Spec me a ..... Diabetes test meter thingy for blood sugar level

I suggest the Roche. Lloyd s pharmacy and Boots do free tests. I would suggest that he has one. He should not eat anything for 12 hours prior to the test. If it proves borderline then a gp should arrange a glucose tolerance test probably at the local hospital. This is again 12 hours prior not eating after the first blood test for the base line a glass of glucose is taken some 2 hours later another blood test is taken.
Roche
https://www.accu-chek.co.uk/gb/basi...ic&adpos=1t1&gclid=CIid5PPh0K8CFaJYmAoduy_zEw
The test strips are availble on prescription
 
Glaucus said:
I know what diabetics get, my mum is one.
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but there are different levels of diabetics and not just Type 1 or 2.
Most diabetics are like me who take their Metaformin or are even diet controlled and get along fine.
Other diabetics, like my mate, has to check his blood about every 4 hours and then work out how much insulin to give himself.
Apart from him, who has a real problem, I don't know any diabetics who check themselves.
Once a year I have to sit a test where they take my blood, give me a glass of glucose, I have to wait 2 hours and then take more blood to see how my body got rid of the glucose.
You only need a testing kit if the GP or Nurse advises you to have one.
 
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I'm a type 2 diabetic taking Metformin.

The diabetes nurse I see only goes on the HbA1C blood test every 3 months.

I think meters are only useful if you're taking insulin.
 
A little extra story to my diabetes:
I was diagnosed about 3 to 4 years ago and basically haven't really suffered.
I've gone from diet control > 2 metaformin > 3 metaformin but nothing has happened to scare me and I've always said that I needed a scare.
Anyway, about 2 months ago I came downstairs, turned on my PC and I couldn't read the monitor :eek:
I thought I was very tired but got to work and it was a major problem all day.
I went to Tesco and bought some reading glasses but the wife made me make an appointment with the GP (I did make a thread about Varifocal specs at the time).
He sent me up to Pathology for tests and I had lost my sight because my blood sugars had significantly gone up.
I was advised to take my diet seriously and within 1 week of going on the Slimming World diet my sight had come back.
In the last 2 months I've gone from size 40 waist to size 36 and hopefully still going down (I don't do weight).
My running is the best I've ever done and I went from (for me) a fast time of 27mins 17secs for a 5K run and at the weekend I did 21 mins 54 secs :eek:
I'm taking my diet serious now and my fitness but the trouble with me is I have fads and then balloon back up again but I can't do it this time.
 
Dimple said:
/snip
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Nice one for getting control of things.

But it highlights why this is really a medical thread and that the only sound advice is to go to a GP. Your blood levels on a meter can be absolutely fine or you can not even know what you are looking for. A decent GP will run more appropriate tests and have the ability to distinguish signs people on here would not think of. You can run certain symptoms through google and it well tell you have MS when in fact it is diabetes you need to be looking at and vice versa.
 
Close thread or guy will go buy one, use it wrong or get a dud and sue us all in GD!


Why waste money when you can go see the GP that you are already paying through taxes anyway?
 
shadesofgrey said:
Close thread or guy will go buy one, use it wrong or get a dud and sue us all in GD!


Why waste money when you can go see the GP that you are already paying through taxes anyway?
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Way over reaction. :confused:

People are getting confused with 2 things.

1 - I am not asking how to test for diabetes, its symptoms, diagnoses or treatment.

2 - I am asking on the actual spec of a electrical product. Advantages and disadvantages of types (if there are different types). I am not even asking you how to use it, when to use it or where to stick it. Thank you Johnny for your advice re the colour screen and USB logging, I didn't know they do that. (I am after these info, it is hardly medical is it?)

Technical information on the specification and differences of these machines on the market.

Think of it as me asking for what is the prefer brand of toaster. Nobody is going to die using one, and if I were to throw it in the bath with it plugged in, it is hardly GD's fault is it?
 
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Just go get a free test at Lloyds its how I found out I had diabetes and then they found my kidney disease.

Best thing I ever did.
 
There are lots of blood sugar testing kits on the market but they all pretty much do the same thing some come with a few more things added on like Johnny69 said but it’s all gimmicky.
 
I wouldn't bother with the meters to be honest. Just be aware of the symptoms and get him to the doc when you think something is wrong.

I have type 2 brought on from shock. I only started using my meter (I got it when I was first diagnosed in 07) when I started on insulin.
 
Raymond -
Even after 4 years of diabetes I have never looked it up and I have no idea of the symptons diabetics can suffer (I've worked out pee'ing a lot is one of them).
I have no interest in Google self diagnosis and prefer my GP to tell me what's up.
DO NOT buy a meter because the person will not know what they are reading until they've had proper tests and a GP/Nurse has advised them to use one for insulin.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Think of it as me asking for what is the prefer brand of toaster. Nobody is going to die using one, and if I were to throw it in the bath with it plugged in, it is hardly GD's fault is it?
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Except it is not a toaster. It is a device used for measurements to guide and inform medical treatment. You are correct you most likely won't die using one but if you don't use it properly you could well lure yourself into a false sense of confidence resulting in renal failure, eyesight loss, etc or you could scare yourself silly over something inconsequential.

Do you know what the safe values are?
Do you have money to throw away on what are very expensive test strips?
Are you wholly confident that the test will give you a complete picture?

Interesting fact for you Raymond Lin - nurses train for on average for 3 years these days. When they are qualified they can take patients after operations, give a wide range of medicines eg oral etc (not IV or chemo etc) but they can not perform blood sugar level analysis without further training. There is a reason for that.

In effect what you are asking is this: You - "Spec me a CPU" - OcUK "well what other parts do you have" - You "Arggh don't worry about this it'll be fine" - OcUK "errrrr" - You "It'll be fine I have one of them AMDIntel thingies they all the same innit!"
 
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Sigh,

Let's get a few facts straight, again.

I am not going to google for self diagnosises.
I am not going to get training on how to use it or read it of google or any one of you online. I'll leave that to the professional.
I WILL get him to see a GP to get proper tests regularly. He has BUPA with a comprehensive cover that offers full annual health checks

However, in between that, should he be curious. He can use it at home to keep any eye on it, after the advice from GP. Therefore, it still need the small matter of knowing what to look out for in terms of spec, should he decide to buy one of these.

Of course I'll make him see a doctor if there are any symptoms, I have never said I won't and will rely on this 100%.

Hence this thread.
 
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I'd suggest going to one of the diabetic forums for this info. I've used meters for the last 16 odd years (I'm a type I diabetic) and to me they are all pretty much the same. It is the lancing device I'm most interested in not the meter. I love my softclick II and it has out lived many meters. I know from talking with other diabetics that don't get strips via prescription that Abbott are willing to sell to the public fairly cheap. I think strip cost is the main thing you should look at.

I don't think there is any harm in using one but agree he should go to his GP.
 
Dimple said:
Raymond -
Even after 4 years of diabetes I have never looked it up and I have no idea of the symptons diabetics can suffer (I've worked out pee'ing a lot is one of them).
I have no interest in Google self diagnosis and prefer my GP to tell me what's up.
DO NOT buy a meter because the person will not know what they are reading until they've had proper tests and a GP/Nurse has advised them to use one for insulin.
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Dumbest thing I have ever read to be honest. Being aware of your body and its changes is really important, especially where conditions like diabetes are concerned.

I only went to my doctor because I developed symptoms that, when I looked them up on Google, indicated I might have had a problem. Lo and behold, my blood sugars were at 17 and I was diagnosed with type 2.

Have been in remission since last April following surgery and haven't looked back. There is a school of thought out there that you can reverse diabetes but for now I am labelled with it for life even though I don't take medication or even have to specifically watch my sugar intake; no differently from any other person eating sensibly.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I am not going to google for self diagnosises.
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No, you have already decided on a potential diagnosis. My point was you have already made that assumption without any evidence towards it.

Raymond Lin said:
I am not going to get training on how to use it or read it of google or any one of you online. I'll leave that to the professional.
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So you are asking for guidance on which medical device you should buy but you are not going to train yourself to use but rather then expect a medical professional to guide you on something they may feel is not the most appropriate device or the best option. :confused:

Raymond Lin said:
I WILL get him to see a GP to get proper tests regularly. He has BUPA with a comprehensive cover that offers full annual health checks
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So do this first.

Raymond Lin said:
However, in between that, should he be curious. He can use it at home to keep any eye on it, after the advice from GP. Therefore, it still need the small matter of knowing what to look out for in terms of spec, should he decide to buy one of these.
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No. With a familial history just go to the GP ...

Raymond Lin said:
Of course I'll make him see a doctor if there are any symptoms, I have never said I won't and will rely on this 100%.
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What symptoms exactly? Are you even sure they are exclusive to diabetes.

I am knocking you - your concern is admirable. However, like I pointed out there is a reason people are trained in this as it is not as clear cut as you seem to think. But I suspect you will do what you want to anyway despite anyone's protestations to the opposite.

Good luck I am sure you won't need it but look at it from my point of view. Years of picking up the pieces of late presentation of a variety of things because people listened to the wrong people, found the wrong advice or completely ignored it.

Like I say good luck. I am sure it will be all okay.
 
If he goes to the docs they'll prob do a pee test and maybe a blood test to see if he's at risk.

If he is, chances are they'll give me a machine for free, the companies give them away for free as a loss leader, they make their money from selling the test strips.

These meters only tell give you the heading there and then, which can vary depending on the time of day, what food's been eaten and exercise.

The doctors want to diagnose diabetes ASAP as early treatment can stop a lot more drastic things happening later on, blindness and amputations.
 
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