Diabetes testing supplies

iahawkeye83

I have been on the borderline for diabetes for many years due to poor diet and family history and my A1C has been hovering around 5.6 for many years so first they start me on Metformin (keep in mind they are kicking the can down the road) and then they add in Ozympic to get my weight down and A1C is still 5.6 so at my last doctors appointment the provider looks at me and said “your A1C is 5.6 WITH two diabetes medications, YOU’VE GOT DIABETES”. So he puts me on a cholesterol lowering drug, a daily aspirin and a blood pressure pill to protect my kidneys. And he gives me a script for diabetes testing supplies. I go with the OneTouch Verio meter so I can sync it with my iPhone and associated app. Luckily my insurance covers that brand.

I’ve noticed that the selection of diabetes meters has gone down over the years. Is that because they have fallen out of favor for the Continuous Glucose Monitors? I am currently not insulin dependent so I don’t qualify for a CGM under insurance (would have to self-pay and they don’t come cheap) but are CGMs the new standard for diabetes testing and glucose monitoring.

I just wish CGMs would have been around when grandma was alive but she might have been contraindicated on them because she had very brittle skin. She had to be on an air mattress when she was in the hospital in her final days.

Somewhat-Reticent

iahawkeye83 poor diet

Have your medics given any useful guidance on coping methods for that?
…
( Of course, that might reduce their revenue stream … )

Blackbird

iahawkeye83 my A1C has been hovering around 5.6 for many years so first they start me on Metformin (keep in mind they are kicking the can down the road) and then they add in Ozympic to get my weight down and A1C is still 5.6

In most venues, an A1C below 5.7 is considered “normal” (at least the reading by itself). Certainly, getting weight down is important - though Ozympic is a rather heavy club (given emerging reports of side effects) to do that unless dieting/food-control have failed to reduce your weight, I’m puzzled why they’ve moved on to metformin at that A1C level - it’s usually prescribed for higher pre-diabetes A1C levels or full-up T2 diabetes. Have you gotten a second opinion on this, as it sounds as though they’re being quite aggressive - at least, based on a 5.6 A1C level.

HFB1217

I have been an insulin dependent type-1 diabetic for 35 years of my 78 year life.
First off 5.6 is a normal A1C reading Blackbird is correct and is also asking the same question as myself of Why the Diabetic meds. Ozympic is a rather heavy club the side effects are sever and it cost your insurance over 1000 dollars a pen sorry to say some doctors prescribe it because they get a kick back for having patients use it.
Check it out on line there have been many exposes about Ozympic.

If I may ask with a 5.6 why has your doctor put you on meds was it higher before the meds or was your fasting blood sugars 100 or higher.
My Medication regiment is almost identical to yours

Blood Glucose meters have significantly developed and become more sophisticated and the multitude of prior meters and earlier testing methods have become obsolete so the field has narrowed and many have just been no ;longer in production for that reason.
With a few exceptions all the meters are highly accurate and dependable. The deciding factors are insurance coverage and cost, Using your phone app is convenient but a dedicated meter is the better way to go they are relatively inexpensive and usually covered by your insurance.
The general acceptable testing and even Medicare allows for twice daily blood sugar tests for type 2 diabetics.
With Meds, Diet Control, and Exercise along with weight loss if over weight you can control your type 2 perfectly.

iahawkeye83

Blackbird what actually happened is I have been having chronic fatigue lately so I made an appointment with my primary care provider but he is booked out until September so I saw another provider in the office (one of the nurse practitioners) and he ordered a bunch of labs and he was very thorough. The first visit he ordered the labs and scheduled an appointment two weeks later to go over the labs. It’s the second appointment he gave me the diagnosis. I had switched primary care practices last year because the previous provider went downhill (not the provider himself but his practice). The previous provider had put me on Metformin because my fasting sugars were elevated on labs and he put me on Ozympic because of fatty liver so he wanted to get my weight down. But the provider that I just saw said that the A1C of 5.6 WITH two diabetes meds is diabetes. He said the A1C would likely be higher if I was not on any diabetes medication.

But either way I can still get the Ozympic covered because they are no longer covering Ozympic for weight loss. I’ve lost a good 20 pounds on the Ozympic and just not eating as much since mom passed away.

iahawkeye83

HFB1217 in May of 2024 I had a fasting glucose reading of 135 (which was done at the lab). My most recent fasting glucose reading was 111 (which was also done at the lab). I just pulled this from my patient portal.

I also take a few different medications which can probably affect the accuracy of lab results. I’m wondering if there are any medications that can affect the accuracy of A1C tests.

timcuth

I am with the others. Your doctor is being very heavy-handed with these treatments. It is not my place to say, but my opinion is that you should look for another doctor.

Metformin kept my bowels very upset, so my cardiologist switched me to Farxiga with the concurrence of my general practictioner, who had prescribed the Metformin. Now my fasting blood glucose is testing between 90-99 almost every morning, occasionally going a little over 100. My last A1C result was 5.8 in March.

I have lost 30 lbs since I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in September, 2024. My diet is very restrictive of sugar and salt. I am learning to stay away from processed foods, too. Things are getting better.

broknsymetry

My VA doctor started me on metformin 5 years ago when my A1C was 7.0 for 2 labs. I now take 1000mg twice a day. After my reaction and hospitalization from the Moderna vaccine 4 years ago I was put on Ozempic and Jardiance (I also take several other medications and supplements). I have lost about 35-40 pounds, but my last A1C was 9.5. I have requested the VA switch me to Mounjaro but this requires special permission since it is not on their formulary. I meet all their criteria but the doctor won’t do it just yet.

sempergoofy

iahawkeye83 I’ve noticed that the selection of diabetes meters has gone down over the years. Is that because they have fallen out of favor for the Continuous Glucose Monitors? I

My bona fides: T1 insulin dependent since 1973, now in year 52 of my 65 years. The answer to the quoted question is that both finger stick blood glucose meters and continuous glucose monitors are both useful tools. A CGM measures glucose in interstitial fluid beneath the skin, not blood glucose. They (CGMs) therefore have drawbacks. For example, there is a delay of time before interstitial fluid reflects where the blood glucose actually was shortly ago. (A good way to think about it is a mile long freight train going through mountains. While the engine is climbing or descending, what the heck is the caboose doing right now?)
In summary, use the right tool for the job.
A finger stick gives you point in time accuracy.
A CGM gives you many more data points so you can see how you are trending over time with accuracy, but potential inaccuracies compared to finger stick until it catches up. When you need best accuracy, or the way you feel doesn’t match the CGM, you reach for the blood glucose meter. CGMs also require calibration, and that is done with value from finger stick.

Sparkchaser

iahawkeye83 my primary care provider but he is booked out until September

WOW! I’m irritated if it’s not the same week. What part of the country is this? That’s awful.

iahawkeye83

Sparkchaser Springfield, Massachusetts.

HFB1217

iahawkeye83

Since you live in Mass the Primer Diabetic Care Center is in Boston They are the equivalent of the Mayo Clinic for Diabetes Care and Diagnosis
The Joslin Diabetes Center https://joslin.org/make-an-appointment
I have been to them and they have been at the forefront of discovery, and committed to preventing and curing diabetes worldwide.
Please go there to really get the most accurate diagnosis of your condition. Your Insurance should Cover it The Clinic does the Billing

HFB1217

@“iahawkeye83”#
There are so many meds that affect, delay and alter readings and med actions that a specialized clinic can tell you if any of your meds or meds in conjunction have an affect

vaxvms

Have you tried using one of the highly accurate Android apps that can monitor blood glucose? I mean, really, how can you not trust a free app? /sarcasm

iahawkeye83

vaxvms I use the iPhone companion app that goes alongside the OneTouch Verio Flex Meter. It connects to the meter via Bluetooth and keeps a digital logbook on my phone and integrates with Apple Health.

Rich221976

iahawkeye83 I use the iPhone companion app that goes alongside the OneTouch Verio Flex Meter. It connects to the meter via Bluetooth and keeps a digital logbook on my phone and integrates with Apple Health.

That’s the meter I started with. I still use it but I use it much less now that I am using a CFM meter now.

I am surprised that they have decided to say you have diabetes. Usually you have to have your A1c elevated for 2 months at 6.5 to be diagnosed.

I was so close to being diagnosed a few times. I was in the 6.3 - 6.4 range for years on end. I wish I could have been diagnosed sooner though to be honest. I was being affected by the higher range as a diabetic but couldn’t get diagnosed.

Most of my issues that I have had with my diabetes hit me in the pre-diabetic range. I was already getting the nerve pain from it in my legs.

I ended up getting two tests at 8.4 that got me diagnosed as diabetic. I had to find a really good endo to help get my sugars in range.

I do like the fact that some doctors have started to treat pre-diabetic as diabetes like your doctor is.

Rich221976

So I use the One Touch Vero Flex to check my sugars to verify that the CGM is correct. Sometimes the readings are off so I will test before treating a high. I also need to use it when my sugar goes over 350 since the FreeStyle Libre 3 only can go up to 350.

I have a script that allows me to test up to 6 times a day if needed. I asked my Endo to increase the test scripts for me and since I am on insulin now I can get that filled.

I already hit my out of pocket of 2000.00 so now the insurance cover everything with no charge to me. So I was also given the FreeStyle Libre to use as well. The insurance for me requires a prior authorization but they approved that for me since I am on insulin

It’s not always accurate but it gives me an idea what different foods causes my sugar to go high. Since everyone is different different foods do different things to the blood glucose. Now I do use my iPhone but the freestyle libre doesn’t integrate with Apple Health like the One Touch Verio does.

I had to download a second app and set that up to be able to access my readings from the Freestyle Libre to be able to integrate that with Apple Health. So it updates Apple Health for me now.

I can’t take Metformin. It did a major number to me. I was doing really good with Ozempic. However, since I have gastroparesis I can no longer take Ozempic. I wish I could since Ozempic gave me really good weight loss. However, I couldn’t take the symptoms that it was causing.

It also caused people to leave the room. I had to stop using it when my BM because only once a week, sometimes even biweekly. Also the burps were bad. I would clear out a room when I burped. I could deal with the lower amount of BM’s in a month with laxatives, but the burps killed me. I would even leave the room it was so bad.

When my mom was in the hospital for her back issues, I accidentally burped in the hallway there, and the nurses were checking the patients because of it.

Rich221976

Sparkchaser

Sparkchaser iahawkeye83 my primary care provider but he is booked out until September

My primary care doctor was like for a short time. Sometimes they were so booked that I had to call every morning to try and get an appointment. Sometimes I would have to go to an urgent care place to get treated.

However, mine has change it for the better now. You call them and you can either get in the same day or the next day depending on when you call them. They have what they are calling “after hour” appointments now.

Rich221976

HFB1217

HFB1217 have been an insulin dependent type-1 diabetic for 35 years of my 78 year life.
First off 5.6 is a normal A1C reading Blackbird is correct and is also asking the same question as myself of Why the Diabetic meds. Ozympic is a rather heavy club the side effects are sever and it cost your insurance over 1000 dollars a pen sorry to say some doctors prescribe it because they get a kick back for having patients use it.
Check it out on line there have been many exposes about Ozympic.

That makes me do wonder if that’s why your doctor diagnosed you as diabetic. I know that for my health insurance, they decided to start requiring prior authorizations. I was getting the Ozempic before they started to require the PA. I was able to get the medication approved because I was being treated for Diabetes type 2.

However, I do know that my insurance does not pay for the weight loss versions of the same meds. I know that most insurance companies began cracking down on the medications because they were being used for weight loss and not for diabetes. For a while, Ozempic was on the backorder list. I had a hard time finding the medication for a month.

I do agree that 5.6 is normal and pre-diabetes is from 5.7 to 6.4. 6.5 > Diabetes. And you normally have to test twice above the 6.4 to be considered diabetic.

I don’t see an issue with anyone that is pre-diabetic to take metformin. It’s been the front line drug for a while now. I was prescribed that first, but I had to stop taking it because it was causing a sore throat for me.

It also seems like that Ozempic is the second drug that Endo’s like.

Rich221976

iahawkeye83 The previous provider had put me on Metformin because my fasting sugars were elevated on labs and he put me on Ozympic because of fatty liver so he wanted to get my weight down. But the provider that I just saw said that the A1C of 5.6 WITH two diabetes meds is diabetes. He said the A1C would likely be higher if I was not on any diabetes medication.

I can see why the doctors are saying since you’re at 5.6 with two diabetes medications.

iahawkeye83 But either way I can still get the Ozempic covered because they are no longer covering Ozympic for weight loss. I’ve lost a good 20 pounds on the Ozempic and just not eating as much since mom passed away.

I was able to lose about 50-60 pounds on Ozempic. I do miss not taking it since I lost a good amount of weight, My A1c was at 6.6. It was controlled so I was able to reduce and remove some of the meds that I was on.

Now that I am on insulin, I been gaining weight. Both from eating more and also from the insulin. I am slowly building up the ability to exercise more now. to lose weight.

When I was on Ozempic, I would go a few days without eating because I was just not hungry. I also couldn’t eat very much at the time since it slowed my system. I dealt with the side effects for a few years just to keep the diabetes under control.