big Decision to make

[pooh3465]

Hi everyone, ok I went to the omni pod site and they had an offer to send me a sample omni pod so I could see the size and try wearing it. I have to be honest with you I think I would absolutely love it. It is smaller then the minimed pump I wear attatched to my jeans or where ever and the thought of having no tubing is just a thrilling thought but here is my problem I am really bad at taking my bloodsugars so I was really thinking about getting the continuos blood glucose monitoring system.
My doctor tells me my eyes have started bleeding and I need to get my sugars under control so I am not sure which machine would benifit me more.
Does anyone use the continuos glucose monitoring system ?how do you like it? Has it really helped get your sugars under control or is wearing the extra machine a big pain?

[ant hill]

Hello Pooh, What is you A1C like? And has the BG's been steady. If you suffer from dramatic up & down BG's then the CGMS would benefit you as now that you are getting eye problems.
Complications are delayed with good control!!! Also exercise will help you get that control. If you do go and exercise, Be sure that you have something that can get you out of a low and physical work will do that.
Having a pump is good but it can be annoying. How many tests that you do in a day as micromanaging is done by type 1's is very common. ;)

[pooh3465]

Hello Pooh, What is you A1C like? And has the BG's been steady. If you suffer from dramatic up & down BG's then the CGMS would benefit you as now that you are getting eye problems.
Complications are delayed with good control!!! Also exercise will help you get that control. If you do go and exercise, Be sure that you have something that can get you out of a low and physical work will do that.
Having a pump is good but it can be annoying. How many tests that you do in a day as micromanaging is done by type 1's is very common. ;)

I am a very brittle diabetic, always have been. My last a1c was down to 10 I think. Yes I know I need to do better I am a spoiled brat. I have always made diabetes my enemy therefore my diabetes runs me not the other way around.

I did try the exercise but I have drop foot from a hip surgery gone bad and in the course of walking I guess I stretched or shrunk the muscle from my heal to my arch and then I couldn't walk for about two weeks, yes I know this is just an excuse and I really need to find different exercise.

God has been good to me it is myself who keeps trying to kill me. I figure as long as I don't give up I am not out of the race though, but you are probably right I bet the cgm will be better for me. Thanks for the input April :marchmell

[BlueSky]

... my problem I am really bad at taking my bloodsugars so I was really thinking about getting the continuos blood glucose monitoring system.
My doctor tells me my eyes have started bleeding and I need to get my sugars under control so I am not sure which machine would benifit me more. ...
Please take this in the spirit it is intended. The harsh reality is that machines are not going to do it for you. Most important is motivation and a willingness to do what it takes to improve control. The problem with getting new toys is that they are a distraction. It enables you to put off doing what really needs to be done. IMO, things you should do before you get any new technology include testing/tweaking your basals, testing regularly, improving food choices, and refining your insulin:carb ratio. You need to do all this anyway. And it doesn't require fancy technology.

[Funnygrl]

How often, exactly, are you testing now?

I'm not really a "believer" so to speak in brittle diabetes. I think some people have it harder when it comes to gaining control. I know of people who work way harder at control and still have wider fluctuations than I do. But usually brittle = noncompliant.

A CGMS isn't a replacement for fingersticks, and if you aren't willing to test frequently you shouldn't be on a pump either.

[pooh3465]

How often, exactly, are you testing now?

I'm not really a "believer" so to speak in brittle diabetes. I think some people have it harder when it comes to gaining control. I know of people who work way harder at control and still have wider fluctuations than I do. But usually brittle = noncompliant.

A CGMS isn't a replacement for fingersticks, and if you aren't willing to test frequently you shouldn't be on a pump either.

Well from what I understand about the CGMS is that you only have to check your sugars with a finger stick when your sugars are seeming to high or registering to low.

To say someone shouldn't be on a pump if they are not testing frequently is totally not true, and a very dangerous statement. One day it may be your child or grandchild who cannot grasp dealing with diabetes at a time in thier life and according to you they will not deserve to have a pump to try and make their life better?

I know how I felt and how my sugars ran before I had the pump and I know how I am now that I am on the pump my sugars are one hundred percent better.

Perhaps your opinion of no such thing as a brittle diabetic is because you have never been one so to you they do not exist. Everything and anything I do affects my sugars especially my moods. You sound like a friend of mine who thinks everything in life is black and white simply because they have not had the problems that others have had in dealing with things.

When I am able I test about 4-6 times a day....I stay very busy and do let my family get infront of my diabetes but that is a habit I have not been able to break yet.

[steamfan261]

...my problem I am really bad at taking my bloodsugars so I was really thinking about getting the continuos blood glucose monitoring system.

I hate to tell you this, but CGMS may not help you at all. From the outset they tell you: do NOT base treatment decisions on the CGMS sensor values. Always, always test to confirm your BG before selecting a treatment option.

That having been said, my CGMS (not a separate thing, just a sensor that talks to my Paradigm 722) has been pretty accurate. The CGMS measures glucose level in the interstitial fluid between your body's cells. The glucose level in this fluid lags behind your blood glucose by as much as 10 or 15 minutes.

What the CGMS is wonderful for is monitoring trends. I've learned more about how my body reacts to insulin and to carbs in two months of CGMS than I ever thought I'd know. I've also tested my blood sugar far more often than I used to.

You have to enter calibration values into the system. Test your blood sugar, and enter the value into the CGMS system. They tell you during training that you should ONLY calibrate when your blood sugars are fairly stable (before a meal for example). If you calibrate when your BG is changing rapidly, the CGMS will not be particularly accurate.

Choosing good times to calibrate and doing so consistently will greatly enhance the accuracy of your CGMS. Mine is within 10mg/dl of my Accucheck Aviva meter about 95% of the time.

If you understand how CGMS works and what its limitations are, it can be an astonishingly valuable tool to help you manage your diabetes. If you expect it to work exactly like your meter, you will be disappointed.

I'm new to CGMS and the pump, so please bear that in mind when you consider my remarks. I regard the pump and CGMS as the best thing that's happened to my health in a long, long time.

I guess I should also say a couple of words about wearing the sensor. The sensor has been more of a problem for me than the much maligned Quick-Set infusion set. I've NEVER had any problems with the Quick-Set since my initial training but the CGMS sensors are another story altogether.

They're wonderfully reliable, and relatively easy to insert, but the insertion procedure can be frustrating. In the first box of 10 sensors (at $35.00/each). I got seven successes and three failures. The first failure was a result of not following the procedure correctly, I failed to pull of this little plastic thingie that covers the adhesive on the sensor and didn't realize it until the sensor pulled out of my skin when I tried to connect the transmitter to it. The second failure was a result of a really bad choice of location, and the third was a truly defective sensor. Medtronic replaced all three sensors, by next day air, no questions asked. (Well some questions, but they were friendlly).

So...how did I improve my technique and become an utterly reliable inserter of sensors? Pretty dumb but what I did was to put the training CD in my laptop, and find the part about inserting the sensor. There's a little video that shows everything, and I played the video (pausing it after each step) and did what it said. After a couple of run throughs that way, it is a simple, straightforward procedure that works every time.

One other sensor related item: my tiny granddaughter (8 mos) seems to have an unerring instinct for placing her tiny pink foot on the sensor and trying to stand on grandpa. This should be avoided.

Another happy note: if you get the Medtronic Paradigm system (522 or 722) they'll send a bunch of samples of something called IV3000. It's an adhesive thing that's supposed to help hold the sensor in place. Throw it in the trash, or find a particularly annoying domestic animal and stick it to the animal (just kidding). It is expensive, and next to useless. 3M makes a wonderful surgical tape called Nexcare. Try it.

Anyhoo, I'm a newbie who paid attention in class. I am very happy with the 722 and CGMS. I've NEVER had control this good and I'm liking it a lot.

[Funnygrl]

Well from what I understand about the CGMS is that you only have to check your sugars with a finger stick when your sugars are seeming to high or registering to low.

And before meals. And before bed. And when you wake up. And before and after excise. Any time that you would otherwise be testing, in other words.

To say someone shouldn't be on a pump if they are not testing frequently is totally not true, and a very dangerous statement. One day it may be your child or grandchild who cannot grasp dealing with diabetes at a time in thier life and according to you they will not deserve to have a pump to try and make their life better?

If it was a family member or close friend of mine with diabetes who wanted to be on a pump and wasn't testing I would ABSOLUTELY say they should NOT be on the pump. If you're not testing, a pump is dangerous. End of story. What if your tubing kinked? You could go into DKA without noticing you were high before it was too late. If you're on Lantus or Levemir, or god-forbid NPH, at least you know you're getting your insulin.

I know how I felt and how my sugars ran before I had the pump and I know how I am now that I am on the pump my sugars are one hundred percent better.

I'm glad you feel better, but I don't consider that the "gold standard" so to speak.

Perhaps your opinion of no such thing as a brittle diabetic is because you have never been one so to you they do not exist. Everything and anything I do affects my sugars especially my moods. You sound like a friend of mine who thinks everything in life is black and white simply because they have not had the problems that others have had in dealing with things.

I may not be brittle, but I test 12 times a day, bolus every time I eat, consider all activity with temp rates and extra snacks, and count carbs meticulously to get that way.

When I am able I test about 4-6 times a day....I stay very busy and do let my family get infront of my diabetes but that is a habit I have not been able to break yet.

Yes, but how often is a "typical day?"

When I used a CGMS, I actually tested more than when I didn't. I tested to confirm every alarm- which was often. I tested at my usual times, because I couldn't trust it. I tested to see when I was stable so I knew when to calibrate.

[fgummett]

I have to agree with above posts that the pump and CGMS are just tools which can help you, BUT only if you are willing to work with them.. and for most people that means MORE work, not less. There is no such thing as an artificial pancreas yet where an ultra-sensitive CGMS controls the pump through a continuos feedback loop. The vital missing part of the equation is your willingness to test OFTEN... rather than 4-5 times "when you are able" (what does that actually mean?) a pump can require 8, 10, 12 tests a day especially when you are first starting out with it and even more especially if your control is brittle.
Sorry if I also sound harsh but you are using words like you are "spoilt" which to my thinking doesn't really apply to Diabetes... you are not treating yourself (or your family) well by not testing and taking good care of yourself. It's great that you are researching tools that could help you but unless you are willing to step up to the plate, they could at worst cause you (and your family) harm or at least be a waste of money.
You say, "on the pump my sugars are one hundred percent better", but at the same time your last A1c was 10%, what was it before?

[fgummett]

Using the converter on this site: An HbA1c of 10% is equal to an average blood glucose of 278.7 mg/dl (15.48 mmol/l). Poor control, action strongly suggested.

Please post again and let us know how you are doing... there really are people here who give a darn... will help and support you... and care about you taking better care of yourself :)

[pooh3465]

Well that help A LOT on all the information videos I have seen (or I guess maybe the parts I have wanted to see) it said you did not have to do the actual finger sticks as much. If I have to take them more I am not sure I can make that. I suppose I have time to figure that out. Thank you for giving me more info about what it entails I have a nurse at my doctors office that said she had it but she says it just wasn't for her. This gives me a lot to reconsider.

[fgummett]

Best wishes, and please let us know how you make out :)

From what I have seen of the MM CGMS system you do need to keep testing BUT I love the trend graph and the fact that you can see which way your BG is heading rather than just what it is

~ Frank

[notme]

If I were you, I would try and gain control and a better A1C before getting the OmniPod. If you think it would work for you better than a MiniMed then that is great, but to change from one technology to another isn't going to change your testing habits. I think before you try another pump, you should decide if you are counting too much on technology to fix what may be a compliance issue.

I can sympathize with your inability to test more. Some people seem to have the personality of taking charge and others (like you and I) do the denial thing for many years. I still have compliance problems on occassion, go on spurts of doing much better and then fall back into my bad habits. I agree that the pump has improved my life and my A1C, but I know that compliance can still be my issue if I don't force myself to what needs to be done.

As for being "brittle", my doctors used to tell me the exact same thing. I also don't believe there is such a thing. People who don't suffer from wide swings in blood sugar may produce a small amount of insulin. Their body size may be smaller or less resistant to insulin that is injected. Some are just better at compliance than we are. I KNOW that some are better at understanding and charting and seeing trends than I am.

The pump is a tool. We are in charge of that tool and we need to know how to use it properly. Long story short, I think you should learn to use the tool you have and when you do, get the CGMS to tweak those numbers. The OmniPod will be there if you decide that you don't need the CGMS and you could change then.

Good luck Pooh. I really understand.

[Funnygrl]

I also want to emphathize that I've been there before as well- we all have. I'd had days where I haven't tested as much as I should or taken my insulin as I should- and it shows in my blood sugar control.

It sounds like you know you need better control and want to get there. I just don't think changing the technology is the way to do that.

I'm sorry if I sounded harsh before, but I just had a patient last night who ended up in DKA because her pump malfunctioned and she didn't catch it soon enough.

[pooh3465]

I have to agree with above posts that the pump and CGMS are just tools which can help you, BUT only if you are willing to work with them.. and for most people that means MORE work, not less. There is no such thing as an artificial pancreas yet where an ultra-sensitive CGMS controls the pump through a continuos feedback loop. The vital missing part of the equation is your willingness to test OFTEN... rather than 4-5 times "when you are able" (what does that actually mean?) a pump can require 8, 10, 12 tests a day especially when you are first starting out with it and even more especially if your control is brittle.
Sorry if I also sound harsh but you are using words like you are "spoilt" which to my thinking doesn't really apply to Diabetes... you are not treating yourself (or your family) well by not testing and taking good care of yourself. It's great that you are researching tools that could help you but unless you are willing to step up to the plate, they could at worst cause you (and your family) harm or at least be a waste of money.
You say, "on the pump my sugars are one hundred percent better", but at the same time your last A1c was 10%, what was it before?

NP about sounding harsh, before the pump I was walking around with blood sugars in the 4-500's everyday. I had conditioned my body to live at that level of bloodsugars and I am sure God helped keep me alive. When I got on my pump after the first week my son at 9 said mom you haven't yelled for a week. I often forget to take my insulin trying to make others happy.
Now before you all get on the bashing band wagon, I do hate diabetes but I had an abuser who used my diabetes as a reason for the abuse. So long ago in my mind I equate diabetes with self hate- ex. if I didn't have diabetes I wouldn't have been molested. so before you start trying to tell me to grow up you need to understand I have come along way in my journey and I am growing up I may not be doing it at the rate everyone else thinks I should but that is ok
I guess I am looking for something to come along and just magically take care of this **** but I have to take care of everyone else from my mom to my sister to my son. I think sometimes I am the **** bucket for the family lol I want to be healthy and I want to have great blood sugars but that would entail me cutting alot of my family out of my life and I am not willing to do that. So anything I can find to help me improve my bloodsugars and make me more aware of where they are at each hour I thought would help me pay more attention to them and maybe help my family to understand that it is not a disease I can turn off and on like I have been doing for the past 33 years.

I am not asking for pitty or sympathy I know every decision I have made in my life has been made by me and what I precieve to be my duty. As for living long so I can continue to help them, it doesn't matter when I die someone else will take my place I just want to be a good daughter, mother and sister while I am here on earth. And yes I do see a therapist for many more things then I care to list here and yes I know if you have never dealt with depresssion or abuse this will seem like a really stupid way of looking at things, right now i need to get off my butt and exercise so I am working on that. sorry I do appreciate all you comments and replies it helps alot to speak with people who have been taught to pay attention to thier diabetes and not to pretend it does not exist.......................:marchmell thanks again April

P.S. don't hate me because I am an idiot, just talk to me and bring me around to your way of thinking as a friend

[fgummett]

Hey April,

I don't think anyone here think of you as an idiot. If the folks here didn't care... well... not only would DF cease to exist, but you certainly would not have gotten some of the forthright responses on this thread.
Have you tried talking this over with your family... I'll bet you anything that they would rather have you around them, healthy and happy for as long as possible, than see you work yourself into an early grave... guaranteed 100%... no question. I'll go further and suggest that they would be willing to help you out in ways that you can't even imagine yet :)

~ Frank

[mortis505]

When starting to use the CGMS, you will need to do a fair amount of calibration, i.e. finger sticks. this may help you with getting used to manual testing more often which could possibly lead to much improved control. But as was stated above, there is lag between what a finger BG will read as opposed to a sensor reading.

Good luck and let us know how it works for you.

[pooh3465]

If it was a family member or close friend of mine with diabetes who wanted to be on a pump and wasn't testing I would ABSOLUTELY say they should NOT be on the pump. If you're not testing, a pump is dangerous. End of story. What if your tubing kinked? You could go into DKA without noticing you were high before it was too late. If you're on Lantus or Levemir, or god-forbid NPH, at least you know you're getting your insulin.

Hmmm you would make an excellent doctor! I have ended up in the hospital with my pump before my bloodsugars kept going higher and higher and the more finger sticks i did the worse they seemed the more insulin I took the less it seemed to do but since I have been on my pump my sugars only got to 500 and I had to be in the hospital as to the 900 they were the last time I went before I had the pump. I understand your logic of not wanting them to be on the pump if they are not testing but I think it does not work that way for everyone, or maybe thats just my fantasy.....



I'm glad you feel better, but I don't consider that the "gold standard" so to speak.


No it is not the gold standard as most would probably see it but before the pump it was like I had a split personality I was a horrible horrible person screaming when my sugars were high laying around in bed because it was hard to move and after the pump my life is so much better and i have no doubt I would have been dead by now if I had not gotten the pump. So for me it's a little closer to gold then I was.


Yes, but how often is a "typical day?"

OK now ya got me.........honestly not often I am trying to get better about testing I have 4 machines seems I can never find any of them, but I got them all to sit right where i sit everyday, my routines are pretty much the same but who knows why I move them.

I have til october to figure out what I want to do but at least now I know that this could be more of a problem then a help. I will see if I can't get better at testing first before I get either:marchmell

[Keezheekoni]

I want to chime in on your thinking that you have to take time away from your family to deal with your diabetes.

I have five children, ages 4, 6, 9, 16, and 18. I have a husband. I have two dogs and a cat. I test up to 14 times a day. Last Friday I switched from my Cozmo pump to my MM w/CGMS.

I DO NOT have to take ANY time away from my family to deal with my diabetes. If I'm low, I chomp on some glucose tablets and go on my way. If I'm high, I put in the correction on my pump and go on my way. If I need to check my bg, I do it and go one my way. My family knows that if they want me around for a long time, they will wait the two seconds it take for me to check my bg. I don't take any time away from my family to do it. In fact, my kids will often be around me while I'm checking and we go right on with the conversation we were having, with no pausing, while I pull out my kit and test.

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't know how it takes any of your time away from your family to deal with diabetes...

Oh and my 2 cents about the CGMS, yes you do have to test often. You only have to calibrate the sensor twice a day, but you still need to test before and after meals, when you're feeling wonky, before and after snacks, at bedtime, at waking... I calibrate my sensor 4 times a day. Mine seems to work well for me and is in range within 10mg/dL all day, however I would *never* bolus for a meal without doing a finger stick.

[shiftzor]

....P.S. don't hate me because I am an idiot, just talk to me and bring me around to your way of thinking as a friend


I don't think theres anyone here who hates you at all. If anything people worry too much, we all deal with this stuff everyday in our own lives and i see so much ignorance about this disease it upsets me. Your health should come first before your family, without your health what good will you be to your family? Diabetes is a time bomb, those high bgs eventually catch up with you and then those complications will take you away from your family. Sorry if thats upsetting and i am sorry to hear about your history i can't imagine how hard it must be.

I think what might help you is taking 10minutes out of one day a week and writing all your bgs down, you could use a download the results from your meter(s) to your computer using a data cable and diabetes management software provided by your meter company if it makes it easier. Getting some accountability might make you realise what is going on. I know that fear of testing, I have snacked in the past and then not tested because i knew it would give me a spike, which would affect my averages. My meter readings were fine but my A1c didn’t match.

Why don't you make part of your wake up routine doing a bg test? Get your family to remind you, i am sure they would all support you. Once you start writing it down, trends will appear like always being high in the morning etc, you can then adjust your doses. As you say one step at a time, no sense in trying to run before you can walk.

Random fact of the day:
Something that scared me was that a little over 100 years ago the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic was 3 weeks from diagnosis.

[Eddy]

Random fact of the day:
Something that scared me was that a little over 100 years ago the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic was 3 weeks from diagnosis.


Having been DXed by way of DKA, the mortality stats for DKA got my attention...

I'll disagree slightly with the others about diabetic not requiring time away. Any time I drop below the mid-50s, I need to sit down and wait for things to stabilize... which usually takes about 15-20 minutes while the sugars kick in. Fortunately, this isn't too often.

Yet, when I run high (150+), I'm not really all "here". One could argue that lax management takes away more time than tighter control.

I like how I feel, and who I am, much better when my sugar is where it should be. I do what I must to keep everything in check. If someone can't accept that, it's their problem -- not mine.

[Jan B]

Pooh,

I admire your honesty about how bad you are about testing and taking care of yourself. I see a lot of truth in every single thing that has been said. First, you must care about, and love yourself. A very sad truth, to me, and obviously it's happening to you . . . . is when you are deeply hurt, you/we tend to hurt ourselves even more. This behavior may be more common among those who have been abused. I know that when you have been pounded on, it's crazy, but common, to jump in and join the abusers by abusing yourself. STOP!!

The simplest way to get better control of your diabetes is to test more often. Test first thing in the morning. If you are high and take a correction, make sure to test again in 3, 4, or for sure 5 hours to make sure that your bs went down enough. Always test before meals, and bolus the correct amoount of carbs, even for the little snacks you might throw in.

Treat yourself with love and put yourself/your health above the wants/desires of anyone else. The time involved in better care, testing more and making wiser food choices is minimal. Taking a cigarette break for example, would take more time than checking and correcting your blood sugar.

Once again, I admire your honesty. Plunge right in and LOOK through your meter numbers to see what you are doing to yourself. Then, promise yourself you will begin testing more. Testing more really is a huge part of getting it together.

[pooh3465]

I really appreciate everyone for there replies and yes I really do have to get ahold of my diabetes and sometimes I try sometimes I don't but at least from asking this question and getting these replies right now I am pretty sure the cgm is not going to be for me. First I am going to have to make myself take them and as Shiftzor suggests learn to write them down. At least I have been more educated about the two meters and what it takes to have them. I will let ya know if I made the grade and was able to collect a weeks worth of blood sugars next week Thanks Everyone!!!!!!!!!

[Alice]

Pooh, I love your honesty. And if you are like most of us on DF, reading about others successes/failures helps us all. The good and the bad.

While I think it's wonderful you are already on the pump, I don't think moving to an OmniPod will answer all your problems. Nor will the CGMS, but it may help track your eating and med pattern.

I feel you really need to get down to the basics of carb counting and insulin dosing. With numbers continually averaging high, something is very wrong.

I'm on MDI and must do the exact same thing that pumpers do...test often and administer a bolus for every carb I eat. If I'm not accurate, then my numbers are off. Same with a pump.

A pump is only a tool to administer insulin. It's not the end of the process.

If you don't mind me asking...who is coaching you on insulin ratios? We all make decisions daily to change our dose...are you making any changes or sticking with an amount that was prescribed early on?

Good luck and keep us posted!

[HollyB]

Hi there,

I know you are dealing with some really big issues here, and glad to hear that you have a counsellor to help you with that. It takes courage to wrestle with the kind of past you've had, and raise kids, and keep yourself together too. And it takes courage to come to a place like this for help, knowing that there are major changes you need to make.

But I wondered if a few really practical little suggestions might help too? As mom to a 16-year-old, I know how remembering to test/bolus when you get busy can be a problem! But sometimes little adjustments in your routine can help get a new habit started. Like:

• you say you have trouble finding your meter when you need it. Aaron's meter is almost always right in his pocket. Could you dig up a small purse with a shoulder strap, sling it over your head and across your body so you can be hands-free, and wear your meter for a few weeks so it's always with you and you're aware of it?

• you can program most meters, and all pumps, to give reminder alarms at set times. You can set your meter to alarm at mealtimes, for example, or 3 hours after you eat to remind you to check that you took enough insulin. Or if you tend to forget to bolus, you can have your pump alarm if a certain number of hours pass without a bolus. Get into your manuals and see what they can do!

• I like the idea of enlisting your family. You look after them a lot; maybe they'd rise to the chance to do a little something for you. For example, get your sister to call you every evening for a week to ask how many times you tested and encourage you to keep it up (if you think that would help -- having someone to report to often does help). Or ask your kids to remind you to test when you sit down to eat together. Fight that mindset that you are taking AWAY from them to look after yourself. Families look after each other, and it's good for kids to learn to think about someone besides themselves. And besides, you're a better mom when you're healthy.

Good luck, we're all rooting for you. Let us know how things are going OK?

[Alice]

I use two meters...they are always in the same spot. One in my top bathroom drawer...the other one in a zipper case (with insulin) in my purse. I probably use both equally...about 10times a day...sometimes less. I can't imagine not being able to find my meter...that's a "constant" that will not change. Also, I use an Ultra Mini in my purse...very small and easy to use. I now have the new pink and green models!

Since my purse is normally in the kitchen...it's readily available if I don't feel like heading back to my bathroom.

[medsavailable]

I love to have that one, I need to check my glucose content because I am aware about my health. I have a diabetes history in my family and Im afraid to have one.