Need a little help...

[Rhino]

Ok. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my diabetes. I test like ALL the friggin time. Least I'll ever test in a day is like 6 or 7 times, the high average being 20-25 tests a day. It's not that I'm out of control, but I like to watch my bg like a hawk.

Basically I'm hitting a wall where my insurance won't cover more than 300 strips in a one month period, and I'm out of test strips, and cannot afford 35 dollars for 50 more until 4/17 when my prescription can be refilled.

My question is: What is the absolute and total completely cheapest way to have numerous tests. I will accept a larger margin of error and drop in testing quality to find mass mass quantity of testing materiel.

What solutions do you guys have for this? Your help is appreciated to no end.

Thanks!
-Rhino

[duck]

If you're asking who makes the cheapest meter/strip combo, whatever the Wal-Mart brand is would be my guess.

Sounds like you'll be happy when a viable CGMS is out, eh?

[Cyborg]

I test alot also since I am fairly new to the pump. Why are you testing so much? I can understand 10 times a day +/- a couple, but 20-25 times is an awefully lot of testing. I think I'd be heading for burnout if I was testing that much. Are you gaining any usefull information testing that often?

I just ordered a CGMS, but it was not cheap and the cost of maintaining it 24/7 is expensive since Insurance will not cover them yet.

[Rhino]

Yes I have gleaned quite a bit of info.

And on top of that,for some reason I just have those days. They can happen at any time, anywhere, where I follow my rigid disciplines and still boom... 248 mg/dl out of left field for no apparent reason. Because of that, I like to nip these things in the bud, and I'd rather catch a bad site, or bad insulin, or decreased sensitivity or whatever at 150 instead of 250.

I also never eat any food if I'm above 80, so if I'm 100, I do a tiny bolus (0.3 u) and wait for it to come down sub 80, etc.

And yes, all I want in life is a CGMS I can actually AFFORD.

[Erin]

Rhino,

I too, am a bit OCD about my testing, but I think more than 15 tests in a day is a bit excessive. Nevermind the cost, you are testing more than once an hour (unless you get up hourly during the night to test?) how are you possibly getting anything other than D management done? And what do your poor fingers look like? I understand the desire to constantly know what your Bg is, but why not trust your body? Are you hypo unaware?

But in practical terms, you need to get some test strips to cover you until 4/17. You will need at least 40 test strips, and unless you can get a float from the pharmacy (sometimes they will give you some of the medicine early, and just subtract it from your supply when you get the next refill) you will have to shell out the $$. The Wal-Mart brand would also be my guess as the cheapest provider of testing supplies, but in order to use their test strips you'll have to buy their meter, so it might be more cost effective just to buy some strips for your current meter. I also suggest getting your doctor to write a larger prescription, so your insurance will cover your needs. I do not believe it is legal for insurance carriers to deny coverage in the amount the doctor prescribes, particularly if the doctor writes the script "Test 15-20 times daily" rather than a blanket amount of test strips.

[JediSkipdogg]

Pretty much your only options would be to either find a cheap alternative second meter or to lower your testing. There are quite a few off brands out there that are just as good as the major brands. I think all the major stores (Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Meijer, Target) now have their own brand of test meters and strips where 100 strips cost around $30-40.

I myself would like to know why you want to test so often? 25 times a day is 750 strips in a month. And that means you are testing every hour even while you sleep. If you only test while you are awake, then that still means you are testing about every 45 minutes. You should be fine testing 10 times a day. So why the over testing?

[Tatermom]

We had to have endo send a letter to the insurance co. to say that we were required to test more than 4-6x a day. We are at 8-10x daily. I agree w/Cyborg. Seems like overkill. Why are you testing so much?

[stella117]

Yes I have gleaned quite a bit of info.

And on top of that,for some reason I just have those days. They can happen at any time, anywhere, where I follow my rigid disciplines and still boom... 248 mg/dl out of left field for no apparent reason. Because of that, I like to nip these things in the bud, and I'd rather catch a bad site, or bad insulin, or decreased sensitivity or whatever at 150 instead of 250.

I also never eat any food if I'm above 80, so if I'm 100, I do a tiny bolus (0.3 u) and wait for it to come down sub 80, etc.

And yes, all I want in life is a CGMS I can actually AFFORD.
100 is a perfectly fine fasting number. There is no need to bolus it down before eating. There is no reason to do correction boluses unless you are over 200. I thought I was hyper-controlling about my diabetes, but you really need to chill out. You will burn yourself out with all the stress you are putting on yourself.

Anything 130 and under is acceptable for before meal fasting levels. Under 120 is better, but give yourself a tiny break. Anything 160 and under is acceptable post-prandial, but give a little leeway on rare occasions for up to 180. Don't do corrections if you under 200.

I think instead of finding extra cheap testing strips, you should look into whether your insurance covers therapy sessions. It is not healthy to be so obsessed and so hard on yourself. Mental stress has just as many negative effects as uncontrolled diabetes. Take a yoga class or something.

BTW, I test 4 times a day--when I wake up, before lunch, before dinner, before bed. If I have a high I may do some check-up post-prandial testing to make sure I'm bolusing correctly. But on average FOUR is more than enough. I brought my hbA1c down from 15.7 to 6.4 in 3.5 months. I expect it will be a bit lower after my next endo appointment.

[lgvincent]

I've bought a lot of strips on e-bay. You can often get a pretty good deal on expired strips. From what I've seen, I haven't found them to be too much off the mark of unexpired ones.

I've also found HypoGuard products to be priced pretty low. I've bought a lot of QuickTek strips in the past. I've never compared them to lab results so I don't know how accurate they are and I can't remember the price because I've been getting my strips by mail-order during the last year, but the price I paid wasn't too bad.

[Cyborg]

There is no reason to do correction boluses unless you are over 200. I thought I was hyper-controlling about my diabetes, but you really need to chill out. You will burn yourself out with all the stress you are putting on yourself.

I found myself doing the same thing when I started the pump. I was doing correction boluses a little too liberally and bolusing for little things like coffee with cream, etc. I ended up with a couple too many lows, I was testing a little too often, and I was trying too hard to be a perfectionist. The thing that I try to do now is remind myself what my numbers used to be while on MDI. That brings things back into prospective and reminds me how well I'm doing.

[duck]

Bernstein's goals are 90 for Type 1's...That freaks me out.

[DeusXM]

Don't forget, 'normal' people don't keep their BG rigidly under 100 at all times either. Give yourself a break or all that's going to happen is that you're going to break down and just jack it all away.

You really shouldn't let your blood sugar dictate when you eat. If it's a bit high then just take a bit more insulin than you usually would - that's what it's there for.

There's a reason why your insurance 'only' runs to 300 strips a month - you don't actually need any more than that. There's not even any point testing more regularly than every two hours since BG simply isn't that reactive, so you're looking at a maximum of 12 useful readings a day, and that's if you don't sleep.

I don't mean to sound harsh but with all that worrying, you're going to have a good life expectancy but not much of a life. There's frankly no point at all in controlling your BG if all you're going to do is exist.

[Rhino]

I appreciate all the concern about my mental well-being, but I feel good testing as much as I do. I don;t typically test 25 times a day, this month I HAD tested that much at a time because if you recall my posts, I was having strange BG readings that I finally attributed to insulin gone bad.

I'm happy, I really am. BG doesn;t stress me out. I've been doing this now for 30 years, and I feel happy knowing where my BG is at all times, and I agree with the Bernstein concept of goal being 90. The reason I don't eat if I'm above 80 is because it spikes me up 60-70 points one hour after eating. Two hours, I'm about 30-40 mg/dl above normal, and getting back to about 80-90 a few hours later. If I START at 100 or above, My blood sugar is >140 for up to two hours, and sorry, that's not acceptable for me.

Everything is different for each person, I just happen to like to test more often than a lot of people do, and it makes me more relaxed to do so. At this point in my life, it's like washing my hands after using the bathroom, it's just something I do.

[Cyborg]

For me, one of the reasons to get a pump was to get away from being tied to a restrictive diet and a restrictive eating schedule. Something I do rather than letting the insulin dictate when I eat is to take my bolus and wait a short while before beginning to eat. This lets the insulin start driving my bg down before digging in. Just don't forget to eat! Sometimes I'll even take a bite or two, then wait awhile before finishing, this way the food is in front of me...

[seacomp]

Bernstein's goals are 90 for Type 1's...That freaks me out.
If you're eating pasta, pizza and popcorn, yeah, it's impossible to meet a goal like that; any minor miscalculation and you go way hypo.
If you are on a very low carb diet, no more than 12 grams of slow acting green vegatable carbs, it's possible since you are taking so little insulin per meal.
I can't say that one should do this, but one can do that, if it's worth it to them.

And, it's a goal; goals can be valuable even if you never reach them.

[Rhino]

I for the most part stay away from pizza and pasta (weak spot for popcorn at the movies though, I'm a crazy cinephile, got like 400 dvds). I don;t stay away because of the effect on BG levels, but just because I like to eat healthy. And I mean healthy outside of the scope of diabetes, just heart healthy and light and nutritious, just cause I like it that way.

[Tokyo Cate]

Something you may be able to get your doctor to swing for is a second meter for your earthquake kit and a prescription for test strips for it. That way you will have back up supplies (and following the advice in previous posts, getting the Wal-Mart meter may be a smart choice) for when you run short.

I started carb counting since my last endo visit and have been testing more than the five times a day she provided me with, so I am now using up my earthquake kit supplies, but I am sure she will provide me with supplies to make up for that when I go in this week.

When I was first diagnosed, I was directed to test at least four times a day; when I was having the lente problems in the early 1990s, I was directed to test every two hours; when I was on the pump, I was directed to test every 'few' hours; now that I am back on MDI, my doc has directed me to test twice a day, and I have told her that that is unacceptable. Perhaps now that I am keeping better records, I will be able to convince her of the need for more frequent testing. I am with you, to a degree, Rhino--frequent testing provides security: I would never want to go into a meeting without having checked my blood glucose first because I certainly don't want to go out of my range and zone out in front of my colleagues.

Good luck in the next week, Rhino.

[Funnygrl]

If you're eating pasta, pizza and popcorn, yeah, it's impossible to meet a goal like that; any minor miscalculation and you go way hypo.
If you are on a very low carb diet, no more than 12 grams of slow acting green vegatable carbs, it's possible since you are taking so little insulin per meal.
I can't say that one should do this, but one can do that, if it's worth it to them.

And, it's a goal; goals can be valuable even if you never reach them.


Not true. If your ratios are correct your risk for a hypo is just as much for a low carb meal as it is with a high carb meal.

[insulinfreak]

i think you need to chill a little. my insurence only covers 200 a month, but i'm good. but sometimes it does get tight. i know wll mart has a meter that is 8 bucks and the 50 strip vial is 25, not bad but i'm not sure if the readings are correct.

[Pitzi]

Ok. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my diabetes. I test like ALL the friggin time. Least I'll ever test in a day is like 6 or 7 times, the high average being 20-25 tests a day. It's not that I'm out of control, but I like to watch my bg like a hawk.

Basically I'm hitting a wall where my insurance won't cover more than 300 strips in a one month period, and I'm out of test strips, and cannot afford 35 dollars for 50 more until 4/17 when my prescription can be refilled.

My question is: What is the absolute and total completely cheapest way to have numerous tests. I will accept a larger margin of error and drop in testing quality to find mass mass quantity of testing materiel.

What solutions do you guys have for this? Your help is appreciated to no end.

Thanks!
-Rhino
I feel your pain! I test around 10-12 times a day, and the test strips are all out of my pockets :(

I honestly don't see a reason for testing more than 10 times a day if you got any sort of control.

PS whats this CGMS thing you people ae talking about?

[Cyborg]

PS whats this CGMS thing you people ae talking about?

CGMS stands for Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. There are a couple starting to hit the market now.

[dws]

Bernstein needs a reality check and treatment :)
don

[seacomp]

Not true. If your ratios are correct your risk for a hypo is just as much for a low carb meal as it is with a high carb meal.
Your ratios, however, never correct. They naturally vary a little bit over time. And any estimate of carbs, including those on prepackaged foods, is just that an estimate. There is variation is carb content for all kinds of reasons.
You put those two factors together, and it is easy to be off by 15, 20% in the calculation of needed insulin. That's not a big deal if you are taking 3 units, but it is if you are taking 30.

[seacomp]

Bernstein needs a reality check and treatment :)
don
I assume you are referring to Dr. Bernstein.
Besides the fact that that's a rather off-the-wall comment in the context of this tread, why do you say that?
Does he needs a reality for surviving type I diabetes for about 55 years?
Does he needs a reality for being the first patient to use a BG meter?
Does he needs a reality check for developing the basics of MDI?
I'd really like to know.

[Cyborg]

I assume you are referring to Dr. Bernstein.
Besides the fact that that's a rather off-the-wall comment in the context of this tread, why do you say that?
Does he needs a reality for surviving type I diabetes for about 55 years?
Does he needs a reality for being the first patient to use a BG meter?
Does he needs a reality check for developing the basics of MDI?
I'd really like to know.

I agree... To each his or her own when it comes to dealing with this desease. If you find something that works for you and your lifestyle, go with it. Just make sure it's not doing more harm than good. ;)

[amccrazgrl]

wow i cant imagine testing up to 20 times a day
i check before bfreakfast before dinner and tahts it
unless i have high/low symptons so maybe i check 4 times but no more than that

[stella117]

I feel your pain! I test around 10-12 times a day, and the test strips are all out of my pockets :(

I honestly don't see a reason for testing more than 10 times a day if you got any sort of control.

PS whats this CGMS thing you people ae talking about?
I personally can't see testing more than 7 times a day at most--unless you are monitoring a low or a high.

1. Waking
2. After breakfast
3. Before lunch
4. After lunch
5. Before dinner
6. After dinner
7. Before bed

I usually only test 1. waking, 2. before lunch, 3. before dinner, 4. before bed.

[DeusXM]

I assume you are referring to Dr. Bernstein.
Besides the fact that that's a rather off-the-wall comment in the context of this tread, why do you say that?
Does he needs a reality for surviving type I diabetes for about 55 years?
Does he needs a reality for being the first patient to use a BG meter?
Does he needs a reality check for developing the basics of MDI?
I'd really like to know.

A lot of his 'acolytes' certainly do. I've never met such a bunch of pig-headed people who frankly refuse to believe that you don't have to stick to a rigid lo-carb in order to sucessfully treat your diabetes. We had a **** of a problem with them here in the past and I'm not joking, most of them simply didn't understand MDI.

I've read his book and whilst I think it's of use to newly diagnosed people in terms of explaining what diabetes is and some of the basics of treatment, his work is now largely either irrelevent or just part of normal thinking. I'm sorry but I find it very difficult to take someone whose advice sometimes boils down to 'if you keep your BG in normal limits, you won't pee as much' as a total authority on the condition.

Don't get me wrong, I think Bernstein has been hugely influential in advancing diabetes treatment, but I also think he engenders a lot of antipathy in his acolytes. Trust me, I've been right on the receiving end of it because I made the heretical mistake of suggesting I could eat like a normal person and yet still get a normal A1C. Much of this rested on these people being totally unaware of modern synthetic insulins. I was told that bolus insulin acted far too slowly (it takes at least an hour to get going, you know!) to deal with the carb burst from food. This was in 2002, a good 4 years after I'd started taking Novorapid, which takes about 10 minutes. Lantus and Levemir were similarly part of the Great Unknown.

Bernstein has a place in diabetes treatment and many people continue to get results from his ideas. I'm just concerned how he's portrayed his ideas as being the only way and that you need to pay him $20 to find out the 'only' way to treat your diabetes because 'doctors won't tell you'.

[Cyborg]

I personally can't see testing more than 7 times a day at most--unless you are monitoring a low or a high.

1. Waking
2. After breakfast
3. Before lunch
4. After lunch
5. Before dinner
6. After dinner
7. Before bed

I usually only test 1. waking, 2. before lunch, 3. before dinner, 4. before bed.

Don't forget about before getting behind the wheel to drive! That usually brings it up around 10 for me.

[seacomp]

Bernstein has a place in diabetes treatment and many people continue to get results from his ideas. I'm just concerned how he's portrayed his ideas as being the only way and that you need to pay him $20 to find out the 'only' way to treat your diabetes because 'doctors won't tell you'.

Well Deus, if you go back to the original post that mine referred to, you see that it basically implied that Bernstein was insane; this from someone who as far as I can tell has no knowledge or credentials beyond a few rumors they might have picked up here or there.
If you want to disgree with Bernstein from a reasoned position that's fine. I have my own diagreements, but I greatly respect him for what he knows, what he's done and the fact he had to fight like **** to do it.
I don't know where anyone can say that he is not up todate with the latest treatments and technology. It's true that he is sceptical of much of it, but that a characteristic of wisdom that you don't expect from a 20 year old.
And get off the "Oh OH he charge 20 dollars for his book. He's ripping you off" thing. Grow up. That is about the minimum you can charge for a full size hard bound book. You complain makes you look foolish. You spend more on Hollywood **** a month I bet.

[Cyborg]

Well Deus, if you go back to the original post that mine referred to, you see that it basically implied that Bernstein was insane; this from someone who as far as I can tell has no knowledge or credentials beyond a few rumors they might have picked up here or there.
If you want to disgree with Bernstein from a reasoned position that's fine. I have my own diagreements, but I greatly respect him for what he knows, what he's done and the fact he had to fight like **** to do it.
I don't know where anyone can say that he is not up todate with the latest treatments and technology. It's true that he is sceptical of much of it, but that a characteristic of wisdom that you don't expect from a 20 year old.
And get off the "Oh OH he charge 20 dollars for his book. He's ripping you off" thing. Grow up. That is about the minimum you can charge for a full size hard bound book. You complain makes you look foolish. You spend more on Hollywood **** a month I bet.

I could swear I found the entire book posted onlineby someone. I can try and dig up the link if anyone is interested.

[Shellbelly]

What type of meter do you use now? Luckly I get my strips from my moms friends mom who gets a million strips from Medicare or something and she gives them to me, along with all the needles for the tester.....that I dont use. Maybe if we have the same meter I can mail some to ya??? I use the One Touch Ultra Smart.

[Cyborg]

What type of meter do you use now? Luckly I get my strips from my moms friends mom who gets a million strips from Medicare or something and she gives them to me, along with all the needles for the tester.....that I dont use. Maybe if we have the same meter I can mail some to ya??? I use the One Touch Ultra Smart.

If no one takes you up on it, I could use some extra strips while evaluating the DexCom CGMS...

[Shellbelly]

Sure just let me know!!!

[DeusXM]

If you want to disgree with Bernstein from a reasoned position that's fine.

As far as I'm aware, I did. I believe I pointed out that he has this attitude that he alone has the solution to diabetes and that *his* way is the best way. And also then encourages those who accept that to become somewhat belligerant about defending him.

At the risk of sparking off a flame war, you've rather neatly proved my point that people who follow Bernstein tend to be rather difficult to have a rational conversation about diabetes with.

I don't know where anyone can say that he is not up todate with the latest treatments and technology.

Simple. His entire treatment plan simply doesn't take into account pretty much every single development in diabetes treatment in the last ten years. Following a low-carb diet is now just one of many options available to people with diabetes. If people wish to take that option then that's fine. I just object to the assertion that it's the only option.

And get off the "Oh OH he charge 20 dollars for his book. He's ripping you off" thing. Grow up. That is about the minimum you can charge for a full size hard bound book.

Which then begs the question, why doesn't he publish in paperback? Or offer the entire text of his book online on his website? It's not an 'oh oh he's making money' objection - it's that if his intentions for diabetes were as benign as his acolytes made out, he wouldn't even think of charging.

My objection to Bernstein isn't against the work he's done; it's to the attitude and sheer cult-of-personality he generates around himself. Go look at his website forum. Each and every person there is a pig-headed bigot and they will simply explode at the suggestion that you can have diabetes, eat pizza and then just take some more insulin to cover it. Bernstein isn't insane but I'm not so sure about some of his acolytes.

You complain makes you look foolish.

I don't believe I complained; I just pointed out flaws.

You spend more on Hollywood **** a month I bet.

Given that the last movie I paid any money to see was Sahara, we may be onto a bit of a loser here. In any case, I've certainly never spent £15 on entertainment and then insisted to everyone else that it was the definitive piece of entertainment and that anyone who disagreed was totally and utterly wrong.

[seacomp]

At the risk of sparking off a flame war
That would of no value to you, to me, or the members of the Forum so I agree with you there. And I'm happy to be shown wrong on the Hollywood thing.
Otherwise, there are some issues:albertein .
For the time being, let's leave it at that (I'll got some work to do).