Glucose Meters

Hey all,

Anyone out there is CPAP land use a glucose meter and have a recommendation for brand/model etc?

Around here anyways, the basic models at least are free if you purchase the strips (i.e. Bayer Contour Next etc). Is it worth paying some upgrade to get the "USB" models or other features?

I am NOT a diabetic, but do have a family history and I want to start pro-active monitoring of blood glucose to get a handle on what foods trigger, what don't, etc. etc. My blood sugar is a bit high at doctor visits, but not too bad yet...but I want to get it lower and keep it there.

Yes.

Get a Freestyle Freedom Lite. It is the current recommendation of Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, who is a noted diabetes educator. He continually tests meters against his office equipment and this meter is now his choice.

Be aware that the normal margin of error on these meters is +/- 20%, so a reading of 100 could actually be anywhere between 80 and 120.

GrantT wrote:Hey all,

Anyone out there is CPAP land use a glucose meter and have a recommendation for brand/model etc?

Around here anyways, the basic models at least are free if you purchase the strips (i.e. Bayer Contour Next etc). Is it worth paying some upgrade to get the "USB" models or other features?

I am NOT a diabetic, but do have a family history and I want to start pro-active monitoring of blood glucose to get a handle on what foods trigger, what don't, etc. etc. My blood sugar is a bit high at doctor visits, but not too bad yet...but I want to get it lower and keep it there.

I've used a variety of meters and strips over the last 9+ years.
My brand preference is Accu-Chek......started with an "Advantage" in 2005. I now have 3 of the "Aviva" model meters.
My second preference is the Bayer "USB".......I have two of them plus one "Contour" meter.
Have also used some of the Walmart "ReliOn" and "Ultima" model meters......with varied results (mostly questionable).

If you just want to test a few times, most meters come with a limited number of test strips.
Many meters can actually be obtained "free" if you check the manufacturers' websites or subscribe to the newsletters by some of the information sites like http://www.dlife.com/
The cost of the meters is minimal. It's the long-term cost of the strips that can be expensive. If insurance covers it, that is a big help. However, I purchased my own meters and strips for quite a few years without insurance coverage.


Den

.

I worked as a school nurse in a high school for 5 years. I purchased a reli on brand to have in the office. The test strips are.the least expensive and having used it many times to recheck results from other meters it always did a fantastic job. I don't think its the best but it. will certainly give you very accurate results for the least amount of expense. I purchased one for my home too just to have to do occasional checks.

As Den says: +

Every food you eat counts period, small portions of food spread out over the day are your friends.

A fasting A1C test every 6 mo is the best way to guage how bad things are. Many things you hear about diabetes in wrong or poor info, learn how your body works.

Avoid processed sugar and foods that contain it, that means eat no food. I replace sugar with honey, wild honey is best, but too costly and frowned upon by the FDA Police, as is raw milk.

Nowdays if it's not filled with antibiotics and plastic it's not food. Jim

Good for you! "Eating to the meter" is a great way to learn about your body's response to various foods and to reduce one of the major risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more.

Shop around for the best price on strips--it's just like printer ink. Printers may be inexpensive or even free, but they get you in the cost of the strips. Walmart's Relion are very reasonable, BUT, they are often out of the strips when I get to Walmart on the weekends--there's not one in my town, so this is frustrating. I have two True Result meters--a large one for home use and a tiny one that fits on the canister of test strips for out of the house. They both use the same strips. Their strips are expensive in the stores, but I get 50 for $12 on Amazon.

After you learn your body's responses to the foods you normally eat you don't have to test often, but I test my fasting blood glucose a few times a week. The strips expire, so don't buy more than you think you will use in a short while.

Since you're not an insulin dependent diabetic, you don't have to worry too much about close accuracy--you just want to see trends. Readings can vary plus or minus 20 on ALL the machines, it's a bit frustrating. I've tested the SAME drop of blood at the same time on both meters and on one meter twice from the same sample, and gotten different results. Luckily I'm not trying to titrate an insulin dose!

I have also been a fan of Accu Check. I like the Compact because it holds 17 strips and all I have to do is push the button. Strips are a bit more expensive than normal. My insurance tried to switch me to the Nano because the strips were a bit cheaper. I have the Freestyle Lite that I was given at a class and it is not bad. It is small and I use it on the go. One doctor gave me the One Touch Ultra. I did not like it because it seemed to require a lot more blood for a test.

Jerry

I use the Contour Next (USB) because it one of the machines that needs the smallest samples of blood, and I use the USB version because I have a hundred USB Chargers around the house so it is the easiest to recharge (although I go alost a year before needing to recharge.)
For lancets I use the Accu-Chek FastClix. They are easy to use and you load a tumbler of 6 of them at a time.

GrantT,

Another vote for the Bayer Contour Next USB http://www.bayercontour.com/Blood-Gluco ... -USB-Meter. Test strips via Amazon are $24 for 100 strips.

Give this a look http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/Ja ... meters.pdf. It lists the meters, their costs and the costs of the test strips.

Also check out http://www.diabeteswellbeing.com/blood-glucose-meters/.

Good luck,
Chris

Reli-On Prime has fifty strips for $9.00 OTC. My Medicare Co_pay is probably about the same for strips on prescription, but I usually use waay more strips than Medicare allows my doc to write sticks per day for. Medicare is wrong. One controls BG by knowing what BG is, and, (as JanKnitz) advises, eat to your meter readings. Buy the Reli-On Prime meter for less than twenty dollars. At the doctors office, I use my Reli-On Meter to test a drop from the same stab I made for their meter. The Reli-On is usually within one or two points. One is supposed to be careful not to touch the stick on the skin, as it can raise the reading.

If I had no money issues I would probably use the Flash meter, as it is quicker, and I trust its accuracy more. Except for a Reli-On Meter, do not buy a meter. Like if you are going to use a Flash, then call the one 8?? number and tell them you want their meter, and they will usually mail you one for free. It is the strips they make money on. I think the Flash strips are close to a dollar each. When I was distrustful of my Reli-On Meter, I got a free flash meter. Which said my Reli-On Prime was ten points high. The docs office, who use a really expensive meter reported that the Reli-On was right, and the Flash was off by twenty points. Then again the accuracy of BG Meters is more than twenty points difference.

As I have arthritis in my hands, which make it difficult to mess with loading the lancing device in the morning, I use the Accu-Chek Soft-Clix. Do not buy the Lancing device itself, call the manufacturer, and tell them you want to try their device, the company will mail you a free one with some lances for you to try.

I can control my BG not only by diet, but by taking Omega Oils, and exercising. Even a ten minute walk after a meal brings my BG into reasonable numbers. These things work differently for different people. JanKnitz has some things to say about Omega Oils, I think. ( I do not want to put words in some one elses mouth).

I also take Bausch and Lomb ARREDS Two Eye Vitamins. Notice I said ARREDS Two, their is a one which is not such a good idea. These ARREDS Two Eye Vitamins are from a large study which was called ARREDS. I highly recommend this (for me on Social Security) Eye Vitamin, as I have had clear improvement in my vision from this, and that is spectacular for someone for someone over sixty. This Eye vitamin is meant to prevent the blindness which occurs from diabetes. The first sign for retinal detachment is seeing Flashes of Light, which have no outside cause. Then get to the doc soonest as much of the later damage/perhaps total blindness can still be prevented.

Diabetics need to take Vitamin D3, to get their Vitamin D levels in line.

Diabetics, as you probably know, usually have their eyes tested every year. Look at the back of the eye, the retina. Test for Glaucoma. I have a little magnet with graph lines on it to look at every day for me to test myself. For eye problems, early treatment prevents permanent blindness.

Maybe you know all this, sorry, I do not mean to offend. Just to be helpful

I really hate the lancet devices they use in the doctor's office.
I prefer they test my glucose when they do a draw--much less pain!

Here's the technique to "eat to your meter" from http://www.diabetesforum.com:

Technique for eating to your meter:
Establish your target range for blood sugar levels. Common upper limit is 140mg/dl = 7.7mmol/l. Commit to keeping your blood sugar under this level.
Test right before eating. Log the reading.
Test again one hour after your first bite, and log the reading along with what and how much you ate. This is assumed to be about the highest peak - the spike - from the meal.
Test a third time two hours after your first bite. This is hoped to show your blood sugar dropping back to roughly what it was before the meal. If it is, you're showing a good second phase insulin response. If it is not, you should continue testing until you find your blood sugar beginning to drop.
Analyzing these readings along with the foods you've eaten enables you to see which foods have the worst effect on your blood sugar, so you can avoid consuming them in the future.

It's fair to give each meal a second chance, in case there could be an outside influence on the elevated reading, but after two or three experiments, it is wise to avoid or sharply restrict the foods which drastically spike your blood sugar. After several weeks of extensive testing this way, you'll have compiled a personalized list of foods you can eat safely, for the most part. Not saying things don't change, and foods which were safe at one time could become troublesome later, but for the most part, eating to your meter is an excellent way to hold diabetes at bay.

This can also be used to test individual foods such as fruits and things you suspect are going to spike you, but you'd like to know if perhaps you can eat small amounts.

If you are pre diabetic, I'd set the goal lower, eg 120. And what she doesn't say is that it's helpful to write down what you eat when to help determine what foods cause spikes.