CPAPtalk.com

I too think your A1C at 5 is just right as mine usually are between 7 and 8 and I am diabetic. I too take metformin 1000 mg twice a day as well as avandia and glipizide XL twice a day. I would think at your levels that it could be controlled with diet, but I am no doctor. As far as meters and test strips usually with rebates the meters are at no or little cost. The test strips are expensive. My insurance will only pay for the one touch strips in formalary so check before buying. I have been diabetic for 7 years now and that came before I new I had OSA. Change fingers each time you test to keep from making one place sore form using it to much.

Sharon

I test on the side of my fingers and they soon became --- ummmm callused I guess is the best word to describe it. The area where I test is virtually insensitive to the needle. Don't even feel it anymore.

The fingers give more accurate results than the other places they allow.

But, accuracy is a funny thing with these meters. They are only accurate to within 20% which makes me wonder why we even bother if they aren't any more accurate than that.

Arizona-Willie wrote:But, accuracy is a funny thing with these meters. They are only accurate to within 20% which makes me wonder why we even bother if they aren't any more accurate than that.

Because it's better than not testing.

That 20% number is VERY misleading, BTW. In general they are within 10% something approaching 95% of the time. They are most inaccurate when testing hypoglycemic numbers, between say 40 and 70. So how would a reading of 32 or 48 instead of an accurate 40 change your treatment plan? It wouldn't not one iota.

On the other hand, since they are likely to be well within 10% when your glucose is high, say 240 or 300, how would a different of 12 or 20 points change your treatment? It wouldn't, except perhaps one or two 10ths of 1 unit of insulin.

Instead, the way meters are judged (by the FDA) is based on something called the Clarke Error Grid, which shows the likelihood of a bad outcome based on erroneous readings.

Here is a Clarke Error Grid analysis:
http://ccforum.com/content/figures/cc5048-2.jpg
I have no idea what this particular grid is examining, but it was the most clear example I found on Google.

Region A are those values within 20% of the reference sensor, Region B contains points that are outside of 20% but would not lead to inappropriate treatment, Region C are those points leading to unnecessary treatment, Region D are those points indicating a potentially dangerous (i.e. potentially life threatening error) failure to detect hypo or hyperglycemia, and Region E are those points that would lead to life threatening treatment decisions. (Modified from a very poor WikiPeeingYa article)

The bottom line: Current at home insulin meters are VERY accurate.

So why test? Because it's real time and far better than dipping a stick into urine and guessing what it means, and it will extend your life by many years without complications.

Next up: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems. So far on a minute-by-minute comparison, finger sticks are better, but of course finger sticks only give a single point-in-time value while the CGMS give retrospective trends so you can alter your therapy (like analyzing cpap data the next morning) and can analyze current trends and values to warn of future and current high or low excursions in blood glucose.

After that: Not too far at all is the "closing of the loop" between the CGMS and the insulin pump, to form a primitive "artificial pancreas" delivering insulin as needed, automatically for diabetics.

How far away: Really close! Currently, MiniMed insulin pumps receive data wirelessly from CGMS, calculates insulin requirements based on trends and previous insulin delivered, makes a suggested insulin dosing, but requires the user to push a button to confirm it.

Sorry for rambling, but is a subject close to my heart. I was actually a lot more brief than I wanted to be! LOL

sleeplessinaz wrote:... I am on METFORMIN of 1000 mgs. TWICE a day!! That seems kind of high for a PRE-Diabetic condition. I have co-workers that HAVE diabetes and they only take 500 mgs. twice a day. ...

Carrie --AKA --SIAZ

FWIW, I take 1000mg 2x a day too, and I don't have diabetes. I am taking it for PCOS (a related metabolic syndrome that frequently has insulin resistance as a feature and can lead to prediabetes/diabetes if untreated). I think it's better to aggressively, pre-emptively control blood sugar by all means available, than to wait til your diabetes progresses.

One interesting side effect of the metformin, at least for me, is that it caused me to noticeably lose interest in sweets and have less carbohydrate cravings in general, making it easier to implement glucose-controlling diet changes.

Good thread.

No one mentioned this, so maybe I have it wrong, but isn't untreated sleep apnea the number one root cause of Type II diabetes?

My Doctor suspected i was borderline diabetic based on some bloodwork done during a hospital stay last November. He set me up for a visit yesterday after submitting blood to the lab last Saturday and he said my glucose level was 116 or just below being diabetic. He told me to watch the sweets and sent me home with a magazine called Living With Diabetes and told me to read it. I think he's trying to tell me that sooner or later i will be diabetic. My Grandfather had diabetes and had to inject himself every day, they say it hits every other generation which would be me. My doctor did not prescribe any meds but he told me to go back and see him in July. I think he just wants to monitor me for now i have lost 15 lbs. in the last six months and i hope to lose more weight.

Dale

I use the freestyle meters. And they are pretty good and doesn't hurt.

The maker of the freestyle has two meters for free currently that you can sign up for on their website.

Here is the link.

http://tinyurl.com/6485h8

I use the Ascensia Contour meter by Bayer Pharmaceuticals. I still have to prick my fingers although I hit the sides of my fingers. I try to stay with testing on my right hand only since I write with my left hand. The strips are pricey if your insurance doesn't cover them.

My meter gives test results within 15 seconds and the strips which are made to work with my machine will literally suck your blood sample onto the strip unlike the old meter my mother used where you had to hold your finger directly over the test strip when it was time for your sample of blood to drop.

I'm not a diabetic but since both of my parents were at the time of their death my doctor has me to monitor my blood sugar twice a day. I'm not having to take any meds yet, in the morning my BS reading is betwwen 90 to 98 and in the afternoon it rarely goes over 120. I do have to watch those sweets though because I do like Schwan's ice cream and high octane Barq's.

stevoreno wrote:I'm not a diabetic but since both of my parents were at the time of their death my doctor has me to monitor my blood sugar twice a day. I'm not having to take any meds yet, in the morning my BS reading is betwwen 90 to 98 and in the afternoon it rarely goes over 120. I do have to watch those sweets though because I do like Schwan's ice cream and high octane Barq's.

Hi Stevoreno,

That amount of testing coming back normal all the time is, IMHO, WAY over the top. It's just totally unnecessary! You won't be 120 today and 500 tomorrow, it is just not the way things work in T2 diabetes.

Unless s/he has very special reasons why you should be testing that much, you could test 2x a day once a week, but even that is likely over the top. You doctor performing an HbA1C test every 3 or 6 months is usually quite adequate to catch diabetes very early on. The HbA1C test essentially reports your average blood glucose concentration over the prior 3 months.

Around 5 to 5.5 is normal. A diabetic's GOAL is to be under 7.0 You didn't say if your readings were fasting, pre-prandial(meal) or post prandial(meal), but with your readings, I'd guess you're just about 5.5. But I could be low if those are all fasting numbers.

Question authority! Save your poor fingers!

-Rebel Ron

RonS wrote:

stevoreno wrote:I'm not a diabetic but since both of my parents were at the time of their death my doctor has me to monitor my blood sugar twice a day. I'm not having to take any meds yet, in the morning my BS reading is betwwen 90 to 98 and in the afternoon it rarely goes over 120. I do have to watch those sweets though because I do like Schwan's ice cream and high octane Barq's.

Hi Stevoreno,

That amount of testing coming back normal all the time is, IMHO, WAY over the top. It's just totally unnecessary! You won't be 120 today and 500 tomorrow, it is just not the way things work in T2 diabetes.

Unless s/he has very special reasons why you should be testing that much, you could test 2x a day once a week, but even that is likely over the top. You doctor performing an HbA1C test every 3 or 6 months is usually quite adequate to catch diabetes very early on. The HbA1C test essentially reports your average blood glucose concentration over the prior 3 months.

Around 5 to 5.5 is normal. A diabetic's GOAL is to be under 7.0 You didn't say if your readings were fasting, pre-prandial(meal) or post prandial(meal), but with your readings, I'd guess you're just about 5.5. But I could be low if those are all fasting numbers.

Question authority! Save your poor fingers!

-Rebel Ron

Those numbers I posted, the early morning numbers were first thing in the morning before consuming any food and the afternoon numbers were generally later in the day before my dinner time meal. I don't mind doing it because my mother who is now gone had readings in the morning on her old Glucometer machine before breakfast of close to 300, she took Glucophage tablets twice a day as well as 70 units of Humilin N insulin in the morning and 30 units at bedtime. My father never had to take shots but he was on meds for his diabetes up until his recent death. Actually my doc is more concerned about me watching my BP than he is my BS levels, I watch my sodium intake much more closely than I do my sugar intake. The pricking of the fingers does hurt but you get use to it.

I'd say the A1C goal is 5 to 5.5 or lower, I'd love to be there, I'm lucky to be 6.5, on 200 units of two types of insulin daily and pills, eating 1/3 the food I used to. My problem is my health is so poor I can't exercise and burn off the fuel. When I was working I easily burnt off 5000 cal a day, now even with cutting back it doesn't get burnt. Jim

Hi--I think I tend to agree with ROOSTER THAT untreated sleep apnea might be the number one root cause of Type II diabetes? I did not realize that I had sleep apnea and I bet I went untreated for at least two years. I have only been on the metformin for three or 4 days and I already do notice a BIG drop in my cravings for pastries and carbs. Hoping I do lose weight on this stuff!!!

Thanks for the web site about the free meters---the pharmacist at CVS told me to call my insurance company to see what test strips they will pay for that then that will determine which meter I get--LOL!

I sure do appreciate everyone here on this site---such valuable information!!!Thanks so much --:)
SIAZ (Carrie)

sleeplessinaz wrote:Hi--I think I tend to agree with ROOSTER THAT untreated sleep apnea might be the number one root cause of Type II diabetes? I did not realize that I had sleep apnea and I bet I went untreated for at least two years. I have only been on the metformin for three or 4 days and I already do notice a BIG drop in my cravings for pastries and carbs. Hoping I do lose weight on this stuff!!!

Thanks for the web site about the free meters---the pharmacist at CVS told me to call my insurance company to see what test strips they will pay for that then that will determine which meter I get--LOL!

I sure do appreciate everyone here on this site---such valuable information!!!Thanks so much --:)
SIAZ (Carrie)

Carrie,

I've read where it can take Metformin/Glucophage a good 4 to 6 weeks to start taking effect.......at least as far as controlling your glucose levels.
Good luck with your CPAP therapy and BG control.

Den

Well I have stopped taking the Metformin. I have been very ill the last couple of days --it was so bad in the morning!! I was very sick to my stomache, headache, very tired and shakey. Come to find out --I probably had LOW blood suger which is VERY bad!! I have a call into my ENDO--to see if she can cut the dosage down --I am not taking 1000 MGS twice a day --it is a killer! stay tuned for more details,
Carrie

I too have T2 Diabetes. I take 500mg Metformin once a day and 10mg Byetta shots twice a day. I have been on these about a year now. I have no problems, except that if I don't eat very soon after the Byetta, I get nauseous. Other than that everything is ok. My readings are normal, with a One Touch Ultra that I got free from their site , and the strips, that are about a buck a piece, insurance covers these (except Co-pay).