As a type 1 diabetic, avoiding excessive high and low blood sugar levels is the best way to keep my toes and to prevent dramatic hypoglycemic episodes at the grocery store or on airplanes. Keeping my blood glucose level under tight control is imperative to my health, well being, and longevity. The best way for me to control my glucose level is to know exactly what my glucose level is at all times, or at least a couple times an hour. To achieve this using my current OneTouch Ultra glucose monitor, at a rate of one test strip for every waking half hour, I would go through 32 test strips per day. Or, to be really spot on accurate, I would have to test every 10 minutes, nearly 100 test strips a day. But worse, I’d have to prick my finger and draw blood every single time. That is insane, and not feasible from my perspective nor the insurance company’s. But finally, the new Dexcom G4. A simple, compact continuous glucose monitoring system that tests every 5 minutes (= to 200 test strips a day) and reports glucose levels to a pocket sized device that displays result and tracks trends. I can see my blood sugar anytime I want, with no prick of the finger, no wasteful plastic bio-hazard test strips, and tighter control. With alarms for highs and lows, this seems like the ultimate safety system, and the next step in precise blood sugar management. I want one. I have emailed my doctor. (The cost of 100 test strips over the counter is about $150. I currently use about 300-400 test strips per month. The Dexcom costs about $1200 for the device and another $350 per month for the once-a-week disposable sensors.)
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:10:29 +0000
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