Monday, September 05, 2005

Information from ADA, request for...

My email to the American Diabetes Association "ask line":

Subject: diabetes testing...

Good morning,

I remember reading that after diabetes was "discovered' in the early
1920s, patients had to boil their urine and basically pull a chemistry
lab experiment one or more times a day. I have a rather horrified
fascination with this and would like to read more on the subject. (My
blood meter works just fine!)

My father and my brother both used the "Pee Test Stripes" in the 1980s.
I'd like to read more about their accuracy. When I told my Mother (the
retired RN) that I had been diagnosed and asked about the "Pee Test
Stripes", she said they were very inaccurate and disgusting to use. She
seconded my MD's recommendation that I buy a meter. For that matter, why
are insurance companies calling the metes "medical devices" and not
paying for them yet are paying for the test stripes?

I use a test strip based blood meter. I called their "help line" and
asked how the machine works. I was asked for my name and phone number
and told a "specialist" would call me. A couple of days later, the
"specialist" called and told me that "the blood has to seep into the
test strip" and then told me how to use the machine. I've known since I
started using one 11 May 2004. I asked her what chemicals were in the
strip, what chemical reactions took place and how the meter read the
results.

She didn't know...

Can you help me with this?

Tks,

Michael

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