[Diabetes-talk] why I don't test myself

[Mike Freeman]

Julie:

One correction and one thought: the twenty-percent accuracy applies to *all*
meters, not just the talking ones. In fact, it applies to the meters your
doctor uses also. Short of paying big bucks and using a fairamount of blood,
claims of some manufacturers to the contrary notwithstanding, virtually all
meters, whether they talk or not, are only required to be within twenty
percent of lab standard.

Now then: although yourdiabetes may be controllable with diet and exercise
now, there's no guarantee that it will remain that way and, given the
seriousness of most complications, you can't afford to wait three months to
get the bad news. So, like it or not, you're playing with fire if you don't
test often, whether you choose to have someone do it for you or you do
yourself. You can't afford to be blasé or fatalistic about this.

Mike Freeman


-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Julie Kline
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2013 11:41 AM
To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Diabetes-talk] why I don't test myself

Hello all,

I don't mean to sound like I am gloating here, but I'd like to share my
thoughts of the messages I have seen over the past few days.  Reading over
these messages, this is exactly the reason why I don't do testing for my own
blood glucose anymore.  I have had nothing but trouble with both talking
meters and I'm sorry I spent the money on either one.  Even having people
from the diabetes centers we have here watching me, I haven't been able to
get enough blood to get enough of a sample, while the meters at the diabetes
center work just fine.  I feel that with a 20 point plus or minus accuracy
that seems to come with the talking meters, I'm not willing to continually
sit there and poke my fingers for the 20 minutes it takes to finally get
enough blood.  And yes, I have done the hot water thing, massaged the
finger, held it to the lancet on maximum setting, stayed hydrated, the
rubber band thing . but testing with a talking meter just hasn't worked out
for me, so I don't bother with it, and these messages just confirm to me
why.  I still do whatever lab work or tests my doctor or diabetes center ask
me to do, and I stay on top of these tests every 3 months.  However, I found
that I've lost enough weight now and that weight loss that came from eating
better, combined with exercising an hour 5 days a week walking 4 miles a
session, and my medications, have given me 2 a1c readings of between 6 and
6.2.  When I first learned I had diabetes, I was 83 pounds heavier and had
an a1c reading of 8.6.  I know that the approach I take won't work for
everybody, especially for people who have to take insulin.  But for myself,
I have type 2 diabetes and am not at that point yet.  At least for myself,
it has been possible to turn things around and I'd be willing to recommend
exercise DVDs that I use and found helpful if anyone is interested.  I
recognize, or at least people tell me, that diabetes is a progressive
illness.  I hope that when it does come my time where things get worse, that
they will have perfected these meters more and maybe they can work better
with people who can't generate enough blood, but for now I have much better
use of my fingers for other things, like reading Braille.

Just my thoughts on the whole thing.

Julie

 

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