Have You Ever Wondered About a Prickless Glucose Meter? Learn How They Work.
Just over a year ago the FDA approved a new prickles blood sugar monitor, changing diabetic’s lives forever. What this means is that long gone are the days of pricking your finger when needing to check blood sugar levels. Thanks to prickles glucose meter technology, painless finger pricking is now available through these new meters, keeping tabs on your sugar levels just got easier.
Learn more about glucose meters here!
There are a few devices out now, a year after receiving approval. The first prickles glucose meter that we’re going to talk about is the Abbott Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System and second the Dexcom G4/5.
Prickless Glucose Meter: Freestyle Libre Flash
Abbott has a history of making fantastic blood glucose meters so it’s no surprise that with their technology they were able to create a prickles blood sugar monitor. Painless finger pricking is a monumental change for diabetics because not only is finger pricking painful but can also be invasive. This new meter is approved for diabetics 18 and older and uses a sensor wire that goes under the skin to monitor blood sugar levels. You can check your levels by waving a reading device over the sensor and pushing a button to get your results.
The Freestyle Libre Flash comes with the reader and a sensor. The senor is waterproof and is good for around two weeks. You attach it to your skin and wave the reader over it to read your blood sugar levels. The reader has replaceable batteries as well as a display where you can see your levels and other pieces of information. This type of prickles blood sugar monitor has add-ons which can make it a continuous monitoring device but the updated sensor for continuous monitoring isn’t waterproof and must be removed before showering.
This meter can be found at most drug stores but usually needs a prescription order. Its total cost is around 240$ but the sensors need to be replaced every two weeks as well as batteries in the readers from time to time. If you choose to have the add-on for the continuous reading, the price goes up to around 180$ plus the parts that need to be replaced every few weeks. If you have diabetes and are in the search of painless finger pricking, speak to your doctor about the prickles glucose meters and find out if one could be right for you!
Prickless Glucose Meter: Dexcom G4/5
This blood glucose meter, made by Dexcom also uses a sensor to receive continuous blood sugar readings from a sensor that is also a transmitter, in the body. This prickles glucose meter has four components needed to work all together, the mobile receiver, the transmitter, the sensor kit and the patches making it a total cost of over 1,000$.This system works by sticking the sensor to your body and then attaching the transmitter to the sensor.
This reader is not waterproof and needs a cover, which is considered an adhesive grip cover to keep it from the elements. The receiver must be at least 20 feet from the transmitter to record the data fluidly, but data can also be received through this device on your smartphone. The transmitter is good for around 3 months before needing to be replaced. The good thing about this device is that data is constantly being transferred so there isn’t a need to take time to check it. You can also set up the device to have others monitor your blood sugar levels such as spouses or doctors.
Final Note:
Both of these devices can change your life, speak to your doctor about which device is best for you!
