Guest guest Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Hi Marie and everyone else. In the US there are generally 3 ways to get a meter at low or no cost. The doctor's office, where it is frequently billed as a medical device to insurance, although endocrinologists here are often also given meters to hand out, coupons/rebates for retail purchases, and buyback programs from the manufacturers who often have periods where they " buy " your old meter. As you already noted, testing is expensive due to the cost of the strips, and here in the US the manufacturers find it beneficial to practically give the things away. You might find someone who has a meter they are no longer using at a support group, as well as a limited supply of test strips. I believe there have been recent studies showing that tight control of blood glucose levels benefits type 2 diabetes. If you haven't seen a diabetes specialist (endocrinologist in the US) then you might ask for a referral to see one several times, or ask for a second opinion for the testing. Your doctor should also be testing your hemoglobin A1C (glycated hemoglobin or glycosylated hemoglobin) which measures how the blood glucose level is doing over time. If I remember correctly, it measure the amount of sugar that is stuck to the red blood cells. Really, you need both tests to measure how you are doing. Your hemoglobin A1C will not necessarily show if your blood glucose level spikes after meals, and may be low with some medical conditions that cause rapid red blood cell change over. For the GI, try http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/m29.htm which seems to have a good overview and a lot of links. It sounds like you have the dietary part down already. Good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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