Diabetes

Equipment Used For Diabetes

Diabetes is very unique, because people are very much on their own for most of their care. There are many pieces of equipment used for diabetes that will help you track your blood sugar and other important information. Use these tools to stay informed and in control of your body's constant changes, including your blood sugar levels.  

If you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, your doctor will usually prescribe an oral medication to help lower your blood glucose levels. There are many different types of drugs, and they all work in different ways to control blood sugar. Checking your blood glucose levels several times a day with a glucose monitor or blood test strips helps you to know how your body reacts to medications, food and exercise. Keep records of your levels. It will help you to understand how your food choices, medications and activity level affect your blood glucose levels.  Depending on what type of insulin therapy you select or require — single dose injections, multiple dose injections or insulin pump — you may need to check and record your blood sugar level up to four or more times a day. Careful monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar level remains within your target range.   

 Anyone who has type 1 diabetes needs insulin to survive. Because stomach enzymes interfere with insulin, oral insulin is not an option.  Insulin needs to be injected using a very fine needle and syringe or an insulin pen — a piece of equipment that looks like an ink pen, only the cartridge is filled with insulin. An insulin pump may also be an option. The pump is a device about the size of a cell phone worn on the outside of your body. A tube connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter that's inserted under the skin of your abdomen. The pump is programmed to dispense the correct amounts of insulin automatically. It can be adjusted to deliver more or less insulin depending on meals, activity level and blood sugar level.

Precautionary diabetic equipment could be an ID tag or bracelet that says you have diabetes. Keep a glucagon kit nearby in case of a low blood sugar emergency.  Everyone who uses insulin should have a glucagon emergency kit on hand at all times to counteract severe hypoglycemia that could causes loss of consciousness.  The glucagon kit should be stored where all the family members know where to find it. Storage temperatures should be less than 90 degrees F (28 degrees C).

Other diabetic equipment that your doctor may recommend or give to you are glucose charts, health charts to monitor your blood pressure, pulse, weight, cholesterol and glucose. A local resource locator to join a local group such as a diabetes association, support group, government program, or patient information source, and share this information with others in your area. A diabetic cookbook, diabetic supply guide tailored to your own treatment needs, which may include; insulin, syringes, injection aids, jet injectors, external insulin pumps, implantable insulin pumps, insulin inhalers and glucose monitors.  Diabetic dictionaries and checklists may also be very useful pieces of equipment.