Chapter 9 - Testing

Linda and I are left nearly speechless with the commercials on TV when people announce, “I’m diabetic and I test 10 times a day!” We look at each other with our mouths hanging wide open and say, in unison, “Why?!” There’s no therapeutic value in that at all! In fact, one of the dangers that both types of diabetics face is a reduced ability to heal in the extremities. So logic alone tells us that puncturing the fingers (or the forearm) that many times a day actually increases the risks of complications , the possibility of infections and in extreme cases, ultimately, the loss of limbs. So we’ll be discussing testing procedures in this chapter and making suggestions for what I consider to be reasonable frequencies.

There are two categories of testing in this chapter – urine stick testing and meter testing. The urine sticks test for both the presence and amount of sugar in the urine and for the presence and amount of ketones. One type of urine testing sticks is called “ Diastix.” Diastix test for sugar in the urine only. “Ketostix,” another type of urine testing sticks test for ketones in the urine only. “ Ketodiastix,” another type of testing sticks, have two pads on each stick so you can test for both sugar and ketones at the same time.

Walgreens has a store brand of these testing strips that are much less expensive and just as accurate.

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