This excellent post for a few key reasons.
As I use insulin and also watching BG to catch it going sub 100 and hitting the liver emergency add when bg drops sub 70, the delayed averaged respons of the Dexcom can be pain in the derriere.
Another issue is the accuracy of finger prick readings on my body.
Not withstanding using alcohol swabs and fresh lancet on each caveman reading; I have found most reliably that it pays to take a readiing from my best finger on each hand. Many times the two readings are within +/- 10 points. Other times they can be 210 on one hand and 164 on the other. I then run another test on a different finger on the high reading hand and the new reading swings to within 10+/- 10 points of the lower hand. I average that and use as a BG entry for dex.
The clot morans who peddle this stuff and textbook instructions how one gets a perfect reading every time on the caveman machine completely ignore the physics and chemistry of the human body. The blood system is a highway/pipe that liver, kidneys all dump into along with lungs - oxygen , hormones etc.
The things added are done so in block and NOT perfectly sized - stoichimetrically sized, fixed packet size and mixed so that finger stick readings remain stable.
Munch on a glucose tablet and immediatly test with caveman machine and see how high ones BG soars to giving one miocardial infarction.
The blood system is more analgous to the ethernet where things are stuffed on willy nilley not like token ring whereby all packets are same size and perfectly lined up and timed.
If you have never seen a big liver do a liver dump adding glucose and watch BG soar to 511 -max and slide back down to 278-311 as heart averages/dilutes the glucose as it pumps around the body, you are missing an interesting show.
So, yes, 10 strips a day plus $ 300 plus per month on dexcom sensors.
At its best, assuming perfect readings every time doing one strip per reading; then one has 2 strips a day for calibration and 3 to 4 strips to dose insulin or more - 3 meals plus night time shot). That is 6 caveman strips a day strips assuming no caveman mis readings.
Lows are always the issue and thats why this farce discussion ove acceptability of +/- 20 % is a farce and unacceptable. High end - no sweat.
Once my readings get down to under 110, my body starts really moving the glucose and I can see it shoot lower fast and fly past 100 and be at 70 in a heart beat.
I am one of those tired and fed up with all the apologist clap trap and FDA inaction and rear end coverup excusing this.
My read is my most optimistic costs are running:
a) 31.00 a 50 strip barrel mail order at 10 strips a day is:
0.62 a strip x 10 = 6.20 a day x 30 = $ 186 per month
assuming one gets 12 days use per sensor and price of 310 for 4 sensors;
a single sensor is 77.50.
30 days will require 30 / 12 x 77.50 = 193.75 per month
* total combined best case costs would be $ 379.75
worst case costs assuming 7 days use per dexcom plus 10 sensors buying test strips at your local drug store at $ 77 a barrel would be:
strips 77/50 * 10 = $ 15.50 a day @ 30 days is $ 465 a day.
dexcom sensors = 30/7 * 77.50 = $333.25 per month of 30 days.
combined worst case costs - 7 days a sensor and $ 77 abarrel strips is $ 798.25
One can quickly get an idea of the punishing costs of diabetes and its care.
Bearing in mind this is a family orientated web site, I was told to watch my language.
That in mind costs like this tear people and families into the dirt with these crushing costs.
I am fed up with all the tax free associations that seem powerless to stop these outrageous costs. Politely put, I do not see any of them lifting a finget ( or in less polite words - doing jack crap over shinola) to get these costs under control. Maybe we need a punishing anti-trust action backed up with jail sentences to get somebody's attention.
On another front, I am delighted that President Obama has chosen his key agenda to give free birth control to a certain portion of our population.
Possible, the plight of diabetics could equally be addressed. Maybe California can stop taxing these supplies.
One lives in hope.