It’s estimated that in the US, over 18 million people over the age of 20 have diabetes. If you happen to have been diagnosed with diabetes, make sure you’re getting all the right diabetes treatment supplies. Also check to make sure that your glucose levels are within the accepted guidelines. Take any other additional steps your physician has advised - but most of all, go out and live your life because your diabetes IS manageable!

People over the age of 45 and those who are considered obese are especially risk prone for this potentially fatal disease. Some of the potential health problems that may result are: partial to complete blindness, kidney disease, hypoglycemia and certain sexual and urological problems. These include erectile dysfunction in men.

Even though these are serious concerns and should be carefully watched for, diabetes is in fact quite manageable, especially with some of the tools we currently have to work with. For example, blood sugar monitoring devices can accurately check your blood glucose levels in a matter of seconds.

Check your levels at least daily. Depending on your particular diagnosis, you might need insulin shots to manage your blood chemistry effectively. These shots may be required several times a day. Also, be sure to have a glucogen emergency kit on hand at all times for your diabetes treatment. This is an important element that should be part of your diabetes supplies kit.

Even though diabetes is manageable, don’t make the mistake of thinking that it isn’t a serious condition that doesn’t require daily attention. It is and it does. Be sure to always keep on hand all of the supplies necessary for proper monitoring and treatment. Like the glucagons kit I just mentioned. Speaking of which, all of the medical supplies you need are available online and can be delivered to your home as needed.

A diabetes diagnosis means that you will probably live with the condition for the rest of your life. But it doesn’t mean the end of your life. Far from it. Millions of people live very full and complete lives despite the condition’s very real potential to bring about serious consequences to one’s well being.

And if you’re worrying that your diabetes diagnosis means that you’ll automatically be going in and out of the doctor’s office every other day - don’t. With self-discipline, a good understanding of the disease and effective diabetes treatment and monitoring techniques, diabetes becomes a very manageable condition.
About the Author

Carla Peterson is a freelance author from Des Moines, Iowa. For examples of other articles, see www.1st-in-diabetes-resources.net

Surprisingly, most of the participants stated that fingerstick discomfort was not a big concern - even with children: “At first, fingersticks were a real problem, but now it doesn’t bother her.”

Most participants stated that discomfort was an issue when they first started to use the meter; this was especially true for children, but that the discomfort grew less important after a few weeks or months of use.

However, one participant of a “fragile” child with diabetes stated: “We test 8 to 10 times a day. He was losing sensitivity in his fingertips [from the frequent fingersticks]. We prefer the meter that allows testing in alternative sites.”

Deciding performance standards for glucose meters has been controversial and challenging. In spite of effort in the late 1970s and 1980s by both FDA and CDC, no universally accepted standards or testing methods have been developed for the measurement of glucose. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently held a standards conference and is exploring the possibility of developing a standard reference material for whole blood.

The ADA has recommended accuracy goals twice over the past twenty years, once in 1986 (target accuracy of +/- 15%) and once in 1993 (target accuracy of +/- 5%) No company that manufacturers glucose meters has developed a cost-effective system to meet these goals. A number of alternative standards have been suggested by national standards organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. An international standard ISO DIS 15197 is currently under development that recommends accuracy of +/- 20 mg/dl for glucose values under 100 mg/dl and +/- 20% for higher glucose values.

Although data on glucose meters continue to show variable performance, the newest generations of meters are simpler to use and more accurate than older models. Improvements in the chemical, mechanical and software components of glucose meters are continuing to help with the management of diabetes.