Metermania
This is the fourth in a series of discussion forums at Diabetes.Blog.Com, and will be for discussions about blood glucose meters.
As of June 1, 2008, the ability to post new comments at the Discussion Forums at Diabetes.Blog.com has been disabled. The old comments will remain available for you to read.
Please go to Diabetes Discussions to see new comments and to add your thoughts!
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Thanks.
Bill the diabetesdoc
Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com.
At the Diabetes Monitor today: gene variants and type 2 diabetes.
As of June 1, 2008, the ability to post new comments at the Discussion Forums at Diabetes.Blog.com has been disabled. The old comments will remain available for you to read.
Please go to Diabetes Discussions to see new comments and to add your thoughts!
Instructions for posting comments may be found at Getting Started.
Thanks.
Bill the diabetesdoc
Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com.
At the Diabetes Monitor today: gene variants and type 2 diabetes.
I am doing a healthcare survey on glucose monitoring procedures for both diabetic patients and doctors who treat diabetes. I am trying to establish what factors result in poor patient compliance (in terms of glucose monitoring), and whether or not new methods of testing will significantly impact this.
If you have diabetes, please visit the following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=406031226571
If you are a physician who treats diabetes, please visit the following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=383801226715
Thank you very much for your participation, it is greatly appreciated. (Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)Please read Dubious comments at this blog
Thanks. (Comment this)
Anyone else have a new meter they seem to like really well? (Comment this)
Medicare sets coverage standards for the number of diabetes testing strips beneficiaries can obtain. Medicare will cover 100 strips per month those who use insulin, and 100 strips every three months for those who do not use insulin.
If your physician prescribes a higher rate of testing, you can attempt to appeal to the DME carrier for coverage of a greater amount. However, you will have to obtain a statement from your physician justifying the need for greater testing and the theraputic benefit you would achieve. Contact your provider to learn how to file your appeal.
Good luck! (Comment this)
In the meantime, see today's post (http://diabetes.blog.com/372903/) for a listing of all the discussion forums.
(Comment this)
Did your MD say why he recommends the Asensia brand? (Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)AP (Comment this)
Thx Robert (robert-jan@jobadvies.nl) (Comment this)
Earlier this week, I went to the gym with my meter and my glass of apple juice (exercise & Byetta frequently bring my BS to 60-70 range). I thought the lid was on tight, but when I went to take my meter out, I discovered it had had an apple juice bath...and there was obviously juice IN the meter. Later I called the manufacturer and made the rep laugh out loud when I asked if I had indeed pooched my meter. Giggling, she said "you sure have"! Upshot of this story is that the manufacturer is sending me a free one time replacement meter, bless their hearts. So if anyone else out there drops it in the toilet, or the dog buries it or the grandkids use it as a teether,or you bathe YOUR meter in something call the manufacturer. They may come through for you! (Comment this)
It is an easy one handed operation ...
1. Slide the window up with your thumb which turns on the meter and pushes out a strip.
2. Touch the strip to the drop and wait for the reading.
3. Slide the window back down (while pointing the strip down into your waste recepticle) and the strip ejects.
4. Done.
What makes it even nicer is I just got the Accu-Chek Multiclix lancing device that has six lancets in a cartridge. It looks like a fat pen with 11 depth settings.
1. Twist
2. Click it like a pen
3. Hit the button.
4. Done
No changing individual strips or lancets anymore.
Mike from Tucson
(Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)I tested the new meter and it is supposedly within the 25% margin of error, though just barely.
Has anyone else had this problem? I am going to the Endo next week, and he will take a lab BS test. I''m wondering if there is a wide margin of error in that test too, or can I trust it as a benchmark for my new meter?
I would welcome your thoughts on the topic. (Comment this)
Is there one meter that is better then the others? (Comment this)
My new meter is based on plasma readings and is more accurate that way. (Comment this)
I had a similar situation (but w/o the apple juice) where my Accu-chek Compact flaked out a while back. I called Roche and they express shipped me a replacement.
All,
Been using the Compact for over a year now and, since I travel a lot, it's really easy to carry around since it's so....well compact.. And Roche calls every couple months to see how I'm doing. Meter behaving...meds under control...very nice touch..and the callers don't sound like they're just going through the motions.
The good news:
The finger-sticker works well and draws just the right quantity of blood.
I don't have to actually handle the test strips since the meter loads them from a drum and then ejects them after testing.
The add-on software makes it easy to prepare for a trip to the pcp. Just upload the meter readings to the computer and run the 1-page summary. The pcp has gotten used to spending a couple minutes going over the chart, asking questions when he sees certain things and then can get a good picture of how the numbers have been.
Love the test strip drum. Much easier to keep track of (and to carry a spare in the case provided).
Bad news (mostly software):
Readings cannot be manually deleted from the meter. I tested my wife a while back and had to delete her number from my chart manually, after uploading to the computer...and waiting for that number to cycle out of the meter (since it holds the past 100 readings that can take a while). If I delete the bad reading from the data file and it still happens to be in the meter when I upload next time, it will return to the statistics.
While the software offers to correct the date and to delete all entries, it is unable to perform either of these functions. I called the support line and was told this limitation is only with the Compact in the Accu-Chek line. A real pain...as this would solve the problem mentioned above. One time I accidentally hosed the date in the Compact and screwed up about 10 readings. They would continue to screw up my data file until they finally cycled out of the Compact.
The graphing capability reminds me of an early version of Excel. The charts do not resize based on the numbers being charted.
Summary:
All this being said, I wouldn't trade the device or the software although I'm looking forward to improvements in the software in follow-on releases. The charts are easy to work with and my pcp likes the 1-page summary showing all readings plotted over time and a bar chart at the bottom showing a summary of time of day readings.
John
(Comment this)
Hey Donna, I think you might have a different lancing device than I do. Neither one of my Freestyle Lancers--the one with the regular Freestyle or my new F. Flash are like you described. Does yours have Freestyle written on it? Anyway, both of mine have a wheel you dial which changes a number in a tiny window for needle depth, but I suspect your assumption about the dots in graduated sizes is correct. Is there a way to dial it to respond to the dot of your choice? Wish I could see what you are talking about too and help you... (Comment this)
Once I get more familiar with what I am doing, hopefully I will be able to do this bg testing with minimal pain and less frequently.
How is everything going with you? Your appetite, symptoms from the spit, and general welfare. If you work, I hope this has been a relaxing day (I assume you don't work on Sundays but I could be wrong) for you.
I made an really interesting dinner from a recipe I found on the internet for very low carb lasagna. You cut a med zuchini and an eggplant into thin strips to act as the noodles and then you layer all kinds of stuff- mushrooms, ricotta w eggs, scallions and cottage cheese and sweet turkey sausage + mozzerella cheese and bottled sauce. As they say- "a bodanza" My husband loves it but I don't have that much of an appetite. I guess I should celebrate that fact. Take care- look forward to hearing from you. (Comment this)
Hey Donna, guess that pretty much clears up this mystery! Actually, I have one of those One Touch meters because I had a coupon to get one free and the test strips were about $2 or $3 cheaper than Freestyle but I had so many problems with it rejecting my amount of blood that I went back to my Freestyle. I almost NEVER get an error and wasted strip due to too little blood with the Freestyle. So the $$ I was saving was getting tossed out in rejected test strips and it was costing me more! This is just my own experience...others may really like that meter. I'm sticking with my Freestyle. Like the commercial says, "virtually no pain"...
As far as how I am feeling, well I have to say I feel GREAT on this Byetta! More energy than I've had in a long time. Still can't believe the supressed appetite and how little I am eating. The weight has been sloooooow to come off but just in the last 3 days I've had a good little drop. I'm still taking Avandia (don't want to and plan to get off it soon-Endo doesn't want me to) and that is working against the Byetta as far as weight loss is concerned. I'm a little discouraged over my recent bg numbers and if you check a recent post to Shari in Odds and Ends you can follow that. I'm still having queasiness and sniffles if I overeat. We are self-employed and I work out of my home but not on Sundays. It has been a good day, thank you for asking. Hope all is going well for you too!
That recipe sounds awesome! Could you post it in Meals and Eating blog or tell me where to go online to get it? I may have to use sweet Italian sausage instead of the turkey sausage, not sure about that but the rest sounded great and very healthy! My husband would like it too I am sure. I think we are going to save a lot of $$ at the grocery since being on the spit. I am freezing a lot of leftover portions these days because I can't eat so much...
(Comment this)
http://www.diabeticnetwork.com/community/DCForumID14/79.html
Unfortunately for all the prep time (and this is a fussy recipe) I was only able to eat a few spoonfuls. My husband is wild about it and it is healthy. If you cannot get the Jennio-O or any brand of turkey sausage, I suppose you could use the real stuff but maybe cut back on the amount you use. It is strictly up to you. Actually the sausage is optional but I feel it adds a lot of umpf to the recipe. Glad you had a nice day and that you are doing so well. I have been a little under the weather but I think it really can all be blamed on a naughtly little lizard. (Comment this)
Thank you Donna for the website! Sounds great and I hope to try it. We love zucchini and eggplant and everything else in it!
Sorry you aren't feeling so well. Yep, sometimes he can be a naughty little lizard. I'm getting along well with him tonight though. Only had some cooked cabbage and small amount of sweet potato for supper and put the portion into my plate that I thought I could eat and be nausea-free. I'm learning! I had beans for lunch today with no problem. I think for me it is less WHAT I eat but more HOW MUCH. Not sure...still experimenting...but that seems to be the way it is. (Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)My poor husband is going nuts with all of these little black zippered goodies. Incidentally, how are you disposing of all your needles and lancets? (Comment this)
I just put my used strips and lancets in the empty strip container. I don't change my lancets very often so...no problem with overload. (Comment this)
Hey gilly friends, I really do like mine. I actually like the lancer better on the regular Freestyle but the one with the F. Flash is fine too. I test in the forearms only and really love that. (I love my fingers too much. I guess if I was worried about a low or tested low in the forearm I might go to the fingertip to confirm) I use one of the hard plastic jugs that my "Simply Orange" orange juice comes in to put all needles and lancets in. I change needles with every shot, not lancets. I change them when I feel like they are getting dull. Hope ya'll like it. It is a much kinder tester to me... (Comment this)
I did get them set after reading in the manual, but then forgot some of what I read and I need to go back and figure some settings out. I thought I would get it all worked out when my data part arrives (that will allow me to hook the meter up to the computer)The bell symbol on lets you hear the beeps. If you want to set it I think you have to hold that "M" button down for several seconds and then it will give you the word "set" or something like that and things will start blinking for you to change them. Work with the "c" button then to change things and the "m" to confirm your changes. I think that is what I remember. Did you get a little handbook with yours? Don't get frustrated, you can do it! (Comment this)
Hello Lorrie, Yes, being cold all the time I have had the exact same problem getting blood drops to come up. I have the Freestyle Flash too and love it. I had to adjust the lancer to one notch deeper depth and I do test in my forearms now. I just could not take the pain on my sensitive fingertips any longer. I have NO PROBLEMS getting enough blood now and it is really pain free. I don't even have to massage my arm at all to get the blood circulating.(I used to always have to do that with my fingers and still it wasn't enough sometimes.) My lancer is set on 3 right now with the cap on it that you use for forearm testing. (Comment this)
Nancy - I have also been using the One Touch Ultra Smart unit, and really like it. I load my data down to a PC and run the charts and email them directly to my doctor - no paper and no office visit and he gets good data for making recommendations. I also like that the meter requires a very small amount of blood and the meter is really fast to complete the test.
Some folks do not change their lancets frequently, but I have had the least amount of pain sticking my fingers when I never use a lancet more than twice when I test. Adds a little to the cost but lancets are pretty cheap to start.
Disposal: You can buy the red "sharps" containers at most drugstores, and the big ones would probably last for years. I checked with the local health department and they advised that I can dispose of any "sharp" items by dropping them into any clear plastic container (a 2-liter soda bottle is OK, but a milk jug is not) and then taping the lid on securely with duct tape. Then you can simply throw it in the trash. Keep in mind - this is legal where I live, it may not be where you reside - check with your county health office to be sure.
Mark (Comment this)
Thanks for the information. I'll try that after breakfast this morning and see if I'm more successful! Yesterday I went through three lancets, three test strips, and three fingers to get a reading! (Comment this)
Wow Lorrie! I almost NEVER lose a test strip to that anymore. Success every time. I do hope it works for you. I believe we are supposed to massage the arm a bit first, but I have never had to do that really. I test right above my wrist bone on the top of my arm. It really works for me. No wasted test strips or lancets. Best of luck to you! (Comment this)
(2) Also: if you haven't yet answered our polls to tell us more about yourself, we'd encourage you to please do so:
(Comment this)This afternoon I successfully tested (painlessly!) using my forearm and got a BG reading of 103. Since it was about 3 hours after lunch, I was surprised that it was that high, since my post meal readings (even when I haven't injected Byetta before that meal) are usually in the low 80s. I tried a second time, this time using my finger (ouch!), and got a reading of 82, which is more in line with what I've been getting since going on Byetta. I was careful to wash both sites, make sure I'd removed all the soap, and used an alcohol wipe. I remember reading somewhere that the finger stick is more accurate, and the one to use if you suspect hypoglycemia, but I didn't think the two sites would vary by over 20 points. I think I'm going to mosey over to the Freestyle Flash site and ask about it. (Comment this)