Diabetes is a lifelong disease. If patients fail to control their blood sugar properly, it can induce many serious health problems. Therefore, it is very important to buy and use diabetes supplies and medications correctly.
For people with diabetes, learning to use a blood glucose meter to regularly check blood glucose levels and take medications as prescribed will be more beneficial in maintaining good health. With just a little practice, patients will be able to self-manage their diabetes just as they manage other aspects of their lives. If this can be done, patients’ quality of life, ability to exercise, and life satisfaction will improve significantly.
Why is home blood glucose testing important?
Home blood glucose testing is an essential part of achieving self-control of blood glucose and managing diabetes. The diabetes educator will tell the patient how often to test their blood glucose and how to use the glucose meter. It is important to have a diabetes educator on hand to supervise the first few times the glucometer is used. This will ensure that the patient is doing it correctly. Patients should measure their blood glucose at least once a day before breakfast, and preferably once at lunch, once at dinner and once before bedtime. The doctor may also ask for another measurement one hour after a meal.
Blood glucose levels obtained from fingertip blood collection reflect important changes in blood glucose levels more quickly than blood taken from other parts of the body. The routine steps for measuring blood glucose using a blood glucose meter are as follows:
- Puncture the fingertip with a blood collection needle
- Place a drop of blood on the test strip
- Put the test strip into the blood glucose meter
- Check the blood glucose level displayed on the meter
If the patient is using insulin to control blood glucose, the insulin dose can be changed based on the reading.
Checking blood glucose frequently can help patients avoid the serious consequences of extreme blood glucose spikes or sudden drops in blood glucose. Managing fatal blood glucose spikes and drops, when treatment is most effective, can save a patient’s life.
What diabetes supplies do patients need?
The use of diabetes supplies depends on the type of diabetes the patient has – type 1 or type 2 diabetes – but the following are usually purchased:
- A blood glucose meter
- Test strips
- A blood collection needle to take a blood sample
- Urinal test strips to measure urinary ketone levels (type 1 diabetes)
- Glucose tablets
- Emergency alarm bracelet
Patients may also need to purchase control solutions or other items, such as a suitcase.
What patients need to know about glucose meters
A portable blood glucose meter is a small device that uses battery power. There are many types of blood glucose monitoring devices on the market to choose from. Each brand and model has its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the price of glucose meters varies widely, depending on the features that patients need. These features include convenience, fast response, and accuracy.
One thing to keep in mind: some blood glucose meters require a larger volume of blood to test blood glucose. This can be a big problem for young children or older people with diabetes. Some glucose meters have a large display font for older patients or those with poor vision. Some glucose meters also give results faster, which is less time consuming and more convenient. Patients can also consider portability, size, and price as needed when choosing one.
Today, most glucose meters display results within 15 seconds and can save them for later comparison or for your doctor to see. Some meters can also calculate the average blood glucose level over time. Some meters come with software that can combine the values measured at that time with the patient’s previous values into a graph that can be displayed on a computer monitor or phone screen.
Patients can make adjustments based on the blood glucose values measured by the meter:
- The amount of medication to take, such as how much insulin to inject daily
- Daily dietary choices, counting carbohydrates
- Exercise regimen
- Physical activity
The results measured by the glucose meter can be saved and made available to the physician for review at the time of the visit. It is easy for physicians and diabetes educators to instruct patients on how to adjust their insulin dosage or diet based on changes in blood glucose.
Where can I buy diabetes supplies?
Patients can buy blood glucose meters, test strips, and other supplies from their local pharmacy or online pharmacy. The important thing to keep in mind, though, is to choose the most cost-effective products, just as you would with anything else. Always watch for reduced sales on diabetes products, and save money if the price is optimal. For example, patients can purchase generic medications to reduce costs. Generic drugs usually retail for much less than brand-name drugs.
The price of blood glucose meters can vary greatly depending on the brand and features. It is true that blood glucose meter test strips are not cheap, but this is money that cannot be saved; patients need it to test their blood glucose and avoid serious consequences. Checking only once or twice a day can save the cost of test strips. However, if you really want to do this, you should get permission from your doctor or diabetes educator first.
One thing for patients to remember when shopping for blood glucose meters, test strips, and other insulin supplies such as insulin pens: As of today, diabetes is incurable. Patients use diabetes supplies every day, whether they are at home, away for a weekend, or traveling around the world, and they will always be without them. Patients must consider diabetes management as part of their daily lifestyle; only then can they stay healthy and avoid life-threatening complications.
How do I keep my diabetes medications and supplies?
If the patient is on insulin, the doctor or diabetes educator will give detailed instructions on the proper way to store and use the insulin. Some manufacturers recommend that insulin be kept in the refrigerator. However, many people with diabetes report that injecting refrigerated insulin can cause pain.
To avoid pain caused by injections, many diabetes educators recommend that in-use insulin can be stored at room temperature. Insulin can be stored at room temperature for about 1 month. Many patients prefer to keep their diabetes supplies in a drawer in their kitchen or bedroom table. Blood glucose meters, insulin pens, insulin, blood collection needles, alcohol swabs, and other necessary supplies are kept together so that they are easy to keep and can be accessed at any time.
Think more in advance. Forgetting to bring medications and supplies when the situation is critical is not something any patient wants to encounter. So be sure to have extra supplies on hand to reduce the risk in the event of a diabetic emergency. If a patient is treated with insulin, keep an extra one in the refrigerator and another in a room temperature environment so that the insulin can reach a painless injection temperature before the injection.
Never leave insulin in a place that is too cold or too hot. Patients should always take their insulin home immediately after purchasing it from the pharmacy so that extreme weather does not affect the medication. The test strips should be kept dry, not exposed to moisture, and not placed in an area that is too hot or too cold, as this can affect their quality.
How can I remember to use my diabetes supplies in a timely manner?
The American Diabetes Association recommends a variety of memory aids. The following methods may be useful:
- Make measuring your blood glucose and taking your medication a daily habit, tied to other daily hygiene habits. For example, remember to measure your blood glucose and take your medication each morning when you shower, brush your teeth, or wash your face.
- Keep your insulin and glucose meter with you at all times. Put them in the same place after each use so they are available at the right time.
- Take the same medications at the same time and measure your blood glucose in the same way every day and slowly get into the habit. Keep measuring your blood sugar and treating your diabetes as part of your daily life so that you can best avoid serious complications.
- Set a timer every morning when you wake up and use it to remind patients when their next blood glucose measurement and medication will be taken.
- Make a reminder chart of what must be done each day. Whether it’s taking a medication or measuring blood glucose, mark each thing and cross it off when you’re done.
Are there devices that can help patients manage their diabetes?
There are many new tools available to help people with diabetes manage their diabetes just like anything else in their lives. For example, sophisticated software is available to help patients track and analyze trends in blood glucose levels over time. Patients can use these programs to download data directly from their blood glucose meter to their computer or phone, and then view the percentage of time their blood glucose levels fall within the normal range using the resulting charts. Patients can also view the percentage of time that their blood glucose was above or below normal. These programs don’t just help patients know when their blood sugar levels are changing and when they are staying stable. Doctors can also use it to see how a patient’s blood glucose is changing and make targeted recommendations to help them stay healthy.
Another way to help manage diabetes is to use a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). The CGMS has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to record changes in a patient’s blood sugar during the day and night. Patients can make adjustments to nutritional intake, activity levels, and medications based on the results of the monitoring.
There are also small disposable glucose meters that can be worn directly on the skin and hidden under clothing. Combination tools have emerged that can monitor blood glucose and control insulin dosing simultaneously.
What about insulin pumps?
Insulin pumps can keep a patient’s blood sugar at a more stable level, making diabetes easier to manage. But insulin pumps are expensive, and patients must also buy the parts needed to run the pump. Because diabetes is a lifelong disease, investing in an insulin pump can be worth it for some patients and may be too expensive for others.
What are the tricks to buying diabetes supplies?
- When buying diabetes supplies, shop around and choose the most cost-effective product.
- Buy your diabetes products from a reputable company and/or pharmacy.
- Don’t forget to check the date when buying diabetes medicines. If the medicine has expired or is about to expire, return the medicine.
- If the blood glucose meter is faulty, return that meter. It may happen that the glucose meter is dropped or damaged during shipping, so it is not certain that a new one is intact, so don’t risk your life and safety.
- If the test strip has been opened, return it for an unopened pack of test strips.