One Touch UltraSmart System: diabetes management made easy!
Written: Dec 07 '06 (Updated Dec 09 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use; provides tons of information; will interface with your personal computer.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: A superb tool for gathering, recording, and using the information you need in order to effectively manage and control diabetes.
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| mkp51's Full Review: Onetouch Ultrasmart Blood Glucose Monitoring Syste... |
Saturday, June 25, 2006 was for me one of those defining days that people have once in a lifetime. It was most assuredly a day to remember, but definitely not in a good way.
You see, this was the day I was diagnosed as a diabetic.
I hadn't been feeling well for a few months. More often than not, I was tired, irritable, and constantly hungry. I usually drank about two dozen 12-ounce cans of diet soda a day. I was grossly overweight, tipping the scales at one point at a hefty 280 pounds; but I had recently begun to lose weight at an alarmingly rapid pace. I chalked all of this up to working too hard. By day I delivered the mail to the 200 customers on my rural mail route; by night I worked full-time stocking shelves at the nearby Wal-Mart SuperCenter.
But on June 25th, things seemed... well, a lot more wrong than usual. All day long, I had a terrible headache and backache. Then I saw traces of blood in my urine, and that told me that something was seriously amiss. I immediately went to the emergency room.
It took the on-call doctor about three minutes to figure out what was wrong. A quick "pee" test (to see if I had a bladder infection, which I did) and fingertip blood test revealed monstrously high blood glucose levels. (385, to be exact.) I followed up with my regular physician the following Monday, and she confirmed the diagnosis after running further tests.
It's not like this diagnosis was completely unexpected. Diabetes has a strong genetic characteristic, and my maternal grandmother and maternal uncle both were diabetics. I was a prime candidate for the disease.
My doctor immediately prescribed diabetes medication (in pill form) and a diet. She also prescribed a blood glucose monitor for me, and told me to go to the pharmacy and select any model I wanted.
Well, since I'm the kind of guy who:
a.) Wants to live as long and healthy a life as possible;
b.) Doesn't particularly want to go blind; and
c.) Would very much like to be walking on my two God-given legs when I get old;
I took my doctor's advice and went to the pharmacy to get a glucose monitor. The one I selected (with the advice of the pharmacist) was the One Touch UltraSmart System, one of the more expensive monitors in the store. The pharmacist told me it was the most reliable and provided the most essential information to diabetics who really want to keep their condition under control.
In the past six months since I bought the One Touch UltraSmart System, it has proven itself an invaluable tool in helping me control my diabetes. It's easy to use, and laden with so many features that I haven't yet been able to explore them all.
Here are the qualities of the One Touch UltraSmart System I like best:
* Ease of use: The One Touch UltraSmart System wasn’t exactly a snap to use from the outset, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy. The system comes with a blood glucose meter; a lancet injector pen; a few test strips; and a bottle of control solution.
My first step was to calibrate the meter using the control solution. I did this by inserting a test strip in the slot on the top of the meter, entering the test strip code from the side of the test strip container, and putting a droplet of control solution on end of the strip. The meter calculated the glucose level of the control solution and calibrated itself to the strips I had on hand. After that, it was ready to use.
My next step: test my blood. I put a fresh strip in the meter's slot, and a lancet in the injector pen. I placed the end of the pen against my fingertip and pressed the button. After a momentary sting, a drop of blood appeared. I placed the end of the strip at the base of the drop of blood. The strip’s three "windows" absorbed the blood droplet, the meter began a five-second countdown, and then showed my glucose level on its large, easy-to-read digital display. That's all there was to it...
Since then, I've tested my blood a minimum of twice a day, and sometimes more frequently than that. Because the One Touch UltraSmart System is reasonably small and lightweight, it's easy to fit into a lunchbox or briefcase. It's also very rugged. I've managed to drop it several times, and it's never failed to provide accurate information.
* Provides lots of essential information: The One Touch UltraSmart System automatically records the results of every blood test in an electronic logbook. It then parses the information in about as many different ways as you may find useful. Want to know your average glucose level over a 7, 14, 30, 60, or 90 days period? A press of a button and the information is at your fingertips. You can see what your average glucose level is for tests taken before meals, after meals, and even in the middle of the night. The meter will tell you what percentage of your results fall within a preset range, or above or below an acceptable level. To top it off, the meter will even graph your results for as far back as you wish to look...
* PC interface capability: Perhaps the One Touch UltraSmart System’s best feature is its ability to interface with your personal computer. The meter has an output jack that permits you to hook up to your computer, download all recorded results, and create a myriad of customizable reports. You can even customize your meter’s settings directly from your computer’s keyboard. The computer software and interface cable (USB or serial port) are sold separately. Neither are particularly expensive (about $30 apiece) and, in many cases (including mine) are covered by health insurance plans. Using the computer interface, I’ve been able to provide my doctor with a complete readout of my twice-daily blood tests at each of my monthly appointments.
It’s important to note that, among blood glucose monitors, the One Touch UltraSmart System falls near the top of the line, and hence is a bit expensive. I’ve seen prices as low as $60.00 and as high as $99.00. (I paid 78.00 for mine.) However, many insurance companies cover at least some of the cost of glucose meters. (Mine did not cover any of my costs.) Test strips and lancets, which are both essential components of the One Touch UltraSmart System, must be purchased separately. I understand that most insurance companies do cover all but a small co-payment for these necessary supplies.
Why is a good blood glucose monitor so important for diabetics? Is the One Touch UltraSmart System an essential piece of equipment for diabetes management, or just a luxury? Consider this: Diabetes is a very serious, incurable disease that, despite advances in medical research and technology, has the capability to ravage the bodies of those who suffer from it. Complications from diabetes include heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, sexual dysfunction, complications of pregnancy, and eventual amputation of lower extremities due to poor circulation. People who keep their diabetes under control – i.e. keep their blood glucose level as close to normal as possible – run an average 30 to 70 percent less chance of suffering these complications as those whose diabetes is not well managed. [NOTE 1]
Proper diet, exercise, weight loss, and medication are the keys to successful diabetes management; so is a good, effective glucose monitoring system. The One Touch UltraSmart System is a superb tool for gathering, recording, and using the information you need in order to effectively manage and control diabetes.
How have I benefitted from this? As of today, I am 65 pounds lighter than I was one year ago, down to a much more healthy 215 pounds. (My doctor still wants me to lose another 20 pounds... then keep it all off.) I have maintained my blood glucose level at an average 110 over the past 180 days. (The American Diabetes Association recommends a blood glucose level of no higher than 120 before meals and 160 within two hours after eating.) I have trimmed 20 points from my cholesterol level, and 10 points from both the systolic and diastolic numbers of my blood pressure. (For the first time in three years, my blood pressure falls within normal range every day.) I sleep better, and my moods are more cheerful.
Most of this is due to a major lifestyle change on my part, a change that includes better (but less) food, more exercise, and proper medication.
But I would not be able to manage my diabetes anywhere near as well without my new best friend:
My One Touch UltraSmart System.
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[NOTE 1:] This information comes from the American Diabetes Association web site (http://www.diabetes.org).
Recommended:
Yes
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mkp51
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