Picking your Blood Sugar Meter

The key word here is picking. And you should be the one to do that picking.

Lots of companies make good blood glucose (BG) meters. But choosing the one that’s best for you can be a bit of a challenge. Let’s get the “don’t” rules out of the way first.

            Rule #1: Don’t be drawn in by ads on TV or in magazines that make offers for “free” meters. Yes, they are free. However, the most expensive part of testing your blood sugar is NOT the cost of the meter. It’s the cost of the test strips.

            Rule #2: Don’t feel like you have to use the sample meters that a nurse or doctor gives you for free. With the exception of diabetes specialists, I’ve never met a doctor who had the time to stay abreast of all the developments surrounding BG meters. Meter companies give away free samples and a person with diabetes is often given whatever happens to be on the sample shelf.

            Unless your doctor or diabetes educator gives you a specific meter for a specific reason, you can just take the sample meter, use it temporarily, and give some thought to what meter you’ll get for your self.

            Choosing your meter is so important. You need one you like. You should like the feel of it, the color, and the way the screen looks. A BG meter you don’t like is a BG meter you probably won’t use.

            The next few posts will be about specific factors to consider when you choose a meter. The first factor we’ll look at is the cost.