[Ratter51]

Yes to everything.new strips same model. Bottom line is the strips have 20 point range plus or minus.
I’m absolutely done with meters. No longer have an interest in them. I’ll go by A1C results every 3 months the use just take things as they come.

 

[mbuster]

Good luck with that approach. Keep us posted.

 

[Ratter51]

Hi, sometimes I wonder I’d type 2 is over played by doctors. they Make a fortune on diabetes. it Takes years to do damage. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

 

[mbuster]

No, imho it is underplayed. Doctors should educate newly diagnosed patients about diabetes, tell patients how bad diabetes can be, and things they can do to avoid the complications that can develop. Yes, it can take years to do damage, but sometimes some of that damage cannot be undone, i.e. kidney damage, eyesight issue, amputation of body parts, heart disease, etc. Those are years one could be taking a proactive approach and make the changes necessary to prevent those things from happening. Those are the same years that one could choose to ignore it because they don't feel sick, aren't having symptoms, or they think are just normal with aging, and then BAM. It is our choice how we opt to deal with it.

The doctors make more off of diabetic patients that opt to wait to see if something bad is going to happen before making changes than those who opt to be proactive early on.

 

[etherea]

Agreed @mbuster, and pre-diabetes or borderline diabetes is really underplayed! I wish the doctor who said my blood sugar was a little bit high hadn't emphasized the word little.

 

[Ratter51]

Also seems every Dr has their own opinion on how bad it is and treatment. I know someone who takes insulin with a A1C 8.5 believe it or not. I guess a lot depends on your age.

 

[itissteve]

Also seems every Dr has their own opinion on how bad it is and treatment.

My experience is that that is true for every medical specialty. My mother had spine surgery some months ago. She's still having some issues. The PT thinks she's fine. The neurosurgeon wants an EMG (not fun) and maybe more surgery. Same patient, same complaints, very different interpretations and goals.

I know someone who takes insulin with a A1C 8.5 believe it or not.

An A1c of 8.5 averages out to about 200 mg/dL. That means they're likely running "hotter" than 200 mg/dL a good amount of that time. Since good medical studies have shown that nerve and organ damage starts to occur at 140 mg/dL and 200 mg/dL is roughly half again higher than that, it's just math to figure out that anyone with an A1c of 8.5 is doing even more damage to their body. The damage is slow and most of it is not reversible. By the time they can't feel their feet or their kidneys are giving up, it's too late to "get serious" and pull back. The best that can be done is to control BG tighter and minimize future damage.

I know I'm not alone here in saying that if my BG were that high I'd be looking to insulin sooner than other drugs, all of which have their own side effects and interactions. We know insulin works. In non-diabetic bodies insulin manages all that glucose. I'm no fan of poking myself with a needle every day. But if that's what my body needs to ward off the neuropathy and the risks of kidney and heart and eye failure, I either choose to do it or I pay the price later.

You may be a rare lucky exception to that rule. For your sake, I hope you are. But it's placing a big bet. And I'm not that big a bettor.