Diabetic Living Aids

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high over a prolonged period of time. Some of its symptoms can be frequent urination, increased hunger and escalated thirst. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many serious complications. Diabetes results from either the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin that is produced. Glucose (sugar) comes from the food you eat, and insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose absorb into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin, and with the more common Type 2 diabetes, your body does not make enough insulin or use it well.

You can also have prediabetes, which means your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes. This puts you at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Prevention and treatment involve physical exercise, a healthy diet, not using tobacco and maintaining a normal body weight. Management involves keeping your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible.

How Do I Choose the Best Diabetic Supplies?

Having the correct diabetic supplies is vital because of the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. When managing this health condition, what is right for you will depend on the type of diabetes you have and its severity. The most important diabetic devices to attain are meters and accessories for blood glucose monitoring.

A blood glucose meter is a device for determining the concentration of glucose in your blood and is a key element in home glucose monitoring. A small drop of blood which is obtained by pricking your skin with a lancet is placed on a disposable test strip that the meter reads and uses to calculate your glucose level, and then displays your level on the meter. If you need to check your blood sugar levels regularly, you will want a meter that is simple to use and easy to read.

When choosing a blood glucose meter, one of the first decisions to make is a “no-code” or coding style. Since test strips change from one package or lot to another, a meter requires calibration or coding to match up to each new box of test strips. Some meters need to be coded manually by inserting a special strip into it or by entering a code number. No-code meters do this step automatically, meaning there is less risk of inaccuracy and less for you to do.

There are five features of blood glucose meters which can differ among models to help you and your doctor check your diabetes management.

1) Many meters are now smaller than ever, about the size of the palm of your hand, with battery-powered operation.
2) Test strips are elements that contain chemicals that react with the glucose in the drop of blood used. In some models, this element is plastic and disposable. In other models, they employ drums, discs or cartridges that can be used for multiple tests.
3) Alternative site testing means pricking other less sensitive areas instead of your fingertips, such as your forearms. Readings obtained from forearm blood lag behind fingertip blood in showing quickly changing glucose levels in the rest of your body.
4) Testing time, the time it takes to read a test strip, may vary from 3 to 60 seconds, depending on the model.
5) Some meters have enough memory to store hundreds of test results, which can give a better overview of how well you are controlling your glucose levels.

An infusion set delivers insulin under your skin using an insulin pump. It connects the pump to you with a tubing system that includes a cannula, quick-disconnect, adhesive mount, and a pump cartridge connector. To choose the set that works best for you, there are several styles, types, and sizes available. They differ in cannula entry angle, cannula length, and length of the tube connecting the cannula to the pump. For example, if you have little body fat, you may choose to use a set with a short cannula that enters the skin at a shallow angle. If you have more body fat, you may want a longer cannula that enters your skin at right angles. Most infusion sets have a standard connector to work with most insulin pumps, but some use a pump-specific connector to add features like venting or a more secure connection.

A lancing device is a blood sampling device that is a reusable instrument equipped with a lancet. Since skin thicknesses can vary among people, some lancet devices offer gauges with a depth setting that can be adjusted to match different skin types. From hard-to-penetrate skin, to average skin, to soft skin, the lancet device can be used with any standard or universal lancet.

A lancet is a tiny device used for blood sampling, similar to a small scalpel but with a double edged blade or needle. They are used to make a puncture, like a finger stick, to get small blood samples and are normally disposable. This can be the most distressing part of testing, but using a lancet will help make the process easier. Think of it as a ballpoint pen that you apply to your fingertip—when you click it against your finger, the lancet pierces your skin. Each lancet can only be used once, whether you use a one-step or two-step lancing system, because the needle tip can easily become contaminated and they wear out easily since they are so fine.

Some blood glucose meters are designed to work with specific lancing devices and lancets, to deliver the most accurate results and to work perfectly together. Be sure to find the system that meets your needs and that you like.

It is very important to never share your diabetes items with anyone else.

Rehabmart is pleased to carry quality diabetic supplies from respected manufacturers that include Fabrication Enterprises, Independence Medical, LSS, MaxiAids, McKesson Medical-Surgical and Medline.

Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Co-Founder & CEO

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