[Diabetes-Talk] Which Meter??

[Patricia Maddix]

Dave,
If your doctor can convince your insurance to cover either the Dexcom or freestyle 14 day that would be terrific as you would be able to check several times after eating differing amounts of carbohydrates and different types of foods to see how they affect your blood sugar over the 2 to 4 hour timeframe after eating. Both of these devices will read out on your phone. Freestyle is much less expensive than Dexcom and as my husband with his early onset type two diabetes does not qualify to have this covered by Medicare he is able to get them with our Costco membership for $60-$66 per month which is two sensors as they last 14 days each. As far as the blood glucose meters go the Prodigy VoVoice model does of course speak out the results and is fully accessible for totally blind users. It does not communicate with a smart phone.  Although some of us have commented in the past that the results on this meter can be somewhat variable, for someone with type two diabetes and not struggling with really high hemoglobin A1c‘s it probably gets the job done. After meal testing as I mentioned is the key to figuring out how much your blood sugar rises as a result of different foods and different amounts. You would want to test before the meal and then after the meal one to three hours later to see the effect of the food. Food will tend to peak the blood sugar at 1 to 2 hours unless it is extremely high in fat in which case it might be later.
I mentioned on this list a few months ago that I had gotten the Contour one meter which does have an iPhone app and probably an android app. When you link the meter to the app, open the app and then perform your test the app will say new reading received and then read the results. The only problem is that the app is a bit lengthy to set up and not totally accessible so cited assistance would be necessary. Once it is set up it reads aloud the results very well.  The other talking meter that I cannot remember the name of I believe is used by some other people on this list and no doubt they will post the name of it.
Patricia

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 20, 2021, at 9:25 PM, David Andrews via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Free Style Libre was not one of the ones my insurance company listed -- but my Doctor thought that if she wrote a letter, using accessibility, she could get me what I need.
> 
> Dave
> 
> At 06:55 PM 5/20/2021, you wrote:
>> That all depends on insurance. My insurance would need more proof. So the
>> next thing is to ask your insurance company what you would have to do to
>> qualify for free-style libre.
>> 
>> Jeanette
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>> Rick Mladek via Diabetes-Talk
>> Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 7:35 PM
>> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
>> Cc: Rick Mladek
>> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Which Meter??
>> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> To have a very close eye on your levels throughout the day/night, see if
>> your Doctor will prescribe you a CGM, as Dexcom. Anytime you go to your
>> smart phone as your I-phone, you will know your glucose level without the
>> many finger sticks you will have to endure. You can easily get one, tell the
>> doctor you have to test 6-times per day or more.
>> 
>> Best,
>> 
>> Rick
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of David
>> Andrews via Diabetes-Talk
>> Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 7:12 PM
>> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: David Andrews <dandrews920 at comcast.net>
>> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Which Meter??
>> 
>> Hi:
>> 
>> Most of you will recognize my name.  I am the List Owner. I handle all
>> technical stuff, deal with troublemakers, keep people on topic etc.
>> Consequently I have been on the list since day one, and read most messages.
>> Like most people, I don't pay as much attention as I should.
>> 
>> Also, as some of you know, I  am a type 2 diabetic.  I controlled my A1C
>> pretty well until the Pandemic. My Doctor wants me to take my blood sugar at
>> least once a day so we can get a better handle on what foods are causing me
>> problems.
>> 
>> What meter or meters are accessible. The Prodigy XXX or something else?  Is
>> there anything that will communicate with my iPhone?
>> 
>> Thanks!
>> 
>> David Andrews
> 
> 
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