Diabetes testing supplies

iahawkeye83 · 2025-05-01T15:55:10+00:00

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.

Dks01

I am T2, diagnosed about a decade ago. Metformin works well, combined with Jardiance. I do blood sugars 2x daily. My A1C is 6.7 to 6.9. My GP is quite happy with that. I control my eating. I lost about 50 lbs once I started on Metformin. I am comfortable and feel better than I ever did

px_eliezer_

I agree with the other comments that you should get a 2nd opinion.

Your treatment sounds a bit on the aggressive side.

Younger doctors are so gung-ho on new medications, older doctors pay attention to the risks too.

Dks01

px_eliezer_ My GP (he’s older than me) was a bit concerned about my cholesterol. I can’t take any of the new meds because of reactions. He put me on a low, low dose (microdosing) of an older med. It’s working.

iahawkeye83

Dks01 they put me on the smallest dose of the generic to Crestor because of my out of control triglycerides. All my other cholesterol numbers are within the normal range.

And I can see why they are treating it aggressively. One is my sh*t diet. I don’t eat the greatest diet, not that I don’t want to but healthy food costs more than crap food. I see it in the supermarket when ringing up groceries. You’ll see soccer moms buying all organic produce and “healthy food” and they will pay three times what a cart full of junk/processed foods costs. And sometimes it’s just cheaper and more convenient to go get restaurant food, especially since it’s just me at the house. After a full day of work I usually don’t feel like cooking so I’ll stop by a restaurant and get food on the way home.

But watching the way grandma died (she died from complications of diabetes) this is definitely a wake up call. My dad was a diabetic. Grandma was on my mom’s side.

My blood sugar this morning (before eating lunch or drinking anything) was 117. Normal fasting should be below 100.

Dks01

iahawkeye83 Those are tight numbers. We use the UK m/mol scale. My blood sugar was 7.4 this morning or 133 on your scale. My evening measurement is usually 6.7 or 120. My doctor is happy with that.

iahawkeye83

Rich221976 I’ve probably have been diabetic (or prediabetic) for years and they are just now calling it diabetes. I have been on the Gabapentin for many years for numbness and tingling in the feet which has likely been caused by elevated blood sugars. It’s just that they have been hesitant to call it diabetes because they have been relying too heavily on the A1C test and I’m questioning whether I might have factors that might be affecting the accuracy of the A1C (medications, undiagnosed condition, etc) that might be affecting the accuracy of the A1C as the glucose readings and the A1C don’t align.

g121

Dks01 iahawkeye83 Those are tight numbers. We use the UK m/mol scale. My blood sugar was 7.4 this morning or 133 on your scale. My evening measurement is usually 6.7 or 120. My doctor is happy with that.

but iahawkeye83 is decades younger than you thus he has many more decades for “high sugars” to do damage ..

iahawkeye83 And sometimes it’s just cheaper and more convenient to go get restaurant food, especially since it’s just me at the house. After a full day of work I usually don’t feel like cooking so I’ll stop by a restaurant and get food on the way home.

We understand that feeling but it’s really a cop out. If you really want to do better, you plan & you do. Once you get more disciplined, you’ll see it’s not that hard. & Carb reduction plays a big part in reducing blood sugars.

Somewhat-Reticent

Rich221976 … to exercise more now. to lose weight.

Aerobic exercise burns calories and builds BMR.

Muscle weighs more than fat. Weight alone is not a great measure.

Somewhat-Reticent

iahawkeye83 diet

Sequence matters. What you eat first affects digestion timing.
Eat sugars last, carbs near-last, oils & aminos sooner, fiber first ( or first-ish ).

iahawkeye83

g121 but iahawkeye83 is decades younger than you thus he has many more decades for “high sugars” to do damage ..

Which is probably why they are probably taking a more aggressive approach to treating it. Given that I’m only 41 and potentially have a lot of life ahead of me they are probably being more aggressive for good reason and I can see the point. If I were like say in my 70s or 80s they might not be as aggressive given advanced age and geriatric patients don’t tolerate treatment as well (I’m not saying that elderly are not worthy of treatment, every human life is just as important). They are just trying to slow the disease from progressing because it’s an awful disease (although I would take diabetes over cancer), my grandmother died of complications of diabetes, had both legs amputated in a futile attempt to save her (my aunt was desperately trying to save grandma). Personally I think grandma should have been in hospice from the start of her having complications given her age and the fact she had sepsis. I knew from the start she wasn’t coming back but I wasn’t the decision maker. When the hospital staff came in and told me that my mom’s cancer had spread and was advanced to the point of no return it just made a difficult decision easier to move my mom to hospice given what I had witnessed with grandma.

HFB1217

The Glycemic index is a measure used to determine how much a food can affect your blood sugar levels if you want good control like what was said about the order of ingestion you should use and be familiar with the Glycemic Index and use it for meal construction.
Example White Bread on that scale is worse than Sugar For absorption and Blood Sugars
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/glycemic-index

Here is a link to the Chart as well as much information and an APP for your phone
https://glycemic-index.net/glossary/glycaemic-index/

Dks01

g121 The standard for A1C is 6.0 no matter what the age. At least that’s what my lab tests say.

vaxvms

iahawkeye83 One is my sh*t diet. I don’t eat the greatest diet, not that I don’t want to but healthy food costs more than crap food. After a full day of work I usually don’t feel like cooking so I’ll stop by a restaurant and get food on the way home.

You may want to consider using a slow cooker for your evening meal. Load it in the morning and when you come home a healthy warm meal will be waiting. Living by yourself means you will get more than one meal so you need to cook less often There’s no need to get organic food. to eat healthy.

broknsymetry

An Instant Pot and an air fryer are good time savers too.

px_eliezer_

Dks01 The standard for A1C is 6.0 no matter what the age. At least that’s what my lab tests say.

Standards can differ between countries and even sometimes between lab companies (but A1C in the US is pretty clear).

In general here, ideal is A1C below 5.7%
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/a1c-test/about/pac-20384643

Good crossover information from A1C, Glucose in mg/dL, and Glucose in mmol/L, on that SAME LINK.

Dks01

My labs are absolutely explicit about the line. They print all normal ranges, including A1C, so you know where you stand. I see the results before my GP does as the lab makes them available through their portal.

Beachie

broknsymetry An Instant Pot and an air fryer are good time savers too.

I recently bought a Ninja 10 in 1 that “lets you pressure cook, slow cook, steam, make yogurt, sear/sauté, air fry crisp, bake/roast, broil, dehydrate, and keep foods warm”. It works like a charm and my counter space thanked me LOL.

px_eliezer_

iahawkeye83 You’ll see soccer moms buying all organic produce and “healthy food” and they will pay three times what a cart full of junk/processed foods costs.

I don’t know, seems that fresh fruits and vegetables should cost less than junk food and other highly processed foods.

Doesn’t have to be “organic” which is usually a gimmick.

And fruits and veggies should cost less than beef or pork…

Blackbird

px_eliezer_ I don’t know, seems that fresh fruits and vegetables should cost less than junk food and other highly processed foods.

Doesn’t have to be “organic” which is usually a gimmick.

Fruits and veggies are seasonal and can be more labor/good-acreage intensive than livestock. Moreover, “fresh” invariably results in higher spoilage/losses in transport and point-of-sale. Unfortunately, junk and highly-processed foods can be run down automated assembly lines at lower unit-costs (and higher profit) than the alternatives… thank Henry Ford for bringing that principle into widespread use.

broknsymetry

Blackbird Fruits and veggies are seasonal and can be more labor/good-acreage intensive than livestock

Are you including the labor/good-acreage required to grow the feed?

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