[Diabetes] General Chat and Support Thread

Redmal

RobbingBandit wrote: »

I have been going through some issues for the last year now and some time ago made the stupid decision to stop taking my meds. I am on diamicron, victoza, januvia and Coversyl Arginine 5mg.

I was with my GP on Tuesday who convinced me to start taking all again as when she tested my bloods it was 22.8 mmol/L and rose to 28.2 mmol/L. I have it back down to 12.5 today but am now concerned what type of damage I have done to myself.

I go in and out of issues regarding my diabetes as well sometimes and find that I can feel really low when my blood sugar is high long term. This in turn can make me feel like hating the diabetic world and this whole cycle starts where I find it hard to get back into control again.

I'm sure you don't want or need a lecture about the long term implications of not taking your medication, you're probably all too aware of them. Just that you will genuinely feel better about yourself when things get back under control and any damage you may or may not have done to yourself can easily be checked out via your GP and diabetic clinic. Hopefully you have caught yourself in time and you will be ok. Congrats on making the decision to go back on your meds. Some people live for a very long time without realising they are diabetic so there may be hope for you!

Take the bull by the horns and get checked. No other way about it really!:)

CramCycle

RobbingBandit wrote: »

I have been going through some issues for the last year now and some time ago made the stupid decision to stop taking my meds. I am on diamicron, victoza, januvia and Coversyl Arginine 5mg.

Dropped the ball myself over the last 3 months due to other medical issues. Went in for a Gp check up due to loss of blood supply in two fingers randomly while out for a walk on a few occasions.

Huge diabetes issue, losing proper autonomic response to temperature changes, potential vascular damage. Got pushed off the list for the pump as I clearly was not committed

So long as I get myself back in order soon I should be fine but its amazing the damage done over a short period (although it was probably longer if I am honest). One week into my new kick start and its all going so well but I am so tired all the time, with the sudden amount of effort to keep myself in line.

For all my preaching on here, its amazing what a sh1t diabetic I am in real life. I am going to start posting up my sugars in my training logs so people can abuse me as an incentive.

tbh

CramCycle wrote: »

For all my preaching on here, its amazing what a sh1t diabetic I am in real life. I am going to start posting up my sugars in my training logs so people can abuse me as an incentive.

I think it's a good idea to have a sub-forum on boards for this. leave it with me. Dude - you're only human. If you're still alive, you're not a sh1t diabetic. We all go through it - don't be too hard on yourself.

CramCycle

tbh wrote: »

I think it's a good idea to have a sub-forum on boards for this. leave it with me.

I was going to put it in with my training log on the cycling forum (which I haven't filled in in about 2 or 3 months at this point).

cynder

My self and my daughter did the flora mini marathon, we raised 311 for the diabetic federation of ireland and completed the course in under 90 mins. We jogged the last 1k, it was great fun. She had no hypos but did take a couple of gulps of lucozade. Next year we plan on wearing a blue number rather than a yellow one .

robinph

grindelwald wrote: »

My self and my daughter did the flora mini marathon, we raised 311 for the diabetic federation of ireland and completed the course in under 90 mins. We jogged the last 1k, it was great fun. She had no hypos but did take a couple of gulps of lucozade. Next year we plan on wearing a blue number rather than a yellow one .

Well done. Great that she enjoyed it and wants to do more.



I was running the last two legs of the Cork Marathon relay yesterday and we finished in 8th place team. Couple of shots of me taken by another boardsie at the finish line here.

cynder

robinph wrote: »

Well done. Great that she enjoyed it and wants to do more.



I was running the last two legs of the Cork Marathon relay yesterday and we finished in 8th place team. Couple of shots of me taken by another boardsie at the finish line here.

Looks like the sun came out for the cork marathon too...

Great photos !

cynder

grindelwald wrote: »

My self and my daughter did the flora mini marathon, we raised 311 for the diabetic federation of ireland and completed the course in under 90 mins. We jogged the last 1k, it was great fun. She had no hypos but did take a couple of gulps of lucozade. Next year we plan on wearing a blue number rather than a yellow one .

Here is our photo before the mini marathon,

resident1

I'm seriously concerned about the lack of correct information and bad views some fellow diabetics have on this thread. Is there really a debate about who has it worse, T1 or T2?! Diabetes is bad full stop. It may be harder for many T2's as they have spent a lifetime eating the wrong stuff, becoming over weight and suddenly being told they have to completely change their diet. (to save their lives by the way) T1 are mostly but not all, diagnosed from a very early age and have had to live with the low sugars/high sugars,hospital visits and watching their diet for a lot longer that most T2's. Not to mention the constant checking of blood sugars and injections. However, we should be supporting each other as we all deal with this health issue in different ways, and a thread like this should be a way to see if anyone else is feeling the same way. I would suggest that people LISTEN and TAKE notes from their doctors/nurses and inform them selves with correct info first. Diabetes is our bodies enemy, find out how your enemy ticks!

CramCycle

resident1 wrote: »

I'm seriously concerned about the lack of correct information and bad views some fellow diabetics have on this thread.

Don't take this the wrong way but I think you should re read the thread.

Is there really a debate about who has it worse, T1 or T2?!

Nope

resident1

If you look back on past pages of this thread there is negative views. I'll go back myself and quote them. But you have to agree that there is a serious lack of understanding about the condition.

BlackEdelweiss

resident1 wrote: »

If you look back on past pages of this thread there is negative views. I'll go back myself and quote them. But you have to agree that there is a serious lack of understanding about the condition.

I think what you are reading as negative views was the conversation recently about whether to split the thread into type 1 and type 2 threads. People expressed their views which may have differed from those of other members but there was very little negative feeling. If you go back past that discussion on this thread you will be hard pushed to find a single negative word said on this thread.

resident1

It was still negative to write on the forum of spliting the two types.I have both types in my family and I want to see how people cope with both. You have to agree that there is huge ignorance out there from people with and without diabetes. ...

LegacyUser

I feel that type 1 and 2 have the same presentation but are different illnesses. What is right for me s type 1 is not right for a type 2. I would like to know someone's type as treatment etc is different.

BlackEdelweiss

Dont judge the whole thread based on one conversation. If you come on here often enough and ask a few questions regarding your or your families diabetes I guarantee you will find nothing but positive contributions from the members who post here regularly.
Anyway who cares about ignorance from people without diabetes, it has never bothered me what anybody knows about it. Why should they know anything about it, they dont have it. If they or any of their friends or family ever do get it they can come on here and find out all the facts about day to day living with this condition. There may be no ground breaking scientific discussions on here but the people who do post know all too well what it is like to live with diabetes every day of their life, and they are usually all too happy to share their experiences with anyone who wants to read about it.
I think you should go back 50 pages and start reading from there, you will get to know who the regular posters are, the occasional posters, the really helpful posters, the posters who show the humorous side of living with a disease and the parents and family members of diabetics.
More than anything I think this thread is a place for diabetics to vent their frustrations when their bloods are going haywire no matter what they do or do not do or for them to spread a bit of positivity when things are going well or they have achieved some goal or other.

The_Conductor

resident1 wrote: »

It was still negative to write on the forum of spliting the two types.I have both types in my family and I want to see how people cope with both. You have to agree that there is huge ignorance out there from people with and without diabetes. ...

Why is it negative for people to look at diabetes T1 and T2 as being different diseases? The symptoms may be similar in a lot of cases, but the manner in which they are dealt with the medical community- and indeed viewed by many sufferers couldn't be more different.

I'm not going to rehash old arguments here- sufficient to say there are discrete problems associated uniquely with T1s not experienced by T2s and vice versa.

For example-

Current study ongoing for T2 males in UCD on the sensitive topic of erectile dysfunction.
Current study ongoing for T1 females (jointly between UCD and a German university) on the topic of anorexia in T1 females.
Reorganisation of diabetic clinics in Irish maternity hospitals to cater for T1s separately from T2 and gestational diabetes.

etc. etc. etc.

The physical manifestation of diabetes as a disease- may be similar in nature- however the manner in which it affects different subsets of patients, is distinct in nature, and from a medical perspective is considered to be statistically significant, and is increasingly treated as such.

Its not negative to look at the different types of diabetes separately, while remaining under the diabetes umbrella- however you have to accept that they do affect people differently and are increasingly looked at separately.

From a public perspective- T2 diabetes is constantly in the media- a simple search in Google and you'll even find Dail debates and Oireachtas subcommittee minutes dedicated to T2 diabetes and its increasingly affect on Irish society (and projected future affects on the delivery of related services in the Irish Healthcare system). The media- and the public in general, have become very familiar with T2 diabetes- however the distinction is never made- and to most people they don't even realise that there is a type of diabetes other than T2 diabetes. T1 and some hybrid T1.5s etc simply don't feature. Its the same way the media have sold breast cancer to women as the largest cancer killer of women- and something that should get increased resources (statistically- lung cancer afflicts and kills far larger numbers of women- but its not reported as such and gets lost in the static).

Its all smoke and mirrors. I don't understand why its considered negative to look at T1 and T2 diabetes separately- or for T1s or T2s to discuss their experiences with one another- when its now acknowledged that there are both physical elements, along with emotional elements, broadly associated with T1s and not T2s and vice versa........??

calfmuscle

resident1 wrote: »

It was still negative to write on the forum of spliting the two types.I have both types in my family and I want to see how people cope with both. You have to agree that there is huge ignorance out there from people with and without diabetes. ...

Type one and type 2 are two separate conditions with two different etiology's, risk factors, prognosis and treatments regimes. There are some over laps in symptoms and complications. Suggesting the thread be separated to aid people s understanding of these differences is not negative. It stems from mass media misinformation and lack of representation within society. Every type one here will have stories of how people (hopefully with good intentions) have made comments about diabetes that confused with type two diabetes.
From my own experience - "your too skinny to have diabetes", "you cant eat that, my mum has diabetes so I know".

To disregard the opinions and feelings of people who actually live (and work) with these conditions as "negative" really is ignorant. A discussion was had and the group decided to leave the thread as it is. Perhaps you should do the same.

Out of curiosity do you have diabetes?

CathyMoran

calfmuscle wrote: »

Type one and type 2 are two separate conditions with two different etiology's, risk factors, prognosis and treatments regimes. There are some over laps in symptoms and complications. Suggesting the thread be separated to aid people s understanding of these differences is not negative. It stems from mass media misinformation and lack of representation within society. Every type one here will have stories of how people (hopefully with good intentions) have made comments about diabetes that confused with type two diabetes.
From my own experience - "your too skinny to have diabetes", "you cant eat that, my mum has diabetes so I know".

To disregard the opinions and feelings of people who actually live (and work) with these conditions as "negative" really is ignorant. A discussion was had and the group decided to leave the thread as it is. Perhaps you should do the same.

Out of curiosity do you have diabetes?

I have had people saying that I was too skinny to have it and that my weight could baloon by 14 lb so they were reluctant to do my wedding dress. I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 10 and getting it as a child also had additional preasures. I did have issues with being underweight.

People have also said to me that I could not eat something - the ignorance of the differences in diet among the public are scary!

calfmuscle

CathyMoran wrote: »

I have had people saying that I was too skinny to have it and that my weight could baloon by 14 lb so they were reluctant to do my wedding dress. I was diagnosed with type 1 when I was 10 and getting it as a child also had additional preasures. I did have issues with being underweight.

People have also said to me that I could not eat something - the ignorance of the differences in diet among the public are scary!

Oh I heard that one before! It was in relation to my type 1 friend though. She was being fitted for a bridesmaid dress and the girls where worried that her weight could change "over night"!:pac:

CathyMoran

Also I had well meaning people saying that if I exercised enough I could get rid of it - I was 10 and my parents took me on 6 mile walks every day to "get rid of it" because of all of these well meaning people. I had the honeymoon period for a year which is not the same.

When I was diagnosed they used animal insulin which was allergic to and had to take large amounts of antihistamines. I also had to get insulin from a vial and use a syringe.

This was in the 80's!

Well meaning people have a lot to answer for and people should be educated that they are not the same.

calfmuscle

CathyMoran wrote: »

Also I had well meaning people saying that if I exercised enough I could get rid of it - I was 10 and my parents took me on 6 mile walks every day to "get rid of it" because of all of these well meaning people. I had the honeymoon period for a year which is not the same.

When I was diagnosed they used animal insulin which was allergic to and had to take large amounts of antihistamines. I also had to get insulin from a vial and use a syringe.

This was in the 80's!

Well meaning people have a lot to answer for and people should be educated that they are not the same.

I was lucky I missed the animal insulin, but I did have to use a syringe and vile for a while.
I remember having a hypo in school one day and having a bar of chocolate (I know its not the best thing but I love my chocolate!) pulled out of my hand and having a class mate ranting about how the sugar would kill me. I have never been so close to hurting someone!

CathyMoran

calfmuscle wrote: »

I was lucky I missed the animal insulin, but I did have to use a syringe and vile for a while.
I remember having a hypo in school one day and having a bar of chocolate (I know its not the best thing but I love my chocolate!) pulled out of my hand and having a class mate ranting about how the sugar would kill me. I have never been so close to hurting someone!

Children can be cruel but they are not helped by their parents not being educated either. That is one of the reasons why I feel that type 1 and 2 should be distinguished in the public's mind.

BlackEdelweiss

What exactly is the honeymoon period? I have heard it mentioned in passing before but never understood it in relation to my own condition.

Redmal

The honeymoon period is a period of time, usually after a fairly new diagnosis of diabetes, where the pancreas can start to produce insulin again for a while. It gets a bit of respite from the injection of insulin manually and this break can sometimes give it a mini kick start. It doesn't mean a cure though unfortunately. I never had one. I'm not sure about the type 2 honeymoon period, but with type ones I was wondering did you continue to take insulin even though you were going through this period? I thought that the honeymoon period would be a dream come true but it seems like harder work to avoid any hypos!!

CathyMoran

Redmal wrote: »

The honeymoon period is a period of time, usually after a fairly new diagnosis of diabetes, where the pancreas can start to produce insulin again for a while. It gets a bit of respite from the injection of insulin manually and this break can sometimes give it a mini kick start. It doesn't mean a cure though unfortunately. I never had one. I'm not sure about the type 2 honeymoon period, but with type ones I was wondering did you continue to take insulin even though you were going through this period? I thought that the honeymoon period would be a dream come true but it seems like harder work to avoid any hypos!!

I had it for about a year, I ended up being off insulin all of that time.

CathyMoran

Saw this on type 2 : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18367906

cynder

Yipéeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


My lady's hba1 c was 11 in January it was 10.4 in march and today in olch crumlin it's 8.6. Delighted.


Yipppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeéeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

CramCycle

calfmuscle wrote: »

I remember having a hypo in school one day and having a bar of chocolate (I know its not the best thing but I love my chocolate!) pulled out of my hand and having a class mate ranting about how the sugar would kill me. I have never been so close to hurting someone!

I vaguely remember having a hypo where the Chaplin in the school tried to help me into a room to sit down and get some food, I mistook this as him trying to get me to do a Junior Cert German exam and I swung for him, hilariously I missed and fell on a pillar in the corridor, which I then latched onto and refused to let go off, i was a big guy for my age and they were unable to remove me for quite some time. Minutes before this I had called him an idiot as he asked what I had eaten that morning and I informed "Breakfast, what else". When I had started to come round after the principal came down and I drank some Lucozade, I was driven into the local hospital to be on the safe side. On the way in I was asked was I any better, too which I (jokingly) replied that if I wasn't I would have pulled the handbrake and bolted by now, the cars spped dropped to sub 30km/hr for the rest of the trip oddly enough.

People tended not to argue with me when I ate food in the classroom after that.

CathyMoran

CramCycle wrote: »

I vaguely remember having a hypo where the Chaplin in the school tried to help me into a room to sit down and get some food, I mistook this as him trying to get me to do a Junior Cert German exam and I swung for him, hilariously I missed and fell on a pillar in the corridor, which I then latched onto and refused to let go off, i was a big guy for my age and they were unable to remove me for quite some time. Minutes before this I had called him an idiot as he asked what I had eaten that morning and I informed "Breakfast, what else". When I had started to come round after the principal came down and I drank some Lucozade, I was driven into the local hospital to be on the safe side. On the way in I was asked was I any better, too which I (jokingly) replied that if I wasn't I would have pulled the handbrake and bolted by now, the cars spped dropped to sub 30km/hr for the rest of the trip oddly enough.

People tended not to argue with me when I ate food in the classroom after that.

I love this description of a hypo.

BlackEdelweiss

Today I start to become a good diabetic. I have already been for a 45 minute walk/run, had a healthy lunch and recorded my blood in my book, all things I have not done for months. No more excuses about work pressures, exams or family gatherings, I have left work, exams are over and all family meetings are over for another year. Time to cut back on the wine and the large bags of crisps that usually accompany the wine and especially the fags that were creeping back into my life.
I hope now to get back into exercising regularly and cutting back on my portion sizes, my diet was never terrible but lately it has not been great due to some of the points mentioned above. My blood has been erratic to say the least over the past few months, ranging anywhere from 2 to 25 in a single day. Such erratic blood has had me feeling heavy and tired and has started to get me down, there are only so many 18's and 19's you can wake up to in the morning before it starts to get to you.
Anyway, it is time for a bit more positive thinking backed up by a few positive actions.

Meauldsegosha

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

Today I start to become a good diabetic. I have already been for a 45 minute walk/run, had a healthy lunch and recorded my blood in my book, all things I have not done for months. No more excuses about work pressures, exams or family gatherings, I have left work, exams are over and all family meetings are over for another year. Time to cut back on the wine and the large bags of crisps that usually accompany the wine and especially the fags that were creeping back into my life.
I hope now to get back into exercising regularly and cutting back on my portion sizes, my diet was never terrible but lately it has not been great due to some of the points mentioned above. My blood has been erratic to say the least over the past few months, ranging anywhere from 2 to 25 in a single day. Such erratic blood has had me feeling heavy and tired and has started to get me down, there are only so many 18's and 19's you can wake up to in the morning before it starts to get to you.
Anyway, it is time for a bit more positive thinking backed up by a few positive actions.

Good luck with it. It's all about getting into the habit it then becomes part of your life. Have a treat now and again makes it easier.

certifiedcrepe

A home-ec teacher in my school mentioned how people "reverse" their diabetes, yet failed to mention that Type 1 is obviously permanent for lack of a better word. This led to many pupils interrogating me as to why I'm so stupid that I'd rather suffer with my diabetes than "cure it". I have a constant hba1c of 7%, I am clearly not suffering. My life is just as fulfilling as theirs, if not maybe even more enjoyable as I have a greater knowledge of how my body works and how to take care of my diabetes so I don't ever get sugar slumps. This honestly made me so mad. If I had to go on about all the people who felt a need to comment on my diabetes and other things I would turn this into a book. At least I have a great support team behind me. Severely dislike how people can be so ignorant!!

PickledLime

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

Today I start to become a good diabetic. I have already been for a 45 minute walk/run, had a healthy lunch and recorded my blood in my book, all things I have not done for months. No more excuses about work pressures, exams or family gatherings, I have left work, exams are over and all family meetings are over for another year. Time to cut back on the wine and the large bags of crisps that usually accompany the wine and especially the fags that were creeping back into my life.
I hope now to get back into exercising regularly and cutting back on my portion sizes, my diet was never terrible but lately it has not been great due to some of the points mentioned above. My blood has been erratic to say the least over the past few months, ranging anywhere from 2 to 25 in a single day. Such erratic blood has had me feeling heavy and tired and has started to get me down, there are only so many 18's and 19's you can wake up to in the morning before it starts to get to you.
Anyway, it is time for a bit more positive thinking backed up by a few positive actions.

Good on ya and cheers for reminding me that people can fall off the diabetic wagon.

I've been a type 2 for a year and a half (was 28 when i woke up in A&E not sure what the hell just happened). A large contributing factor was my weight of course - my father died from cancer a year before that, and rather than turn to drink or drugs, i turned to eye watering amounts of junk food. I started 2011 as the best diabetic i could; decent, regular exercise, strict diet (that i made enjoyable) and a tightly controlled medication and testing regime. A few months later, the result of all that was a pretty drastic but healthy weight loss, stable and desirable sugar levels, not to mention looking and feeling the best i had in years.

Then my mother died suddenly last summer. It didn't hit me for a few months, but when it did, i fell into a depression and everything went out the window. I'm at the point where i haven't seen my glucose meter for about 5 months, haven't taken a tablet in the same amount of time, i'm living on junk food again, and my most regular exercise is walking to the chip shop. The only good habit i've retained is i don't eat sugary food. In the short term i'm absolutely sick of feeling like **** every single day, i'm sick of having no energy and i'm really, really tired of waking up on the couch or floor after a hypo (i live by myself). In regards to long term woes, i've spent the last week reading about and reminding myself of the potential problems (which is an understatement really!) from poorly managed diabetes.

The grieving for both my parents is at the point where it's no longer all consuming, so i think it's high time i got back into the swing of things before i do (any more) permanent damage.

kowloon

So I'll be starting a this DAFNE course soon, can anyone here enlighten me as to what I should expect? Anything I should be doing?

CathyMoran

certifiedcrepe wrote: »

A home-ec teacher in my school mentioned how people "reverse" their diabetes, yet failed to mention that Type 1 is obviously permanent for lack of a better word. This led to many pupils interrogating me as to why I'm so stupid that I'd rather suffer with my diabetes than "cure it". I have a constant hba1c of 7%, I am clearly not suffering. My life is just as fulfilling as theirs, if not maybe even more enjoyable as I have a greater knowledge of how my body works and how to take care of my diabetes so I don't ever get sugar slumps. This honestly made me so mad. If I had to go on about all the people who felt a need to comment on my diabetes and other things I would turn this into a book. At least I have a great support team behind me. Severely dislike how people can be so ignorant!!

The teacher should be made read up on the two separate conditions. It should be said that not all type 2's can "reverse" their condition so the teacher was totally in the wrong.

In terms of type 1 it is not always straight forward - my last HBA1c was 5.4 but I have constant hypos - it is not helped by my time of the month but also I have dumping syndrome due to surgery for another condition.

CramCycle

PickledLime wrote: »

so i think it's high time i got back into the swing of things before i do (any more) permanent damage.

Glad to hear you've got the want to get back on track, alot of people forget that as Diabetics once control goes (regardless of type), it can be quite a slippy slope and it is not an easy place to get back too.

I can't imagine what you went through thankfully but getting back on track is the best way forward for you. Obviously it won't be easy (and anyone who says it will obviously is talking out there ass) but it is doable. At least you have alot of people here who have possibly/probably been in similar circumstances medical wise at one time or another.

BlackEdelweiss

PickledLime wrote: »

Good on ya and cheers for reminding me that people can fall off the diabetic wagon.


so i think it's high time i got back into the swing of things before i do (any more) permanent damage.

I am no expert but at least you have had the realisation that things have to change. Start small like checking your blood and recording it in your book for the 1st week. Things might get better from there.
I get up in the morning now and put on my tracksuit so it is easier for me just to go out for a walk, no excuses or lazyness. It is a hard habit to break but from what I remember once you get into it it is not that hard to keep.

Good luck with it.

PickledLime

Cheers for the replies, much appreciated. That's the thing about getting back on track - i've done it before (and only a short time ago too), so i know it's within my grasp. Gonna make an appointment with my doctor for next week sometime, will 'fess up to what i have (and haven't) been doing. Thankfully he'll have some kind of perspective on things as i initially approached him about my grief, and he's got a good idea of what kind of emotional state i've been in.

Time to fix a decent lunch and start repairing the bicycle

Eurovisionmad

What blood glucose does everyone use? What do they think of them.

I have the Accu Chek Aviva Nano, I like it but the battery goes a bit too fast for my liking, and CR302 batteries aren't exactly common. My only other complaint is that the whole idea of having a small meter is sort of negated in this case by having a container to hold the strips which adds considerably to the bulk.

The_Conductor

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

What blood glucose does everyone use? What do they think of them.

I have the Accu Chek Aviva Nano, I like it but the battery goes a bit too fast for my liking, and CR302 batteries aren't exactly common. My only other complaint is that the whole idea of having a small meter is sort of negated in this case by having a container to hold the strips which adds considerably to the bulk.

I don't know how big it is- but the one touch ultra is reasonably compact and takes 2 * AAA batteries- and they last for about 2 months, even with heavy usage......

ElBarco

I'm using the Bayer Contour USB. I find it nice and compact. It has a colour screen and plugs directly into your pc/mac to generate reports.

Just finished putting together my reports before I venture off to the clinic tomorrow and it only took a couple of minutes.

robinph

I'm mostly using the One Touch Ultra Easy at the moment but have the Optium xceed as well. Stopped using the Optium one for a bit mostly because the finger pricker thing that I had in it's pouch got a bit broken and I was too lazy to swap them round.

Don't think I've ever had to change a battery on a meter, I'd always end up getting given a new one long before they run out. I've found the battery life to be measured in years not weeks or months.

Eurovisionmad

I forgot to mention that I also have the Freestyle Optium but only have it incase I need to test for ketones, while obviously it can test for blood sugar I don't like it because the finger pricker is next to useless and I don't have a prescription for those lancets or glucose test strips.

BlackEdelweiss

I was just about to start a thread about this, I got bored of my meter recently and tried a few different ones.

I was using the Optimum Exceed since my diagnoses and dident know there was much difference in the choices available. I dident even know there was a choice until a few months ago.
It is a good small meter with a quick reading time. It also does keytones which I think is the only meter that does this. It uses the strips that come in the foil so it is bulky if carrying around a full pack but not too bad. The memory on it sometimes let me down when I would try to fill in a month or two's readings into my book while sitting in the diabetic clinic waiting room.
What I dident like about it was the finger pricker, it could be very sore, especially if you dont change the lancet each time.
Overall I liked it apart from the finger pricker.

I got a Accu Check Compact Plus from my friend in the chemist. It is anything but compact, not sure why they called it that. It is the meter that has the test strips in a drum contained within the machine which is very handy. It was all a bit mechanical for me though, loads of whirring and clicking. The finger pricker is attached to the side of the machine which is also handy, it has a very fine needle and was not as sore as the Exceed meter.
Overall I dident mind it but it was a bit too mechanical.

I then got a One Touch Verio Pro from the diabetic nurse. I really like this meter, it is small, a bit bigger than the Exceed but smaller than the compact. It has a quick test time, changeable skin for the face which the kids like, I got one with cows and ducks on it. Most of all I like the finger pricker (is there another name for this?). It delivers a kind of blunt thud to the finger with very little discomfort. It produces a good drop of blood easily which I am sure would be good for those who have been doing it longer than me and have thicker skin on their fingertips. I still only have it on 1. The strips come in a little barrel which does add bulk as mentioned previously and I find it hard to take a strip out of the barrel without touching the actual testing part with my finger tip which was not a problem with any of the other strips.

None of the meters take keytone readings except the Optimum Exceed which is a bit of a pain if you are having a lot of high readings as I have been recently.

The best package if you like to keep it small in my opinion is the Optimum Exceed meter with the finger pricker from the One Touch Verio Pro as you are covered for keytones and blood glucose plus the meter is small.

I personally like the One Touch Verio Pro, maybe it is just because I am bored with the Exceed but my current set up is the One Touch Verio Pro with the Exceed kept in a pocket in the case. This does not bulk it up much more than the strips barrel does so it is not a problem for me. I dont really bring it out with me anywhere anyway.

That is my knowledge and opinion about blood glucose meters.

Eurovisionmad

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I was just about to start a thread about this, I got bored of my meter recently and tried a few different ones.

I was using the Optimum Exceed since my diagnoses and dident know there was much difference in the choices available. I dident even know there was a choice until a few months ago.
It is a good small meter with a quick reading time. It also does keytones which I think is the only meter that does this. It uses the strips that come in the foil so it is bulky if carrying around a full pack but not too bad. The memory on it sometimes let me down when I would try to fill in a month or two's readings into my book while sitting in the diabetic clinic waiting room.
What I dident like about it was the finger pricker, it could be very sore, especially if you dont change the lancet each time.
Overall I liked it apart from the finger pricker.

I got a Accu Check Compact Plus from my friend in the chemist. It is anything but compact, not sure why they called it that. It is the meter that has the test strips in a drum contained within the machine which is very handy. It was all a bit mechanical for me though, loads of whirring and clicking. The finger pricker is attached to the side of the machine which is also handy, it has a very fine needle and was not as sore as the Exceed meter.
Overall I dident mind it but it was a bit too mechanical.

I then got a One Touch Verio Pro from the diabetic nurse. I really like this meter, it is small, a bit bigger than the Exceed but smaller than the compact. It has a quick test time, changeable skin for the face which the kids like, I got one with cows and ducks on it. Most of all I like the finger pricker (is there another name for this?). It delivers a kind of blunt thud to the finger with very little discomfort. It produces a good drop of blood easily which I am sure would be good for those who have been doing it longer than me and have thicker skin on their fingertips. I still only have it on 1. The strips come in a little barrel which does add bulk as mentioned previously and I find it hard to take a strip out of the barrel without touching the actual testing part with my finger tip which was not a problem with any of the other strips.

None of the meters take keytone readings except the Optimum Exceed which is a bit of a pain if you are having a lot of high readings as I have been recently.

The best package if you like to keep it small in my opinion is the Optimum Exceed meter with the finger pricker from the One Touch Verio Pro as you are covered for keytones and blood glucose plus the meter is small.

I personally like the One Touch Verio Pro, maybe it is just because I am bored with the Exceed but my current set up is the One Touch Verio Pro with the Exceed kept in a pocket in the case. This does not bulk it up much more than the strips barrel does so it is not a problem for me. I dont really bring it out with me anywhere anyway.

That is my knowledge and opinion about blood glucose meters.

Did you get the meter free from the chemist or do you pay for the original price of the meter?

BlackEdelweiss

I got them all free, the girl in boots gave me the number of the Roche customer line and told me to ring and they would send me out a free meter but I got one in another chemist from my friend.

Mincork

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

What blood glucose does everyone use? What do they think of them.

I have the Accu Chek Aviva Nano, I like it but the battery goes a bit too fast for my liking, and CR302 batteries aren't exactly common. My only other complaint is that the whole idea of having a small meter is sort of negated in this case by having a container to hold the strips which adds considerably to the bulk.

Hi there

If you go to the Accu chek uk website and register your meter , you can request a free battery , cleaning liquid and log book ( big and small ) . They will post it free and you can request every 3 months. This works fr all Accu Chek meters ( I think )

Cheers

Eurovisionmad

Mincork wrote: »

Hi there

If you go to the Accu chek uk website and register your meter , you can request a free battery , cleaning liquid and log book ( big and small ) . They will post it free and you can request every 3 months. This works fr all Accu Chek meters ( I think )

Cheers

Yeah I got batteries there just a day or two ago, my batteries seem to only last about 3 weeks!

Mincork

I got the Accu Chek Aviva in Jan 2012 , testing about 3 or 4 times per day , and I have not changed my battery as yet. I also have the USB reader from Accu Chek and use the infra red function every two weeks. There might be an issue with your device.....

Cheers

PickledLime

CramCycle wrote: »

LOL, if I knew this is what I was doing wrong all these years I would have been cured by now:

http://www.watercure2.org/diabetes_a_simple_fix.htm

:pac::pac::pac:

I'm having a read through the thread so i can become familiar with what's already been posted and everyone's diabetic backgrounds and came up to this gem of a post.

Holy moly! :eek: