Diabetes Tips for Parents
Forms for just about everything.
Alarms - Provide your child with a multiple-alarm watch that will beep whenever it's snack or blood sugar time. See our review of the MeDose Watch.
Medical ID - We've used MedicAlert for Grant's bracelet. Check out our review of the new Sports Bands from MedicAlert.
Fingertips - We put Eucerin Original Creme on Grant's fingertips every single night. He has never had a callus.
Emla Patches and Cream - Grant uses these topical anesthetic patches prior to having blood drawn from his arm every 3 months. No more tears! My advice: Get Some! Prescription required. See our review.
Emergency Kit - We carry the following in a small bag in Grant's backpack: small box of juice, tube of cake gel (be sure to cut the tip open so it'll be ready), snack (measured out to 1 carb). We used to carry Ritz, then pretzels, then vanilla wafers. Now we carry a granola bar.
Supplies -We keep a two-month supply of test strips, lancets, syringes, alcohol wipes, current vials of insulin, rocket, meter, lance device, and Glucagon kit in a kitchen cupboard. We cleaned out the lower shelf of a cupboard and this way it's handy. Good bye plates - Hello diabetes supplies.
We also have the nice big countertop to work on and we keep his logbook right there on top of the microwave. We keep all the rest of his diabetes supplies in a big tub in our closet.Aren't we just so organized? Or obsessive ;-)
Yes they are even alphabetized!
Cake Gel -We keep one tube in each of the following places: purse, emergency kit, Dia-Pak (travel holder for supplies), cabin, parent's house, and each car. Remember to cut the tips open.
Glucagon Kit -We keep one at home,at both grandparent's homes, the cabin at the lake, school, and in Grant's backpack that we take whenever we leave the house.
Nighttime Blood Sugar Tests -We keep a 15-watt bulb in a small lamp to help us see.
Alcohol Wipes -We have tried them all!!! Our favorite brand is the Kendall-WebCol. We've only found them at the Georgetown Pharmacy near Shawnee Mission Medical Center. They give you a good price on a case (around $50) and a case lasted us 2 years!
Diabetes Nurses -The nurses are wonderful. Take advantage of them and call often. Although we now make Grant's insulin adjustments ourselves, we call occasionally just to verify that our adjustment is correct.
Drinking Glasses -We purchased many plastic tumblers (Disney, Winnie-the-Pooh) for Grant to drink from. We wrote with permanent marker on each glass, marking a line at the 1/4 cup,1/2 cup and 3/4 cup mark. Now we don't have to use a measuring cup to fill up his glass for meals or snacks.
Insulin Expiration Dates -We place a small green label on the N insulin with the words "Discard" & date to discard. We place a small red label on the R insulin. This helps to remind us when it's time to open a new bottle. Occasionally a bottle must be discarded before it's life span is actually up.Click to see enlarged picture
The "Hold Everything Notebook"
We created a large notebook to help us manage Grant's diabetes. It contains pages, pocket folders, and dividers for each of the following sections:
Procedures - blood test and shot procedures, schedules for shots and blood sugar tests
Government Relations - letters to members of congress
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Diabetes center: http://www.diabetes.ucsf.edu/
Healthiack article on blood sugar: http://healthiack.com/health/what-is-normal-blood-sugar-level
Diabetes for children: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/
Also our site: http://healthr.yolasite.com/
Accuracy: The FreeStyle meter is 96% accurate (r2=0.96), according to TheraSense. The industry standard, as given to us by LifeScan, is only 80%. It is extremely easy to use and displays blood sugar as plasma values. It stores 250 test results and is capable of downloading results to a computer. Results are not affected by vitamin C or acetaminophen.
Small Blood Sample: The test strips require the smallest blood sample on the market today (0.3 microliters). You just won't believe how small a sample it needs. The meter beeps when the strip has filled – volume of the beeps can be adjusted. The beeps are a nice feature that helps sitters and other caregivers feel confident they've performed the test correctly.
Lancing (Upper Arm, Forearm, Fingertips, Thigh, Calf, Hand): The lancing device has an adjustable depth dial (from 1 to 5) for lancing the arm or other body sites. It takes a bit of practice to find the correct depth and to perfect the procedure. There is less pain involved when drawing a blood sample from sites other than the fingertips. An additional cap is included for use in lancing fingertips. The meter works great when lancing fingers with a traditional lancing device as well (Grant's favorite is the Soft Touch adjustable depth lancing device.)
Software: The FreeStyle Connect Data Management System allows you to download your meter results into a PC and print a variety of reports: Standard Day, Line Graph, Histogram, 14 Day Summary, Data Statistics & Log, Average Readings, Data List, and Pie Chart. The system comes with CD, cables, and nice manual. It is easy to install and easy to use. Multiple meters may be downloaded as well. You can customize your meal times, target blood sugar range, meter unit of measure, time format, report display, and date range. We LOVE it! You can call TheraSense at 1-888-522-5226 or visit their web site to order. The software does not come with the meter and must be purchased separately for $75.00.
Great Tech Support: There was a very short (30 second) wait time before being helped by a knowledgeable and friendly customer service agent. TheraSense promised to send free AAAA batteries and control solution as needed, as both can be difficult to find. Overall the company seems very responsible and professional.
Design: The FreeStyle is well designed with smooth lines and gentle curves. It's intuitive and easy to use. The overall impression is friendly and non-intimidating. The simplicity of only having 2 buttons and a place to insert the strip is wonderful. (Perhaps some day it'll come in designer colors, too!)
Cons
Difficulty Lancing Arm: We experienced difficulty trying to lance Grant’s arm. We mistakenly used our own BD lancets (30 gauge) and were unable to obtain a sufficient sample size. However, after switching to the slightly larger FreeStyle lancets (25 gauge) the process worked more consistently. We still have rare occasions when we are unable to get enough blood, but this may just be particular to Grant. We currently have the depth setting at 4 for Grant's forearm and calves.
Holding Still: Grant must hold still longer to obtain a sample from his arm than from his finger. It takes a bit of time to get the arm sample (10 – 15 seconds). Once a sample has been obtained from the arm or finger, it then it takes about 5 more seconds of holding very still for the strip to wick the blood. Batteries Hard to Locate: AAAA batteries are difficult to find. Duracell batteries came with the meter, but we were unable to find replacements at Target, grocery store, or Toys R Us. We finally located some at Radio Shack. The batteries are readily available on the internet, but are somewhat difficult to locate locally.
Low Batteries Upon Arrival: Our meter contained near-empty batteries upon arrival. TheraSense told us that they were aware some meters had experienced battery drain before being shipped. New batteries were sent to us with the video. TheraSense says it has since corrected this problem.
Conclusion
