# Accurate health monitoring



## Son_of_Perdition (Sep 4, 2015)

Being diagnosed as type II diabetic during a recent 4 day stay in the hospital getting my blood sugar under control, I was confronted with the realization that I wasn't bullet proof.  I have a family history (maternal) with diabetics.  My mother passed from complications as did several of her aunts, uncles and cousins.  My older sister is dealing with it and has for 10 years, she is now my go to support mentor.  Frustrations with diet, carb counting and discovering what different foods do to my blood sugar.  Charting my BS, BP and injections and couple that with my financial budgeting I have created a part time career.  I remember the Franklin day planner days and scoffed at the idea that I would need a structured road map to exist.  That has all changed but works well with my OCD.  

Things that have become reality is the fact that I had horrible eating and exercise habits and now must pay the piper.  Dieting is a way of life for me, I wonder how I have been able to stick to something so restrictive for 6 weeks never ceases to amaze me.  Only one time did I push the envelope and was sorry immediately afterward.  What I thought was one tablespoon of peanut butter was closer to one third of a cup.  Everything needs to be measured accurately.  Nutrition labels need to be adhered to religiously and controlling calories and carbs are my guidelines.

First discovery was I can't consume many bites of bread and it must be 100% unbuttered whole wheat.  I found I can eat oatmeal for breakfast so that has become my only source of grain.  I also have spikes with bananas, potatoes/sweet potatoes, carrots and peas.  Beans are great but only the plain white ones, less carbs.  My only treat is two tablespoons of almond butter and cinnamon (supposedly controls BS & works for me) mixed with my oatmeal.  I am allowed coffee but must add half n' half to cut bitterness.  Water is my only liquid I drink now and need to drink at least 5 16 oz glasses.  1500 or less calories along with 130 carbs a day are my limits.  Thank heaven I like eggs!  My once daily serving of 3 ounces of lean meat (needed for the B-12) used to be an appetizer that precluded a 750+ calorie burger with a heaping mound of fries. 

I had to take the best of many diets: Atkins, Mediterranean, Paleo, cabbage soup, gluten free, vegan,,,etc to develop something that controls my personal BS.  It's a learning process, anger, arguments with my non-diabetic wife, watching her go out to restaurants with my children while I sit home eating my slim offerings is a way of life for me.  I was going along poking fingers and watching my meter blink getting my BS down to an average of just over 100 thinking I was on the mend.  I then run out of the strips, and after getting a fresh supply my BS jumped 10 points.  What!  I researched and researched for an answer only find out that the medical supply industry has limits and ranges it uses to produce the strips.  Some use different chemicals and processes so you may not be getting an accurate score.  

You can have a 30-40 point difference between the many meters sold or given away along with different variances even with the different lot runs of the same manufacturer.  We can send men to the moon but can't create an electronic device that 24 million Americans rely on, does that make you feel safer with computer braking/speed controls in your auto at 80 mph?  We wouldn't accept that shoddy production from our iPhones or tablets.  It also seems that it doesn't matter how much you spend on the strips you have no way to depend on it's accuracy without meeting your co-pay and have an A1C done.  That's more accurate but the usual schedule is once every 3 months.  Something rotten in Denmark?

Clarification:  I have nothing but repect for the hospital staff, I was kept informed, monitored and given the best care I could expect.  The diabetic specialist visited several times with information, instructions and training devices to administer my injections, the doctors were professional and concerned about my progress it just seemed that the ball was dropped when I was released and had to purchase what turned out to be questionable equipment to begin my recovery.  I was instructed to take my BS at intervals 4 times daily.  They told me accurate records would be the best guidelines I could use, but using questionable equipment was counter productive and results were suspect at best.


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## imp (Sep 4, 2015)

It is time for my own annual blood-letting, aka CBC, and I'm dreading the results. Blood sugar has always been acceptable in the past, but climbing year by year, up to 97 a year ago. So, that concern, plus too many white blood cells bode bad news. 
We'll see.    imp


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## Son_of_Perdition (Sep 4, 2015)

imp said:


> It is time for my own annual blood-letting, aka CBC, and I'm dreading the results. Blood sugar has always been acceptable in the past, but climbing year by year, up to 97 a year ago. So, that concern, plus too many white blood cells bode bad news.
> We'll see.    imp



That is the crux.  A 97 is great in any medical office when the normal depending on what chart you are looking at is 80-120 for normal.  Then again your reading through a CBC could be suspect, the only benchmark they claim is accurate is an A1C and that's another series of tests they run besides the CBC.  The 97 reading could be in reality a 82-113 depending upon the control range the meter is calibrated to.  FDA says 15% accuracy should be the goal, which means if you use 100 as your mean then they have a tolerance range of 85-115.   I have no clue as to what my doctor wants beyond the 80-120 range that he indicated on my first visit.  Then again if your meter is reading low you could be having a 135 when you think you are reaching 120.   I have seen other ranges some consider normal and they don't match the FDA's recommended range.   What is normal?  I'm so darned confused and frustrated trying to do what is right.  I've talked with others about their PCP's expectations and no one has the same story. * I'm only guessing and using my limited layman's experience.*


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## imp (Sep 4, 2015)

Son_of_Perdition said:


> ......  I'm so darned confused and frustrated trying to do what is right.  I've talked with others about their PCP's expectations and no one has the same story. .........



Understood, and agreed! Another most disconcerting thing I discovered is that acceptable ranges for various tests _vary _from lab to lab, as though no concrete medical numbers have been established! For example: My CBC done in 8-13 by V-V lab showed white blood cells LOW at *4.4*, range 4.5-11. Done by LabCorp the following year, I noted their acceptable range is 3.4-10.8. Thus *4.4 *was acceptable, by LabCorp range. Same thing for red blood cells!

Several other tests out of range by one lab, were acceptable by the other's limits.  This makes little sense to me.   imp


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## Son_of_Perdition (Sep 5, 2015)

This morn 9-5-15 my read out on my cheaper meter & strips before my meal was 149, (my first reading in the morning has been a little higher all along, I'm coping with that) that's high by most or all standards so in frustration I checked it immediately with the more expensive strip meter that was given to me by the hospital nurse and it was 130.  Within two minutes a 12 3/4 % correction!   Realizing that I have a disease/condition that I will have deal with the rest of my life, I need to take into consideration the testing equipment is a crap shoot I will have to manage the results and not try to 'control' the disease.  That is the hardest thing for me to grasp.  I can only track the results and report high out of range readings or I would be calling him daily.  I can't expect the quality of the test strips to be consistent and accurate, only accept that if they are way out of the ball park I need to re-evaluate my diet and activity to see if I'm not following his advice.   I know I'm doing everything as expected, the strips are another issue.  

Good luck with your journey.


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## imp (Sep 5, 2015)

Thank you! I believe I would do a search to try to determine just how much the B.S. varies from, say, hour to hour, as a result of ingestion of, and digestion, of food. It may be a fairly large swing.    imp


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## Debby (Sep 6, 2015)

Isn't there a meter that doesn't rely on the strips on the market now?  And it gives not only a number but also a green light that says you're good to go?

Here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd6-KW-TbbM   Found a video where a guy talks about the AccuCheck.  Maybe if you got one of these and then at a lab synchronized it's results with what the lab is saying, you'd get the accuracy and 'peace of mind' that you need on that score......hope you know what I'm trying to suggest ?

I think that one with the 'light' is called a OneTouch Verio meter but it seems to use strips.

Maybe this would be helpful?   Mind you, I'll bet you've looked into all of those ideas haven't you?

 I'm sure sorry for your situation.  Must be such a drag for you and especially missing the socializing aspect of going out with friends and family for dinner.


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## Son_of_Perdition (Sep 6, 2015)

Thanks Debby, no I haven't used the One Touch Verio. 

 According to the information I was researching there are 75 makers of strips.  They are made all over the world and some of the test labs use different equipment to test.  There could be a vast difference in calibration and ranges.  The FDA has guidelines that some adhere to and some don't.  The supplies you get from the monthly suppliers can come from outsourcing.  I have only tested 3 different, the One Touch strip meter, the Bayer Contour and Walmart's brand (Relion).  Costs are very prohibitive, the first (One Touch) were $48 per 50.  The hospital's gift (Bayer) strips were over $52 for 50.  I finally had to settle on Walmart's (Relion) $17 for 100.  My Medicare Vantage plan will not pay for the strips only give you a break on the insulin after you have forked over $350 out of pocket then it's $15 co-pay.  I have to test 4 times daily so I could easily spend just shy of $1600 annually for strips that may or may not be accurate.   Humidity, temp and many other factors contribute to a consistent reading.  You can get different readings from the same bottle as you can from the lot runs of a given brand.  The tolerances of the strips are not acceptable by the labs that do the analysis's of the readings.  They use their own equipment that is calibrated to their standards.  

Reading the reviews of the one you mentioned (Verio) was varied some claimed them accurate some not.  One even mentioned that they were only compatible with Apple computers, maybe that's changed.  I refuse to spend more money just to buy an Apple computer.   Again costs.  I had to accept the reality that my readings may or may not be accurate but I can be alerted to wide variances and call my doctor when they are consistently high or low.  Have to look at the big picture and accept my numbers as an average rather than a spot on accurate reading each time.  And, the most important factors are eating proper, getting rest, exercise and watching my weight.  If I do those on a daily basis then an off the reservation reading shouldn't cause too much concern unless it's consistent over a period of time.  

Manage rather that control the malady is my new mantra.


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## Debby (Sep 6, 2015)

I don't have a problem with diabetes but I hear ya on not taking care of yourself when you're young and then paying for it when you get older!  I'd bet that everyone has at least one area where they 'fell down on the job' in that regard.  And when you talk to your kids and caution them to 'take care of....', they roll their eyes at you and use THAT tone when they say "Mom!!!".  Sure, heard that one before, but they usually find out, one more time, that old mom or dad was right!  

I had no idea those test strips were so expensive.  Do you have to test several times a day?  If so, I can see where that would really add up.

I once watched a documentary about a clinic in the US that actually got a number of people who were Type 2 diabetics off their insulin with a raw food diet.  I found it on Youtube and thought you might be interested. Like I said, I don't have a problem with diabetes, but I still found it very interesting watching how the various folks responded to the whole thing, health wise and emotionally.  Some ran with the ball and tossed their insulin ultimately and one man chose to just go back to his old habits .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8E7kRGaoUg


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## Son_of_Perdition (Sep 7, 2015)

Debby said:


> I once watched a documentary about a clinic in the US that actually got a number of people who were Type 2 diabetics off their insulin with a raw food diet.  I found it on Youtube and thought you might be interested. Like I said, I don't have a problem with diabetes, but I still found it very interesting watching how the various folks responded to the whole thing, health wise and emotionally.  Some ran with the ball and tossed their insulin ultimately and one man chose to just go back to his old habits .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8E7kRGaoUg


Thanks again Debby for your response and concern.  

I'm still in my learning curve, I've only been out of the hospital for 6 weeks.  I was able to reach a normal range within a few weeks and when I was released I vowed to lose the extra weight, get my BS managed, get more exercise and with the limited time I have left I wanted to give my health the best chance through proper care.  A life threatening event will do that to you.  Prior to the latest event I hadn't done very well with self-medication and self-diagnosis.  I added ground cinnamon, quinoa (healthy high carb choice) and have 2 Tbsp of almond butter daily.  Study has proven a low carb diet is easier to follow and has eliminated the hunger and boredom I experienced with Atkins and most of the others because they were designed for quick results but not very healthy or satisfying long term.  

I had been taking my BS around 7 AM usually an hour after I had risen, showered and dressed.  Glucose is released into your blood stream when you first get up to give you the energy needed to start your day.  The results for diabetics is what is called the morning spike.  Your insulin level is lowest even when you take the long acting dose at night.  For me I inject at 10:30 PM and so I have fasted 7+ hours, then spent the first hour doing physical activity.  Each person reacts differently to food, environmental stimuli and medications.  I decided I would test before attempting any activity.  This morning it was just before 6, the count was 107 not the 135-150 my meter had been displaying.  I had my breakfast & fast acting insulin by 7 instead of 8.

Following the diet from youtube is an extreme step that would be effective for otherwise healthy candidates, not me.  I need the B-12 from natural sources, meats & eggs.  My body doesn't process it from a pill.  I had dangerously low anemia (4.7 normal is 14-17) 4 years ago & both my nutritionist and the doctor recommended to eat red meats and eggs.  Luckily I like and tolerate both very well.  My daily low carb diet consists of a good mix of vegetables in moderation, one small serving of meat or fish, low carb choices (eggs, nuts,,,etc), complex grains and high protein sources.  Plenty of water to flush both the protein and insulin.  Coffee with H&H is my only vice.  

Six weeks is probably the longest I've ever stuck with any diet without cheating.  I feel satisfied, my last CBC returned excellent results.  I've been tested for organ functions and all tested ok, knock on wood.  I take a supplemental dose of vitamin 'D' and also take one senior multi-vitamin for awhile now.  I insure I get calcium for heart health, potassium for many other functions, and watch those carbs.  Believe me when I say that balancing 120 carbs, 1500 calories, 4 injections, medications, BS tests & making sure to get my walk in has become a full time job, luckily I'm retired.


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## Debby (Sep 7, 2015)

Oh my gosh, what a regimen to have to follow.  That you are able to do so, shows your focus and new found dedication to your health project!  Congrats on your success and hang in there.  I'm sure your family is rooting for you Son!


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