THE purpose of these vendors is to share information with us - from insulin pumps to the insulin that goes in them; from glucose meters to the fast acting carb of choice for treating low blood sugar; from the products that help live life better to the people encouraging those with T1 to live life to the fullest!
It was great to see what's available out there!
However, I walked out of that exhibit hall feeling dizzy as if I had just stepped off of a spinning amusement park ride. The culprit - blood glucose meters! Oh the glucose meters! There are some really cool features available on these meters. It seemed as though every booth had a "new" meter to show us. I was impressed by several of them.
Here are a couple that caught my eye, with descriptions from dLife's Gadgets & Gizmos article:
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| http://www.bayercontourusb.us |
Bayer's Contour
Medtronic reps explained that this meter will link with Ally's Medtronic Revel insulin pump, a feature that we have come to depend on with our current One Touch Meter. The USB port on the end will also allow us to download right to our CareLink software which we use for downloading pump and CGM data. Love that it will all be contained in one place so that I don't have to search for the little CareLink USB when I want to look over Ally's data.
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| www.telcare.com |
TelCare's 3G blood glucose meter uploads your blood sugar data to a server via a 3G connection. On the TelCare server, you can manage your data, make graphs and charts, and communicate with your healthcare providers. You can also re-order supplies directly through the meter. There are no monthly charges for the use of 3G. TelCare also produces an iPhone app that allows you to track your blood glucose readings over time.
The feature about the Telcare BGM that is most appealing to me is that through cellular technology, when Ally checks her BG, the readings will automatically transmit to my phone. LOVE LOVE this idea!
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| http://www.ibgstar.us/ |
The iBGstar Diabetes Manager app for iPhone or iPad is designed for use with the iBGStar Meter. Connect your meter to your Apple device to download test results, store and manage data, review trends, and share your information with your doctors.
This meter is something that we may be interested in down the line. At this point, Ally does not have an iPhone so it doesn't seem to meet our current needs. We do love Apple products though, so I like that data may be downloaded to these devices.
The One Touch Verio IQ System has PatternAlert™ Technology, which detects patterns of highs and lows—and alerts you, right on screen, when it finds one.
We received a complimentary One Touch Verio IQ at the conference, so this one I can actually speak about from a little experience. At first glance, it looks cool! (That was Ally's reason for wanting to try it.)
The pattern alert is great! I keep a log book as well as download her cgm/pump data often though, so this is not a huge benefit to me at this time. It may, however, be a good thing for Ally as she learns bit by bit about managing her own diabetes. Kind of a beginning step to recognizing patterns and learning when adjustments need to be made. The light on the top of the meter is awesome! The verdict is still out about the rechargeable battery. It might be nice not to have to buy batteries, however we don't have to replace them that often. She has been using the Verio for 90% of her BG checks the past two weeks and just today we had to recharge the battery. My concern with using this meter at school is that who would remember to recharge it? Another drawback for us is that it doesn't link to her pump.
But what we have grown to love most about the Verio is that the test strips use a lot less blood than the One Touch Blue strips that we had been using. This alone is the reason that we are giving this meter a go for a while!
In my ideal world, I could get two different kinds of strips each month. We would use one kind of meter while she is at school and a different one when she is home. The problem with that would be that our data would be disconnected. In the end, each of these glucose meters has bells and whistles that I'd love to see in a meter. We just have to prioritize our needs at this time.
So, I guess for now its Eeny Meeny Miny Mo!
I kinda do the two types of strips thing but it takes a bit of planning and depends on your endo and insurance.
ReplyDeleteI get my strips 3 months at a time. So first I fill the OneTouch Ultra for my Ping. My endo writes my prescription for more than I need. That means I have extra at the end of the 3 months. The next time period I fill the Verio prescription. I use that primarily now, but I have some of the other strips left for when I want to remote bolus.
I would love to use the iBGStar but my insurance won't cover those strips at all.