Apology accepted 
Oh, wait. Iām pretty compliant. And Iām type 1.
But I do tend to follow the ADA style diet.
So really, this study doesnāt have anything to do with me at all.
But it does bother me when clinical studies are set up to answer cost-benefit questions yet seem to completely ignore diabetes education, the encouragement of good self-management skills, and general well-being.
I love your comment that ādaily testing keeps you focused.ā I think that is right on.
Would be interesting to see someone design a clinical study to see whether that holds true for a large sample population.
I know it does for me, in the one-person science experiment that is my life with diabetes. Which is why clinical study results really arenāt very useful when it comes to each person deciding if and/or how to managing his or her diabetes, day in, day out.
I was dx 10 months ago as a type 2 my doctor told me to test only once a day. I have told him about some days I feel dazed and confused or have a sick stomach and a very bad headache. He stated that happens sometimes. So I disreguarded what he said and started testing when I felt it was needed since I was the one with diabetes. With increased testing I found out what was causing the dazed and confused and the sick stomach and very bad headaches they were lows as in 50ās and highs 250+ I spoke to my doctor about it he said its really not that big of a concern, because I havenāt been a diabetic long enough for him to establish a proper treat routine as of yet. So I test when I feel I need to and my numbers are doing very good my A1c was 5.7
Yikesā¦ sounds like time for a new doctor.
Hey Paul
I think you should reevaluate a doctor who does not take your symptoms into consideration. Advocating for testing once a day is for those who have managed to get their BG under control and not the newbies, how then was he supposed to establish a proper routine without the dataā¦quack
Hey John
I agree It is always about money, but here is my point on this, every study is conducted in a controlled environment with a strict set of rules and when they publish the findings which could easily be skewered to get the desired result, it slowly turns from a finding into an actionable result.
For example, a study such as this with its finding, winds up affecting a policy shift for some insurance company looking to cut costs and all of a sudden, you are getting an allowance for fewer strips, and told if you want to test more then it is an out of pocket expense.
what she saidā¦lol
The tests are not done according how the real world works. It is done under conditions set up by the testers.
It is not an arguable point that testing is necessary and has an effect on blood sugar levels. There can be no disputing this. an A1c every three months will not reveal the reason for the score, it will only give the score. If mine goes up from 5.0 to 6.0, I learn nothing.
The studies are done to provide fodder for the insurance companies to cut back and save money by preventing us from monitoring our own blood sugar levels, and going back to the time when we all had to guess at what was okay to eat, and what was not. In a million years, having spent a lifetime in electronics engineering, no one will ever convince me that strips should cost $1+ each. When you can buy all the cell phone and gaming technology for practically nothing, and when computers can be had for under $200, it is not logical or rational for any person to accept that strips that are sold by the tens of millions, should be costing what they do. Its all about greed, and no real concern for diabetics and their health.
Its a disgrace to create technology for the hell of it, like cell phone cameras, and then create something as necessary and invaluable as diabetes test strips, and price them out of the range of everyone who needs them.
Its all about the dollar. Health care has nothing to do with keeping us healthy, its only about lining the pockets of the filthy rich who should be ashamed of themselves and will one day account for their greed to more than just the federal government.
John
Get a new doctor, pronto! This one is an idiot. Just another person who wants to make the most money, for doing the least amount of work.
Its your disease. You have to take control of how it is treated. Fire the bum, and tell him why.
Even after getting numbers under control, the ability to test new foods in order to expand oneās diet, and observe changes at time goes by is critical to maintaining safe numbers, and not spiking, or doing things that will ultimately cost a person his sight, or his legs, or kidneys.
Doctors who have a problem giving out strips are clowns. If they fear the retribution from insurance companies, or from the soon to be in charge federal agencies, then they should prescribe the strips, and simply require that the patient bring in their meters and prove that they are using them, not just reselling the strips or wasting them. Looking at those numbers should be a priority for a doctor who gives a damn, not just taking someoneās word for it. If one gets 150 strips a month, then show the doctor that you are using them by bringing the meter. That way the he/she can see not only that the strips are being used, but he can evaluate the numbers, and let the patient explain why they test when they do, and what the numbers are showing them that they consider important.
Strips are expensive. No doubt about it. So is a lot of the medication that doctors give out like candy. Somehow, I get major irritated when people get pills which are not cheap, so they can have more, or better sex, and others get anti depressants which are costly, because they have bad days and good days, and the doctor figures āwhat the hellā but when we show up needing strips in order to make sure we donāt one day end up on more expensive insulin, or on the operating table, we are told that would be a waste of money.
Baloney. its just stupidity in the medical field that is causing this problem, and controlled tests of a group of people, is a waste of time. Diabetes is not a disease, its 20 million diseases. I want to know what my blood sugar is doing, so I can adjust what I eat and how much exercise I need, in order to be sure that things do not get worse. I think that is more important than being able to maintain an erection for four hours. I guess thatās just meā¦
John
I test three times a day now, FBS, once after noon and once before I go to bed. I donāt understand how they can say itās not beneficial. To me thatās taking a trip across country without a road map, how do you know where you are going, and how you are going to get there? So for me, itās my meter, my meds and diet, and exerciseā¦and of course, my dog named Boo!
I wonder if Old MacDonald is still hiring? I could sure use a job. I hear heāll pay, for what it was worth
John
PSHAW!!! PHOOEY!!! How else are you going to get it under control and figure how food affects you? I think that report must be funded by insurance companies trying to get out of paying for the supplies. Get thee to an endocrinologist and get advice from him/her.
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
Another thought. Who said testing was by far the most expensive part of diabetes? Donāt you think that not knowing and having extreme consequences of not knowing are worse?
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
Always comes back to the money issue, how is it that Canadianās can sell the exact same test strip from the same exact manufacturer for half the price it is sold here in the US. Is it that the Canadian Government has done something about it or is it just the cost of manufacturing said strip north of the border is way less than it is here honestly I donāt think so. Invariably we are led back to the money issue
It does have a ring of some back room under handed, belly aching, yellar, liligaging, schmoozing used car sales man attribute of an insurance Industry backed deal doesnāt it
The myopic study looked at long term effect on a1c numbers only with a worse premise that if you have your numbers under control with diet and exercise then you really donāt need to test on a daily basis but rather look at a1cās only. (You can add all the fundamental flaws to this thinking hereā¦lol)
Me tooā¦I really could use a bag of magic beansā¦lol
You said it, Lois!!
Although I totally advocate informed smbg for all people with diabetes, I think thereās another issue lurking around this study and our discussion.
More people with type 2 should be on medication right away at diagnosis. The earlier and better the bg control, the better for long-term outcomes. In fact, the new ADA guidelines say that going on at least one med at diagnosis is recommended.
So many people and their doctors try the food-exercise route only for months if not years and control suffers. Yes, food and exercise are CRUCIAL to daily management. But peopleās bodies often need more help.
For A1C control with type 2, being on medication actually (so far, in the studies that exist) shows better overall control of A1C than simply ālifestyle,ā i.e., food choices and exercises.
Thatās because itās difficult to maintain lifestyle changes (especially with lack of daily smbg) EVERY DAY for the REST of YOUR LIFE and that leads to inconsistent control. Also, type 2 is progressiveāinsulin supply dwindles over time. So eventually, even if a person is super, super consistent, the body needs some help.