Deciding Upon Blood Sugar Diabetic Meters

Diabetic meters, also known as glucometers, glucosemeter or blood glucose meters, are a vital tool as part of your diabetic equipment that you can not do without. Most diabetics depend upon this transportable medical device to provide them correct readings of their blood glucose range every day. But, with so many available, it is simpler to pick the wrong one than for the right one. Precisely what should you look for in glucometers?

Convenience and comfort

The monitoring of your blood glucose range is a frequent routine that could even require draw liquid blood samples from your fingertips every few hours. Doctors frequently suggest that although convenience should not be towards the top of your list of priorities in choosing good diabetic meters it needs to be given a lot of consideration. The least blood the meter needs, the least discomfort you should expect. These days, you will find glucometers that don’t really need to pierce your skin to draw blood samples. These could include using a light scan over the finger but it has been indicated these may not be as accurate though. Some of these diabetic tools are non-invasive and only require tiny samples in comparison to their older counterparts.

Portability

The rule of thumb when selecting diabetic meters is to look for one that isn’t too small, or too big. Remember that you want it small enough to take out with you, but with a large enough screen to enable you to read your blood glucose range easily.

Alternative sites for the fingertips

If you have to continually draw blood, then your fingertips will likely become quite sore. Many glucometers today enable you to draw blood from less sensitive parts of the body such as the thigh, forearm, palm and upper arm. Some of these glucometers will allow the patient to rotate the area that they use which can be handy if you have to test every few hours.

Cost

Diabetic meters will not be a one-off purchase so pricing is important. It is rarely the machine itself which affects your budget, but the disposable test strips which often can vary in price greatly. If you are using Three or four a day, this tends to quickly mount up. Therefore, always figure out your real costs with regards to the test strips.

Insurance cover

Glucometers can be covered by insurance providers, but make sure they cover the other tools that you need and not simply the glucometer itself. You must also make sure that your glucometer brand is protected in the list which they cover, so do remember to check.

Functionality and extras

As with most devices on the market today, you will get diabetic meters with ‘bells and whistles’ on. These extras can include download options and built-in memory, as well as other add-ons. Clearly, you will have to pay for these so think about whether you actually need them before you purchase and then never use them.

To get more on diabetic meters, treatments, cures and just general info on diabetes (particularly Type 2), visit www.diabeticcures.org.