Living with diabetes
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Glucowatch
If you've seen the movie Panic Room with Jodi Foster then you became aware of something deemed the glucowatch, even thought it may have other product names. It has been a few years since the movies release, but I believe I inquired about the glucowatch a year or so after seeing the movie.
It was my diabetes nutritionist (she probably has other titles too) at my endocrinologist office who I spoke with about it. At that time, she flat out told me, she would not recommend it. It cost a lot, it couldn't replace the meters diabetics use daily but was used in conjunction with them to monitor bloodsugar levels and determine patterns, and it irritated the skin. She confessed using it for a week or so in order to give a personal opinion of it to her patients. She said it irritated the skin cause of the electrodes pulling the glucose to the skins surface in able to read the sugar levels, therefore, you had to switch sites and if you had sensitive skin then there might be days or so you couldn't use it due to the irritation.
I decided to research this again, seeing as it had been a few years since inquiring about it, but this time i used the handy internet. I basically found the same information. I even looked at product sites with patient information at my fingertips. Reading through this information it still says to use in conjunction with glucose meters, that it can cause skin irritation, the readings are not to be used alone, and not to use on sunburns/cuts/or any skin irritation.
As the nutritionist told me a few years ago, maybe within the next 10 years or so technology for the glucowatch will advance enough for it to provide better use, but right now it isn't worth it.
I will say though, that there may be cases where one wants to use every means possible to pinpoint glucose patterns and in that case by all means look into it. Right now I'm sticking to my regimen and leaving the extra skin irritations behind.
It was my diabetes nutritionist (she probably has other titles too) at my endocrinologist office who I spoke with about it. At that time, she flat out told me, she would not recommend it. It cost a lot, it couldn't replace the meters diabetics use daily but was used in conjunction with them to monitor bloodsugar levels and determine patterns, and it irritated the skin. She confessed using it for a week or so in order to give a personal opinion of it to her patients. She said it irritated the skin cause of the electrodes pulling the glucose to the skins surface in able to read the sugar levels, therefore, you had to switch sites and if you had sensitive skin then there might be days or so you couldn't use it due to the irritation.
I decided to research this again, seeing as it had been a few years since inquiring about it, but this time i used the handy internet. I basically found the same information. I even looked at product sites with patient information at my fingertips. Reading through this information it still says to use in conjunction with glucose meters, that it can cause skin irritation, the readings are not to be used alone, and not to use on sunburns/cuts/or any skin irritation.
As the nutritionist told me a few years ago, maybe within the next 10 years or so technology for the glucowatch will advance enough for it to provide better use, but right now it isn't worth it.
I will say though, that there may be cases where one wants to use every means possible to pinpoint glucose patterns and in that case by all means look into it. Right now I'm sticking to my regimen and leaving the extra skin irritations behind.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Cortisone
Back in December I had treatment for some knots in my left arm and hand with cortisone shots to see if these shots would help reduce the size of the knots. I bring this up cause being diabetic I need to watch how medicines affect my blood sugar levels.
I noticed a slight difference in my daily glucose readings, but nothing too off the wall. The dermatologist who did the cortisone shots did mention it could possible raise my sugar levels, but that she was only going to use a little bit.
My three month blood level average (A1c) went up .8 pts from a 6.2 to a 7.0. Granted that is still not bad, but since this is the first time in 16 years I'd had these levels I choose to stop the cortisone treatments since they did raise my sugars.
The reason I write about this is to let anyone who may not be aware that any steriodal medicines can affect your blood sugar levels, so be sure to consult your doctor, find out if it is steriodal, and weigh your options.
I noticed a slight difference in my daily glucose readings, but nothing too off the wall. The dermatologist who did the cortisone shots did mention it could possible raise my sugar levels, but that she was only going to use a little bit.
My three month blood level average (A1c) went up .8 pts from a 6.2 to a 7.0. Granted that is still not bad, but since this is the first time in 16 years I'd had these levels I choose to stop the cortisone treatments since they did raise my sugars.
The reason I write about this is to let anyone who may not be aware that any steriodal medicines can affect your blood sugar levels, so be sure to consult your doctor, find out if it is steriodal, and weigh your options.
Humalog and Novolog insulin
As any of you who are on insulin may have figured out lots of insurance companies are now putting humalog insulin on the non-preferred drug list. What does this mean for people like us who are using humalog and wonder what switching might do to our control?
When I spoke to my endocrinologist about it, thinking I would just have him write a letter for medical exemption cause I don't want to screw any control up, he said that he's seen pretty much no difference in the two that they seem to act the same in studies he's read and in patients he has switched from humalog to novolog. I trust him and had him write a script for the novolog for when I need my fast acting insulin refilled.
Upon researching humalog, in an attempt to find out why it is going to non-preferred, I found a site that talks about both insulins, here.
It does say that the only reported difference in some cases is that novolog seems to act faster and sometimes the typical doses need to be cut in half as it seems to be stronger. This is under the section of "Differences between Humalog and Novolog."
So if, like me, you've had to change or are changing I hope this insight helps you out. I will keep an eye on my sugar levels and insulin intake when I do switch to novolog. So as not to bottom out too much.
When I spoke to my endocrinologist about it, thinking I would just have him write a letter for medical exemption cause I don't want to screw any control up, he said that he's seen pretty much no difference in the two that they seem to act the same in studies he's read and in patients he has switched from humalog to novolog. I trust him and had him write a script for the novolog for when I need my fast acting insulin refilled.
Upon researching humalog, in an attempt to find out why it is going to non-preferred, I found a site that talks about both insulins, here.
It does say that the only reported difference in some cases is that novolog seems to act faster and sometimes the typical doses need to be cut in half as it seems to be stronger. This is under the section of "Differences between Humalog and Novolog."
So if, like me, you've had to change or are changing I hope this insight helps you out. I will keep an eye on my sugar levels and insulin intake when I do switch to novolog. So as not to bottom out too much.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Back to blogging
So consider me bad at keeping up with this blog, especially since the holiday season just ended a few weeks ago. Now, if anyone has any certain things they would like advice on or answers to on diabetes then by all means leave a comment and I will get an entry up about it.
