So, this morning my Dr. told me I had diabetes.
Oh Joy.
This goes along with my bowel cancer and a recent heart attack and a stroke. There are healthier dopers.
So, anyways, my Dr. advised me to buy a blood glucose meter.
What should I look for?
Can anyone recommend a particular model? I know nothing about them. What features are important? Price isn’t much of an issue.
Thanks for your help,
Rob
This thread might be best served in IMHO, but at any rate, I have a OneTouch UltraMini that I use at work or when traveling, and a larger OneTouch model (I’m sorry – I don’t have it with me) that I keep at home. Both have been fantastic for me. And a friend of mine who has had diabetes for a few years told me that he has experimented with several brands over the years and has been happiest with OneTouch products.
If you are interested, I will try to get you the model of my “main” machine at home.
BUY a meter?
Assuming you’re in North America, the one and only advantage of being a diabetic is that you never, ever have to buy a meter. The meter companies fall all over themselves to send you free ones, because if you use the meter, you have to buy the strips, which are bloody expensive - $1/each if you buy them at a Target/Walmart, or about 50 cents for mail-order.
I’ve been diagnosed for about 6 months now, and I have, let’s see… at least 10 meters. Maybe more. I figure why not try 'em out and see which one I like the best?
Feature-wise, here’s what people tend to like:
Small amount of blood needed. There’s nothing like having to throw away those pricey strips because you didn’t get enough blood on the strip fast enough.
Light-up “landing strips” where you put the strip in. That helps when you need to take a blood glucose reading at night.
A memory so you can see your averages over the past week/month.
Other than that, it’s pretty much much up to you. They’re all pretty accurate.
If price is a problem, the Wal-Mart Reli-On brand is the cheapest meter & strips to buy, and is considered a pretty good meter.
My advice? Just start calling meter companies, tell them you’re a diabetic, and ask them to send you a sample meter. Most will send a meter and about 10 strips for free. No need to decide without trying them out!
Oh - another thought - I got my first meter when I went to see a Certified Diabetes Educator. Did your doc make you an appointment to see one? Very highly recommended.
Any other questions? Diabetes has pretty much been my hobby for the past 6 months. What fun.
Oh yeah, one more thing - here’s a pretty good forum about testing blood sugar, including lots & lots of meter reviews.
I am a big fan of my one touch, i have a couple of them. My endo likes them because they have a computer program and dongle thingy so they can just download them and print out the results. I believe you can also get the program and dongle for your home computer but I never have so I dont know if when you download it deletes the memory from the download buffer or not because it did last time they downloaded it about a year ago [i forgot it this visit, and i am looking at getting a new one touch mini as mine has a pretty scruffy looking shell on it. ]
Your insurance company will have a preferred meter that it will pay for, one touch is what my previous employer’s insurance management company would pay for, my endo’s office had several different brands and passed them out according to what the insurance would pay for.
One Touch also has a webpage with a free menu planning resource that is kick ass! And you dont have to be diabetic to join up, and they send coupons and all sorts of interesting stuff in the email newsletter.
And go for an arm site-able glucometer, poking the fingers all teh time sucks
Sucks, but is more accurate and up-to-date. If you test someplace other than fingers, you’re testing interstitial fluid, not blood, and it’s approximately 15 minutes behind a finger test.
For routine blood testing, that’s probably OK. But if you’re on insulin or oral drugs that can cause lows, stick to the fingertips.
To go with what many other people have said, DON’T BUY A METER. The meter companies are dying to give away meters since it means you’ll be stuck buying their strips. Get a script from you doctor for a meter and test strips, have him not specify the type, and go to your pharmacy and ask them what coupons they have for a free meter. They normally will have at least one brand you can pickup at that time, just paying your strips copay.
Oh, and the two most popular meters I’ve seen filled are OneTouch and Freestyle. My mother-in-law had a Onetouch, and it was really good, and easy for her to use. But in the grand scheme of things, what really matters is what your insurance will pay for… Call your insurance company, or go to your pharmacy, and find out.
If you bruise easily, forget the alternate site testing and stick to your fingertips. After 10 minutes of trying to get enough blood out of my forearm, I looked like a junkie. Fingersticks aren’t all that bad. Keep the penetration around 2 or 3 and unless you have calluses, you should be okay.
Before you commit to a meter, CALL your insurance company and find out what your coverage for strips and a meter is. Many health plans will only cover supplies for certain models. Do not fall for any of the ‘get a free meter!’ advertisements on TV or in magazines right away; they sound like a good deal, but you could very well end up with one that requires horrendously expensive strips your plan doesn’t cover.
It’s easy to get a free meter, but you’ll be better off in the long run if you explore your coverage first. Get the free meter through your pharmacy provider, or order a free one in a model where you have good strip coverage.
Knowing your benefits coverage for DM testing supplies is power.
Thanks to all for your replies and advice. I’m in Canada and also have excellent private insurance through both my wife’s and my own employers. Anything I choose will be covered.
Well, I’m headed off to my drug store to see what they can supply. I want something fast, uses a small blood sample and can be read in low light. Should be fairly easy.
Thanks again,
Rob