Diabetic supplies are vital for good management of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The most important diabetic supplies are a glucose meter and test strips, as well as insulin supplies such as insulin vials or pens, syringes, or pen needles, or an insulin pump and its accessories.
A glucose meter is possibly the most essential of diabetic supplies, as it allows diabetics to assess their blood sugar level and take steps to keep it at certain levels. High blood sugar needs to be treated with insulin, and low blood sugar needs to be treated with some form of glucose or sugar, such as glucose tablets. Checking your blood sugar level often, and correcting it as needed, is the best way to maintain good control.
To test the level of sugar in the blood, test strips are used in accordance with the glucose meter. A test strip is inserted into the meter and a drop of blood is applied to a specific area on the end of the strip. The glucose meter determines blood sugar levels through a chemical reaction within the strip. Small sensors on the strip measure the chemical reaction and transmit that information to the meter. Blood glucose is displayed on the glucose meter screen.
For diabetics who take insulin, which includes all type 1 diabetics and some type 2 diabetics, insulin supplies are also crucial diabetic supplies. Many diabetics take insulin through injections or injections, which can be administered with regular syringes or insulin "pens." Insulin pens are pen-shaped insulin delivery devices with special disposable needles that screw on. The user then turns the dial on the end of the pen to select the correct number of units and injects the insulin by inserting the needle into the skin and pressing the dial. Many diabetics find this type of insulin delivery system to be much easier and less complicated than insulin vials and syringes.
Other diabetics prefer to use an insulin pump to deliver their insulin. Insulin pumps are small pager-like devices that deliver a constant stream of insulin to the user through a small catheter in the person's skin. Some insulin pumps have a reservoir for insulin in the pager-like device, and the insulin is pumped through tubing into the catheter. Other insulin pumps store insulin in the user's body, and the pager-like device emits a wireless signal that controls insulin delivery.
There are still other diabetic supplies such as a glucagon kit, which is an emergency injection given to a diabetic when suffering from extreme hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Other diabetics use special test strips to test their blood for ketones, a potentially toxic byproduct created when the body tries to make up for a lack of sugar or energy entering its cells. New diabetic supplies are also being developed all the time, such as continuous glucose monitors, which track blood sugar levels continuously through a sensor worn just under the skin.