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

Tue Sep 3 15:45:54 UTC 2013

A close friend was diagnosed as *prediabetic*, and she refuses to follow
anything the doctor has recommended including taking a medication. Her
A1-C was 6.0, which is great for diabetics but not so much for
non-diabetics, but she won't believe me. Go figure.

My brother-in-law was recently diagnosed with type 2, and after
incorporating some exercise and better diet into his routine, his A1-C
has significantly dropped, but he's now thinking he can not test, or
test very infrequently, as a result of the lower A1-C.

One of the reasons an A1-C gets better is because of frequent,
consistent testing. It allows us and our doctors to track and catch
trends in sugars and make necessary changes based on those trends. The
goal is to achieve a certain A1-C, but the testing is a part of
continueing to have lower A1-C's, and without this tracking, it can be
difficult to know why sugars, and when, they are causing problems. The
A1-C gives an over-all idea of what sugars run in a three month time
period, but it can't tell a doctor what trends are and where changes may
need to happen. Daily testing, among diet and exercise, are what
determine this.

And I should mention that we are all commenting on this topic not
because we think we have the answers, or all of them, or are trying to
tell people how to live, but we are just concerned when we hear things
like someone not testing and want to help.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Bernadette Jacobs
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 10:25 AM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] why I don't test myself

Hey Gang:

Bern here!!  Everyone here has a valid point and even as for Julie:  I
can see where you're going.  However, listen to everyone else here
because you've got advice here from absolutely the BEST!  And I do mean
the VERY BEST!!!  When I first read over your message Julie, I don't
mind telling you, it sent chills up and down my spine for the very
reasons Bridgit, Mike, and Veronica all raise here.  My other huge, huge
gripe here is now people are coming up with this "pre" diabetes garbage.
And, of course, my mother-in-law was just diagnosed with... of course...
"pre" diabetes.  Has anyone heard of being "half" or "Pre"-pregnant???
Sure would like to find out who the first quack was that ever came up
with this hogwash!  I'd like to hang 'em!  I'm with Mike here because,
even at that point, diabetics need to be taught and practice frequent
testing.  We diabetics all know we can't be too cautious.

I'd be lying to all of you if I didn't admit that I've had my own
testing woes.  But that's why I do test very, very often; maybe even
moreso than I need to because I don't want to get out of practice. I
too, feel that testing is vital!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Bern
On 9/2/13, Julie Kline <julie.kline at rochester.rr.com> wrote:
> 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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