priority on testing time?

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I'm running out of test strips, but have a mail order coming that should be here on Monday afternoon. I've just done the +6 test for today and have 9 strips left.

These Freestyle Lite strips are SO expensive - we've gone through 91 in 13 days, and they were 50 for $65 in our local cheap drugstore. We don't have the typical cheap chain places here. of course it's been worse because i've been learning and have wasted far too many when there wasn't quite enough blood but i was trying anyway. so it's been something over $125 in strips in less than 2 weeks! :shock: as my husband says - this isn't sustainable!

Hocks had the same strips 50 for $28 - so i've ordered them.

anyway - i'm hoping to not have to buy more locally and am wondering about prioritizing the remaining strips. I know i must have pmps tonight, Sunday amps & pmps, Monday amps - besides those 4 what would be the most important? i'm thinking perhaps +4's? or +6's?

If he gets into trouble i'll go buy them local, but he's had good even numbers the past few days and i'm not adjusting his insulin dose, so . ..

advice?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

To be honest, I'd be very nervous having only 9 strips on hand. If Punkin drops into lower ranges, you're going to have to test. At the bare minimum, you need one strip for each AMPS and PMPS and one strip for each cycle. So, basically, that's 4 strips per day if every test is good. If Punkin's numbers drop, you're buying strips. Or first thing in the morning if you have a low number, you'll need strips. Frankly, you'd be better off having more on hand because it will be 10:00 PM when nothing's open that you'll need them.

 

[Nicole & Baby]

Also, if you have a Walmart & I am thinking you don't since you stated you don't have the chain stores near.. but if you can get to one, you can buy a cheaper meter & strips to get you by until Monday. I agree, you need more on hand.. the +2 is a very telling # to get...

 

[Karrie and Maverick]

You could buy a Relion Confirm from walmart as a back up. Meter is 9$ and strips are 20$ for 50. I love the Confirm. Up in Canada we can't buy it so I had a friend ship it to me. Strips are expensive up here. Cheapest I've found is $75 for 100. The confirm needs a small drop of blood and sips up the blood right away.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

there's no walmart near here . . . but i hear ya. i guess i'll have to suck it up and just buy more. :sad:

 

[Ann & Tess GA]

This won't solve your immediate problem, but we use an Infinity meter (US Diagnostics). Strips are just $16.50 for a box of 50 from Hocks. We got the meter from there also. It seems to work just fine, and uses a small drop. Several others use it, too. Buying strips locally are too expensive as often as we end up testing. Hope this helps.
John

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Julie: Here's a suggestion for you: go buy the strips, keep the receipt; don't open them unless you need them. Then you can test as you need to, and if you HAVE to open the strips, you can. Otherwise you can take them back. The other thing you could do....if the boxes are identical, once you get the strips in you could use your receipt to take one of the new boxes from Hocks back to the pharmacy where you buy the strips today.

I buy all my strips on ebay....much cheaper than hocks. I buy in quantities of 8-10 boxes at a time. Just a thought.

 

[Christie & Willie (GA)]

Julie--

what drugstores and grocery stores do you have nearby? perhaps we can make some suggestions as to alternative meters/strips?

 

[Amanda]

I used the confirm for awhile when I had a delay for my Freestyle Lite test strips - its a good backup meter for me. I personally didn't like the setup of it as much as the freestyle - and the carrying case was not really user friendly. Strips are cheap though and you can run to walmart for more if you need to.

Have you checked Ebay? I buy 100 strips at a time for around $44-$46 with free shipping.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I haven't checked ebay yet but will.

we have kmart, rite-aid, & safeway which i haven't checked, and then a bunch of local/area pharmacies, which i have: fred meyer, rice's and bi-mart. all of the latter ones are cheaper on everything than the former, except maybe not kmart. it's not somewhere i stop at regularly and i hadn't thought of it.

in the meantime, i did keep the box unopened with the receipt by the front door, but i've gone ahead and tested on schedule, so now only have 1 left. i need to do one more tonight and at least 2-3 in the morning before the mail would come, and sometimes it doesn't come til dinner time. so . . . i'll open that box and just live with it.

but i'll check out the ideas you've made - thank you.