24 Feb 2008 12:33:29 | Kay Zetkin
Are you one of the 17 million people in the United States with
diabetes? Then you are aware that it is critical for you to be
monitoring for your blood sugar and have continuous treatment.
Keeping your blood sugar as close to normal as possible is the
all-important thing to do to lower the risk of any long-term
problems that are probable to occur in diabetes patients.
As you keep your vigil over your blood sugar level and keep
going on your diabetes treatment, here are five common mistakes
that you should avoid. Keeping in mind and avoiding these
mistakes is one of the good ways to continue your good health.
1.Doing your monitoring alone – it is very important to consider
developing a health care team that is constantly on the vigil as
to your health situation. The core of this health care team is
your doctor, a certified diabetic educator and a nutritionist.
For those with type 1 diabetes, it is all very well to add an
endocrinologist to be part of your core team also. Knowing why
you are testing your blood sugar is significant and what the
results mean. A testing routine may be set up with the help of
your team and don’t attempt to alter it without consulting them.
2.Ignoring specific routines and schedules – to be consistent in
monitoring your situation, do not stray off from the straight
and narrow. Getting accurate results depend on following
specific routines. Code your meter with every new box of test
strips. Control solutions are always handy for your use. This
way, you can accurately know that your test strips are accurate.
Usually, it is sufficient to have one test per box. That is so,
unless you left the remaining strips exposed for a prolonged
period of time. Tests that come up a number that does not match
your symptoms like having an abnormally high or low test reading
may be checked by having your meter coded properly. When this
happens, also make sure to do a control test before adjusting
medications. Reuse lancets may also lead to callused, infections
and increased pain. This is where a team member comes in handy.
Don’t hesitate to request for them go over proper procedures as
often as necessary.
3.Choosing unfit equipments – do not test with the dinosaurs.
Make self – monitoring of blood sugar easier and less painful.
It is important that you know how to choose and use your
equipment and that it fits your needs. There are meters that
give reliable reading that use under 3 micro liters of blood
only. Another new technology that could be added for your
diabetes medical supply is one that does not require finger
sticks. This testing technology lets you use alternate sites on
your body. Thus, you could choose a body part to check your
blood sugar with virtually zero pain, as compared to using
fingertips.
4.Moving your mouth more than your hips – it is best to get a
doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice with regards to taking on a
healthy diet. You also have to plan ahead so that you can stick
to it. Remember that obesity is one of the factors that can lead
to and worsen diabetes. Having an exercise regimen may also be
ideal for lowering your blood sugar. An activity that fits your
interest and lifestyle may be an ideal exercise regimen for you.
5.Using up too much budget on testing supplies – cost of testing
supplies can exceed to $1,200 a year for someone who tests their
blood sugar three times a day. Medicare and most third party
insurers cover some of the cost but you, as patient can incur
substantial out-of-pocket expenses while waiting for insurance
reimbursement. That is why it is very important to look for the
best deal on testing supplies. Look out there for companies that
help patients avoid too much expense. These companies take out
the hassle from the patient by letting having the ordered
supplies be billed directly to insurance providers and Medicare.
Patient does not have to face upfront costs, too.
By noting these common mistakes, choosing the best deals for
your diabetes home medical supply, and having your health care
team support you throughout you will be assured of a straight
road to recovery. -30-
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About Author :
Kay Zetkin discovered the pleasure of writing through her daily
journals as a teen-ager. Writing in it helped sort out her
thoughts, relieve her feelings and record what she observes of
the world.