Guest guest Posted March 15, 1999 Report Share Posted March 15, 1999 Hi Kassie....... Glad I didn't have to endure that awful Glucose Tolerance Test.....<ack!!> I had all the classic symptoms, thirst and loosing weight...... I bet pills will work for you. I use a " Glucometer Elite " meter....it is a bit bigger than a credit card and the strips stick out of the end of it...no wiping or cleaning!!! I know others here on the list use One Touch.....there is even a meter on the market that you can feed the results into your PC!!! It is made by Bayer (the aspirin folks) and is called " Dex " ....check into it. I have just seen the ads in the ADA's Diabetes Forcast magazine. Make sure you get your doctor to write a prescription for EVERYTHING so that it is covered by insurance!!! Meters cost about 60 bucks or so...some more...some less. I got my 2 Glucometer Elites for free when Bayer was running a " buy a box of strips and get the meter for free deal " . I am grateful for that!!! An A1c blood test is simply a blood test that your doctor gets to tell what blood levels you have had for the last 3 months or so....your red blood cells are a " blue print " of your glucose readings and they stay " alive " for 90 or so days and are a tell all for the Dr. to see where you are. My first reading at diagnoses was 11....argh!!! I have been at 6.8 for the last 2 times....(6 months). I have heard that normal is 6 to 7 on your A1c reading.....don't be alarmed if your reading is high.....that just tells the Doctor that you are diabetic and your glucose has been high for some time is all. After you start on pills and such your reading will go down. I have heard to get the reading (or the average blood level for the last 3 months you multiply your A1c number by 18....ie: if A1c was 10 then your average glucose would have been 180 over the last 90 or so days)....I hope I am not blowing something out of proportion.....but I did hear that 18 is the magic number to find your average number. If I am wrong please correct me!! LOL I hope that helps........Kassie......you will be alright.....we are hear to help you!!! We all felt just the way you are when we were first diagnosed!!! Cheers!!! Keely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 16, 1999 Report Share Posted March 16, 1999 > > >Ms Rosie, I use the accu-Check Advantage ... I don't know if it is the same >as the AccuSoft Advantage or not, but if it IS... they just came out with >new strips that require a MUCH smaller drop of blood >The new strip has a little window and you touch the side of the strip beside >the window and it pulls the blood into the strip, so you need a much much >smaller amount. I just love it ... it is also supposed to be much more >accurate - comparable with the lab! > Meenie I use the Advantage strips with it. It's the same company just a slightly different name for my meter. But I've found that for me, the best way to get the blood on the strip is from up above. However, I have nothing to compare it to, as this is my first meter. Rosie Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 16, 1999 Report Share Posted March 16, 1999 Ms Rosie, I use the accu-Check Advantage ... I don't know if it is the same as the AccuSoft Advantage or not, but if it IS... they just came out with new strips that require a MUCH smaller drop of blood The new strip has a little window and you touch the side of the strip beside the window and it pulls the blood into the strip, so you need a much much smaller amount. I just love it ... it is also supposed to be much more accurate - comparable with the lab! Meenie Re: Kassie's test results > > > > > > >> >> >> >>Kassie, >>I use the Precision q.i.d. Monitor, as it was the one my HMO would >cover. I >>like it a lot, since it's almost idiot-proof. It's also very small, >and I >>can put the whole kit in my purse without taking up too much room. >I've >>also checked some reviews of monitors on line, and it's rated very >highly as >>one that is simple to use. In fact, they recommend it for children who >have >>to test their own blood. I guess if kids can master it, I could too! > > >It sounds like there are some very good monitors on the market. I use >AccuSoft Advantage and am really happy with it. The SoftClix lancing >device is almost painless, which is what I asked for, since I am very >needle-phobic. I'm even getting to be an old pro at it - I don't >hesitate to prick myself and will do it multiple times if I need to to >get a good drop of blood! > >> >>Like Keely, I had an A1c rather than the Glucose Tolerance Test. My >doc >>relies on that even more than a fasting blood sugar to give him an >indicator >>of how my sugars are running. I've only had one so far, at diagnosis >in >>January, but will have another in April. They tell me that it averages >the >>readings for three months. > > >I think the A1c is a must. The first doctor I saw didn't test for it in >my fasting bg but the second doctor did - it was 14, yikes! > > > >> >>Welcome (officially) to the wonderful world of AODM. It's the club no >one >>wants to join!! > > > >Ain't that the truth! I'm still trying to deal with this emotionally. > > > > >Rosie >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >We are proud as punch of our new web site! >http://www.onelist.com >Onelist: The leading provider of free email community services Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.