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Glucose Meters
- Thread starter Ashland
- Start date
running4life
New member
I love my Freestyle. I used it for over 10 years until my insurance switched and no longer covered it.
I have been on shots for a few years then switched to a pump. Pump is much easier to manage.
I have been on shots for a few years then switched to a pump. Pump is much easier to manage.
LittleLab4CF
Super Moderator
It seems rather fast to be choosing a glucose meter and needing insulin too. The topic post "Glucose Meters" probably won't attract CFRD patient's advice and information on insulin. I am getting closer to diabetes but am still a long ways from it. I do know some about the topic.
CFers who become diabetic through pancreatic trauma require insulin like Juvinile Diabetes or type 1. Some CFers develop acquired diabetes or type 2. This can be a malnutrition problem in late diagnoses of CF, liver and kidney damage and such. CFRD is generally type 1 which is manageable with consistent attention. Insulin needs vary widely but type 1 diabetes is where pumps start being used most often. Type 2 diabetes is no picnic but many people do reverse it through diet and exercise. Some take an insulin booster, some need oral or shots of insulin. Comparatively speaking type 2 diabetes is more forgiving in treatment and the. Health issues are less severe or delayed compared to brittle type 1.
If my guess is correct that CFRD is maybe in your future, this is one disease you can eat yourself healthy. I did a short study in 1975 on diabetes and the holistic health movement. A typical family started with three of four parents with confirmed type 1 diabetes. Both sets of parents have 20 something kids who haven't presented diabetes. Starting with the marriage of the 20 somethings, they and their children we tracked them for 25 years until 2000. The results were not statistically significant but were "interesting".
11 families that dropped out of conventional American life for an organically grown foods, goats for goatmilk, wheat grass smoothies, the whole hog dive into an uber healthy lifestyle that delayed the onset for the genetically fated parent with two diabetic parents of him/her and one of 16 children became a type 1 diabetic.
When these people went the way of naturepathy, it usually meant building a home up against a National Forest boundary, sinking a well and becoming subsistence farmers. Making a living when your neighbor's talents are the same pioneering O.J.T. people, had its challenges. No internet, no electricity unless you make it and the Spartan conveniences meant a near full time job canning fruit you tended all summer instead of buying DelMonte's finest. People specialized in say goatmilk cheese and similar products and probably the same dollar spent a little time in everybodies hand made bark silk wallets. Life is far less busy and stressful so the answer may be in part where you eat.
Good news is you probably can accomplish the same diet today at health food groceries. You just need more money. All the health food in the world won't stop autodigestion of the pancreas including your insulin making islet cells. If you have usable islet cells, not a type 1 diabetic yet, a pancreatectomy can be performed and they can extract the live islet cells and transplant them into the liver. Bingo, no diabetes. There is considerably more to an islt cell transplant but that is the essence of the procedure.
By the time a person becomes Pancreatic Insufficient (PI) it has outlived its usefullness. At a certain point your CF specialist should be suggesting this procedure. That said, I expect to see Kalydeco type drugs moderating the damage to the pancreas, potentially arresting any further damage. The pancreas will regenerate unlike mature lung tissue so this could be resolved pretty soon.
Hope that helps,
LL
CFers who become diabetic through pancreatic trauma require insulin like Juvinile Diabetes or type 1. Some CFers develop acquired diabetes or type 2. This can be a malnutrition problem in late diagnoses of CF, liver and kidney damage and such. CFRD is generally type 1 which is manageable with consistent attention. Insulin needs vary widely but type 1 diabetes is where pumps start being used most often. Type 2 diabetes is no picnic but many people do reverse it through diet and exercise. Some take an insulin booster, some need oral or shots of insulin. Comparatively speaking type 2 diabetes is more forgiving in treatment and the. Health issues are less severe or delayed compared to brittle type 1.
If my guess is correct that CFRD is maybe in your future, this is one disease you can eat yourself healthy. I did a short study in 1975 on diabetes and the holistic health movement. A typical family started with three of four parents with confirmed type 1 diabetes. Both sets of parents have 20 something kids who haven't presented diabetes. Starting with the marriage of the 20 somethings, they and their children we tracked them for 25 years until 2000. The results were not statistically significant but were "interesting".
11 families that dropped out of conventional American life for an organically grown foods, goats for goatmilk, wheat grass smoothies, the whole hog dive into an uber healthy lifestyle that delayed the onset for the genetically fated parent with two diabetic parents of him/her and one of 16 children became a type 1 diabetic.
When these people went the way of naturepathy, it usually meant building a home up against a National Forest boundary, sinking a well and becoming subsistence farmers. Making a living when your neighbor's talents are the same pioneering O.J.T. people, had its challenges. No internet, no electricity unless you make it and the Spartan conveniences meant a near full time job canning fruit you tended all summer instead of buying DelMonte's finest. People specialized in say goatmilk cheese and similar products and probably the same dollar spent a little time in everybodies hand made bark silk wallets. Life is far less busy and stressful so the answer may be in part where you eat.
Good news is you probably can accomplish the same diet today at health food groceries. You just need more money. All the health food in the world won't stop autodigestion of the pancreas including your insulin making islet cells. If you have usable islet cells, not a type 1 diabetic yet, a pancreatectomy can be performed and they can extract the live islet cells and transplant them into the liver. Bingo, no diabetes. There is considerably more to an islt cell transplant but that is the essence of the procedure.
By the time a person becomes Pancreatic Insufficient (PI) it has outlived its usefullness. At a certain point your CF specialist should be suggesting this procedure. That said, I expect to see Kalydeco type drugs moderating the damage to the pancreas, potentially arresting any further damage. The pancreas will regenerate unlike mature lung tissue so this could be resolved pretty soon.
Hope that helps,
LL
Hi Ashland, My daughters both were diagnosed with CFrD. My youngest was on again, off again CFrD for about 4 yrs before she finally stayed CFrD. Sounds weird, I know, but seems it wasn't too unusual for it to happen. They both used the Freestyle Lite. They especially liked that one, because it uses the least amount of blood. Others say they use only a drop but not as small of a drop as the Freestyle Lite. She says with the Freestyle, you think you don't have enough blood and you end up having more than you need. Her endocrinologist thought she would benefit from using a pump. She started using a insulin pump about two weeks ago. After researching the different pumps she chose the One Touch Ping Pump which is paired with the One Touch Ping Meter. She misses her Freestyle meter though because often times she has to redo her stick because she ends up with only half the amount of blood she needs to fill the stip.
Many times your endocrinologist will just "give" you the meter you will be using. Both my daughters were given their meters when they were diagnosed. Even when my youngest misplaced her meter, they just gave her another one.
For the insulin question... It depends on your requirements. My daughters both used a long acting insulin like Lantus or Levemir and a short acting insulin like Novolog or Humolog. Again, something your endocrinologist will decide. Both my girls were on different ones. They both used a pen filled with insulin and not the vial of insulin and syringe. Their preference because they didn't like the idea of sticking themselves with a syringe, the pen was easier for them. They have a carb count ratio they were assigned to calculate how much fast acting insulin to use.
I hope this gives you a little bit of info you can use. Good luck.
Many times your endocrinologist will just "give" you the meter you will be using. Both my daughters were given their meters when they were diagnosed. Even when my youngest misplaced her meter, they just gave her another one.
For the insulin question... It depends on your requirements. My daughters both used a long acting insulin like Lantus or Levemir and a short acting insulin like Novolog or Humolog. Again, something your endocrinologist will decide. Both my girls were on different ones. They both used a pen filled with insulin and not the vial of insulin and syringe. Their preference because they didn't like the idea of sticking themselves with a syringe, the pen was easier for them. They have a carb count ratio they were assigned to calculate how much fast acting insulin to use.
I hope this gives you a little bit of info you can use. Good luck.
Yes, thank you for your response. This is very new to us and your advice gives us some hope. My daughter is in denial and doesn't eat the right foods. As parents, we continue to work on trying to get the message through to her that she could have some control of this situation. We still don't know if she is CFRD but the test for the next two weeks will tell us where she is at. She has had a few episodes of pancreatitis and the last one was bad enough to have her spend a few days in the hospital. So far, no lung issues; fingers crossed.
One thing to keep in mind is that CFrD is treated differently than non CF related diabetes. You will want to ask your clinic for a recommendation for a endocrinologist that is familiar with treating CF related diabetes. We had difficulty finding one that was in our network and finally had to request an out of network physician because there were none in network familiar with CF. A endocrinologist familiar with treating a CF patient because they take the CF diet into consideration, which is extremely important, especially when weight is an issue (like with my daughter). My youngest not only has CFrD but also has Crohn's, which just adds to the challenge (knock on wood, she's not had a Crohn's flare up since August last year!)
I have had CFRD for about 8 years now, I started my first year on shots, and then moved to an insulin pump, and have been ever since.
You really have to be educated and know what your doing with insulin in general, as well as the pump.
The very basics is you match up food to insulin. You must learn to count carbohydrates in your food, As a woman to, you need to know how hormonal fluctuations effect your control, and with CF how exacerbation also effect sugars and how to adjust quickly.
I noticed in my experience the CFRD was really wonky for the first couple of years before settling down. I would have normal sugars one day with minimal insulin, the next I was be fighting low sugars all day with hardly any external insulin, or very high sugars with large doses of insulin needed for no apparent reason.
Your diet is not restricted in with regards to CFRD, as long as you MATCH up to insulin CARB RATIO, witch your endo or diabetic nurse educations should be teaching you.
I was advised to avoid fruit juices and sodas, or anything with a very high GI as a meal alone, but I do enjoy those as a treat once in a while.
I have a One Touch meter that connects with my pump, I have found them to be the most accurate and fast.
You really have to be educated and know what your doing with insulin in general, as well as the pump.
The very basics is you match up food to insulin. You must learn to count carbohydrates in your food, As a woman to, you need to know how hormonal fluctuations effect your control, and with CF how exacerbation also effect sugars and how to adjust quickly.
I noticed in my experience the CFRD was really wonky for the first couple of years before settling down. I would have normal sugars one day with minimal insulin, the next I was be fighting low sugars all day with hardly any external insulin, or very high sugars with large doses of insulin needed for no apparent reason.
Your diet is not restricted in with regards to CFRD, as long as you MATCH up to insulin CARB RATIO, witch your endo or diabetic nurse educations should be teaching you.
I was advised to avoid fruit juices and sodas, or anything with a very high GI as a meal alone, but I do enjoy those as a treat once in a while.
I have a One Touch meter that connects with my pump, I have found them to be the most accurate and fast.