s better to just keep a good supply of the glucose meter strips on hand. They are quicker and are far more accurate. They can also detect low blood sugar, which is also dangerous.

I’m considering buying this meter to measure my blood glucose: http://www.amazon.com/ACCU-CHEK-Compact-Plus-Meter-Kit/dp/B00005V3D9/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

However, I’m new to all this and am not sure what else I need to buy. I know that I have to buy test strips but what else do I need? Control solution? What does that do? Do I need it? How about lancets? Do I need these? http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Chek-Softclix-Lancets-100-ea/dp/B0000532GY/ref=reg_hu-wl_mrai-recs

Most meters come with a sample of test strips, as well as disposable lancets. You’ll also receive a case and your lancet pen. Some even come with control solution. The control solution allows you to test the accuracy of your meter. I believe the manufacturer recommends that you use control solution every time you change your test strip vial and re-code your meter, but in truth I only pull out my control solution when I have some doubt about my readings.

I change my lancet about once every one to two weeks, depending how often I test, but some people change the lancet more often. You don’t need to change the lancet every time you prick your finger. The lancet does get dull with repeated uses, though, and that makes pricking your finger painful and more difficult. Buy a box of lancets now and you won’t have to buy one for a long time.

You definitely need test strips. Estimate how often you’re going to test (for example: fasting, after lunch, before dinner, after dinner, bedtime = 5 test strips a day x 30 days = 150 test strips for one month). ACCU-CHEK sells really expensive test strips. If you’re on a budget, consider Wal-Mart’s ReliOn meter. It’s just as accurate as the expensive meters, but its test strips are usually more than half the cost.

Also, you can usually get a free meter online. The One Touch Mini has been available for free for over a year. Here’s the link: http://www.onetouchdiabetes.com/offers/ I believe the FreeStyle brand has been giving away meters, too: https://www.myfreestyle.com/fs/promise/join-now.do Companies like to give away the meters to rope you in on the cost of the test strips.

You don’t need anything else to get started. You’re in good shape. Good luck!

(P.S. The softclix is a really nice lancet – you hardly feel it.)

A hospital might have one. If your BG was really that high, you wouldn’t be walking around, you’d be in the hospital on an insulin drip.

There are none at this time, at least none that will give anything close to accurate results. But stay tuned to your internet they are making great progress in the treatment of diabetes….Not so much in the cure, contrary to what others may tell you.