Wow iv just realised how badly i have been neglecting my blog.....so here is a little treat in the form of a poem which is my first one....(insert applause here :p) its about how i think most of us feel on a day to day basis, anyway hope you like it :)
I wonder what life would be without diabetes,
a life free of worry from this dreadful disease.
No weighing of food and counting of carbs,
no more painful jabs with needles full of insulatard.
Imagine not having to squeeze blood on that strip,
and instead eating pik n mix till you feel sick.
Munching big bags of crisps or a whole apple pie,
then not feeling ill coz your blood sugars high.
No more hassle from the diabetes police,
are you allowed that? should you eat that? Yes! just leave me in peace!
Trying not to think of complications as i rest my head,
the energy drinks not seen at the side of my bed.
And as for the doctors dont get me started,
you go for a check up and leave broken hearted.
Oh i wish for one day i could be D free,
To live everyday life being much more happy
But i do my best everyday to live life as full as can be...
because i control this disease, it does not control me.
iBGStar review!
I was really pleased to be one of the first lucky individuals in the uk, to test a brand new blood glucose meter! The iBGStar is the first meter that connects to your iphone or ipod touch. I had heard about it from the forum and so sent an email to the company, got a reply almost straight away telling me they were going to ship one out to me! I was sworn to secrecy and had to sign a confidentiality agreement, turned out it was pretty good timing too seeing as i had just recieved my new iphone 4s :) So it finally got released and on the market yesterday so i am now free to write my review!
First impressions
To be honest i was like a little kid on christmas day when i got the parcel, ripped it open and saw the big shiny box :) The first thing i did was disguard the instructions and went straight for the meter! I was really shocked by how small it was, this thing is tiny which i immediatly thought...Ooh this will be good when i go out for the night as it wont take up so much space in my bag lol. Had a look at the finger pricker...felt a little plasticy and flimsy but i was going to test it regaurdless. It came with two pots of test strips, lancets, and of course all the instrucion booklets and handy case to put it all in.
The meter
The meter itself is a tiny 56mm by 24mm which fits perfectly on the bottom of my iphone. Its really sleek, shiny and has smooth curvy edges, its just beautiful really i cant think of anything that could improve the design. What i like about it is that it works just as well without the iphone so no need to panic if your out and about and run out of battery. When it is on the display is really clear and easy to read, it also comes with a little cap to cover the docking connection if you choose just to use it normally, but i think it works better and you get more out of it when you use it with the app. The meter stores 300 readings which is less than the meter i was using but i think it stores your reading for longer when used with the app. The meter had a rechargable battery and also turns itself off 3 minutes after it was last used which is handy.
Strips and finger pricker
The less said about the finger pricker the better....i personally always stick to my multiclix every time with all my meters just because i like the convienience of not having to change the lancet over all the time, so maybe i am a little bit biased on this point, i just dont like the plasticy, tacky feel of the newer finger prickers, however saying that i was impressed by the size of this one, being very small and discreet, but i will always stick to my multiclix so im afraid to say after trying the new one once, it stayed where is was.
The test strips i noticed are in the pot the other way around to most others, i actualy like the fact when you reach in the pot your not grabbing the end that will have the blood sample on it when you put it in the meter, so your less likely to 'contaminate it' as such (although all good diabetics know to wash thier hands first before... :p ) The strips also only require a measly 0.5 microlitre sample and takes 6 seconds to process.
The App
The app is free and available to download from the app store. Once you have the iBGStar plugged in you can test your sugar which comes up on the screen, you can also input how many carbs you are about to eat and how many units of insulin you are going to give yourself. It also allows you to input hypo and hyper warnings at mmols of your choice, along with offering a notes section where you can choose options such as: too much/little insulin, exercise, unwell, and my favourite one, 'ate fatty food' as well as entering your own suggestions. Your readings are saved and you are able to view averages on different graphs and things like how many tests you have done, how many lows, highs you have averaged, i do like this feature however i prefer to use the meter by itself most of the time, in the event of a hypo i dont think i would be able to get my phone, unlock it with the password, load up the app, plug in the meter and test before it was too late!
Conclusion
Well after using it for a few weeks i really do like it! I like the design, i like the fact it is discreet and i think the thing i like the most is the size. I am going to get the test strips on prescription and i can see myself using this meter for a long time to come :)
Overall i give it a 4/5
Oh and i suppose finding out its on the market for £48 and knowing i got mine for free is an extra bonus lol .....you can purchase yours here :)
