Diabetes Supplies - What Should You Buy?

Once you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes it doesn't take long for you to realize that diabetes is an expensive disease.  Test strips for blood glucose testing, urine testing strips to test for ketones, syringes, insulin, oral medications, and a lot other supplies make diabetes an illness that either requires money or a good insurance plan.

There are many products available which means you'll have an opportunity to find a product that will best meet your needs.  But by the same token it makes the job of finding the right product more difficult. If you're not sure of what you need to buy you can ask your doctor, diabetes educator, or a friend who has diabetes.  Sometimes asking a friend who has diabetes will also get you an honest critique of certain products.

After you've made the list of the supplies you need think about what features you really need, especially in big-ticket items like insulin pumps or blood glucose meters.  There's no "one size fits all" rule when it comes to diabetes supplies.

For example, if you're going shopping for a blood glucose meter you may need a unit that small and easy to carry.  Or you may want a meter that will give you results in the shortest period of time.  Or you may want a meter that will allow you to save your
test results and let you download the results to your computer.

Once you've decided what you need to buy you need to decide what type of budget you have to spend.  If you're new to diabetes adding up how much your supplies might cost might be an eye opening experience.  You can also try to see where you can save money too.  You can't really take things off your list since you need them for your diabetes management plan.  Not taking care of diabetes isn't cost effective in the long run and you're just risking your health.

There are certain items that won't be able to economize on.  If you have Type I diabetes there's no way to cut down on the amount of insulin you require per day.  But you might decide not to buy an insulin pump because you can use syringes.  There's no one answer that's right for everyone.

 It's not important to be too focused on a bottom line.  A meter might be expensive but without a meter you can't keep track of your blood glucose levels and you can't tell how well your diabetes management plan is working.  Try mail order pharmacies that sometimes offer discounts on diabetes supplies.  Chain stores also offer many discounts on supplies.  Diabetes is an expensive disease but by budgeting and shopping around you may be able to find some good deals.