Newly diagnosed T2..questions on meter

[leapinglizards3]

My insurance requires me to go through Liberty Medical for my supplies, including a meter. I was going to go with Liberty's free AgaMatrix, but there don't seem to be any great reviews that I can find.

What is the best /better meter out of the ones listed below, and pros/cons for any of them? does anyone know approximate cost of the testing supplies for any of them? Dr. wants me testing 6x a day (before and after each meal).

These are the meters I can get through Liberty. I won't get any of it free, but I won't have to pay much through my insurance.

Abbott Optium or Freestyle Freedom
Accu-Chek Active, Advantage, Aviva (found a site for free decorative skins for this one) or Compact
LifeScan One Touch Ultra 2 or UltraMini
Ascensia Breeze or Contour

Thanks so much for any help! Please feel free to respond privately..

Elizabeth

[Spock]

Accu-Chek Compact is the easiest to use... no fiddling around wth test strips.

[cyberus]

My mom uses the Breeze 2, loves the 10 test disk and its the cheapest co-pay though her insurance, given that I've seen the disks as low as $60 a hundred (10 disks of 10 tests) that makes sense.
They also have a free meter offer

Get your BREEZE® 2 Meter Free

make sure to check the insulin box on meds . it will eventually send you to a print coupon page .. take that and a meter prescription from you doc to the pharmacy for the meter.

[morrisma]

I love the freestyle. Very fast.

[poppa]

You're going to get almost as many different answers as there are diabetics on this board

However, My personal favorite is the freestyle!

I own (in no particular order) the following meters:

• Abbott Freestyle Lite
• Abbott Freestyle Freedom
• Accu-Chek Aviva
• Bayer Contour
• One Touch Ultra Mini
• One Touch Ultra Smart
• One Touch Ultra 2

I have done extensive testing using Control solutions on each meter, and have found the Freestyle series to be the most consistant.

I have found the Aviva to be #2 in consistancy (Very close to the Freestyle series) AND The aviva comes with a free Multiclix.

I give both the Freestyle Lite and Freestyle Freedon the highest marks.

HOWEVER, the freestyle lancet device really S-U-X

My suggestion, is to get the freestyle meter, and spend the few extra bucks for a Multiclix lancing device (IMHO the best lancing device on the market!)

[leapinglizards3]

My mom uses the Breeze 2, loves the 10 test disk and its the cheapest co-pay though her insurance, given that I've seen the disks as low as $60 a hundred (10 disks of 10 tests) that makes sense.
They also have a free meter offer

Get your BREEZE® 2 Meter Free

make sure to check the insulin box on meds . it will eventually send you to a print coupon page .. take that and a meter prescription from you doc to the pharmacy for the meter.

Thanks for the info. I was able to get the coupon printed today and took it to the pharmacy. I also found a survey at:

https://www.onetouchgold.com/simplestart/

that after filling out, they said they'd send me a onetouch ultramini for free, will arrive in 3-4 weeks. So..hopefully one of the 2 is decent....

Thanks again!

Elizabeth

[Erin]

I usually use Accu-Chek meters. No reason, I just kinda like them. That said, I've used the Advantage, and Compact, and currently use the Aviva.

I like the Aviva, it's pretty small, has a good memory function and is pretty fast.

I hated the Compact. The drum made horrible loud whirring noises, and I found some of the strips got stuck and I ended up wasting more test strips than ever before.

Basically all meters are pretty similar, but there's ones that use drums (so you don't have to touch the test strips) and ones that don't. I don't like the drum ones, but some people think they're the coolest. I guess it's just what you like.

[GeorgeGuinn]

My insurance requires me to go through Liberty Medical for my supplies, including a meter. I was going to go with Liberty's free AgaMatrix, but there don't seem to be any great reviews that I can find.

What is the best /better meter out of the ones listed below, and pros/cons for any of them? does anyone know approximate cost of the testing supplies for any of them? Dr. wants me testing 6x a day (before and after each meal).

These are the meters I can get through Liberty. I won't get any of it free, but I won't have to pay much through my insurance.

Abbott Optium or Freestyle Freedom
Accu-Chek Active, Advantage, Aviva (found a site for free decorative skins for this one) or Compact
LifeScan One Touch Ultra 2 or UltraMini
Ascensia Breeze or Contour

Thanks so much for any help! Please feel free to respond privately..

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, you can get the Freestyle Freedom from Walgreens for $ 9.99 with free shipping. It has a rebate cupon in the box for up to $40 back, but you can only get the cost Walgreen charges back. So it ends up being free.

FreeStyle Freedom Lite Blood Glucose Monitoring System | Abbott | Walgreens

I just bought one as a backup meter.

[Soloban1]

My insurance requires me to go through Liberty Medical for my supplies, including a meter. I was going to go with Liberty's free AgaMatrix, but there don't seem to be any great reviews that I can find.

Well you can actually find out a lot about the WaveSense KeyNote meter at WaveSense - Home.

I know several bloggers have written their own personal reviews for the WaveSense KeyNote. Here are some links:
Diabetes Mine - the all things diabetes blog Blog Archive Meet AgaMatrix
Diabetes - A is for Accuracy

Hope this helps! let me know if you have any questions.

[TomB]

A few tidbits that might interest you:
1. Most meters are free or almost free. The companies make their profits from selling test strips. Usually a phone call to their customer service and they'll ship one to you pronto.
2. Your out-of-pocket cost is dictated by your insurance policy. You might want to read it real carefully because some, like mine or Medicare are real stingy with diabetic supplies.
3. Find a lancing device that works for you. There are several sizes of lancets - go for the smallest, like 28 or 30 gauge. Finding out how and where to poke yourself can make your day much better. Or it becomes a dreaded pain.
4. Be patient but read, read and read about diabetes. The more you know, the less stress you'll have.
Tally Ho and happy poking and measuring.
Tom