|
Once you get over the initial shock of bring diagnosed with
diabetes, you have to start dealing with the every day realities of
having the disease. One of those realities is that you now have to
start monitoring your blood sugar levels. How often you test depends
on which type of diabetes you have. Diabetics with Type 1 should
test at least 3 times a day and women with gestational diabetes on
insulin should test twice a day. There is no recommended number of
testing times for patients with Type 2 diabetes; however, testing
does keep blood levels maintained.
This self-testing requires a set of diabetes supplies. A monitoring
device, test strips and lancets are necessary for almost every
patient. Then there are the insulin supplies: syringes, pens or
pumps. Alcohol prep pads are convenient, too and necessary. There
are many different monitoring devices to choose from; they range
from simple to quite high-tech. Pharmaceutical equipment companies
are working on coming up with a pain-free monitor. Some of the newer
models are relatively pain-free and they allow the user to take
blood from places other than the fingertips. There are models that
have very large screens or even ones that talk for the vision
impaired.
Most of the models in use today use test strips, chemical-coated
paper that fits in the monitor. Most people use lancets to prick
their fingertips to draw blood, although some of the newer models
don’t require that. The newer, computerized monitors also have a
memory function, which is a great feature for day-to-day comparisons
and for checking past tests.
Daily testing can be expensive, especially for those who need to
test from 5-10 times a day. Some insurance companies cover diabetes
supplies and there are some diabetes supply companies who will
provide these items free of charge, as long as you have a
prescription and some type of insurance, which means they will cover
the deductible and the shipping charges. This can really be a
necessary break for some. Medicare will cover some diabetics even if
they have not reached 65, check their website to see if you qualify.
|