Medical devices as prevention savings good or bad idea?

[disneysteve]

Yikes, I'm not sure what happened here but I will jog an extra mile today to try and bring this down. This is exactly why I bought these medical devices so I can be proactive and know what it is that I need to work on.

It sounds like you're driving yourself a little crazy based on one point in time data. When was this taken? What were you doing prior? When did you last eat? Have you had any caffeine? Do you take any meds or supplements that affect things? Did you have a full bladder? Were you upset about something or arguing with someone? Were you watching a high stakes action movie?

Our BP varies moment to moment throughout the day. No conclusion or diagnosis can be made from a single reading. If you're concerned, check your blood pressure a couple of times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Keep a log for at least a couple of weeks. Then review that log to see if there is any trend. Is it consistently high? If so, bring that log to your doctor and discuss it with them.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I see, good to know thanks Dr disneysteve. I took the reading this morning while relaxing watching TV after breakfast of watermelon slices, non-fat Lactaid milk, and coffee. The high reading could be from excitement of a road trip that I'll be making today to Arizona/Laughlin. You got that correct that I was making a conclusion from this single reading of 143 over 89 and I didn't realize BP is looked at a trend over time. My mind is at ease now and not so worried.

[QuarterMillionMan]

No needling, no blood, just put your finger in this device and it'll give your blood sugar level, scam or real?

[disneysteve]

No needling, no blood, just put your finger in this device and it'll give your blood sugar level, scam or real?

Non-invasive glucose monitors do exist. I don't know anything specifically about these two. I think they are relatively new and the traditional ones that you prick your finger for are still the standard, but I clearly recall when if we wanted to know a patient's blood oxygen level, we had to put a needle in their radial artery and draw blood and now we just clip a pulse oximeter on their fingertip so tech marches on.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I did a little research on pulse oximeter, too technical for me and not something a lay person such as myself would need. I would not know how to interpret it.

[disneysteve]

I did a little research on pulse oximeter, too technical for me and not something a lay person such as myself would need.

That was pretty much true until COVID came along. Then everybody was buying an oximeter to monitor their oxygen level when they got sick. I bought one myself and have used it several times since. They are simple to use and pretty much all you need to know is that if your oxygen level is consistently below 92%, it's time to seek medical attention.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Getting better readings.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Lots to unpack here. The left side is a fasting blood sample to mail to my insurance for the biometric wellness program which will pay me $50 upon completion. Needed 4 drops of blood in the box on the left side which seeps through to the right side where the arrows end but my sample barely reached it. The kit came with 4 lancets and I used all 4 on different fingers. This sample may be rejected due to insufficient blood. If needed I will do another kit but we shall see if this sample is sufficient.

After completing the kit, I ate a banana & non-fat Lactaid milk. Then 10 minutes after eating I noticed a drop of blood on one of my fingers so I got my glucose meter to test my blood sugar which is seen on the right side and whoa 129 blood sugar. Did the banana & non-fat Lactaid milk sugars travel that fast in my blood stream to take my blood sugar that high to 129?

[disneysteve]

Yes your blood sugar rises quickly when you eat. Then your body releases insulin in response to bring it down. Checking your sugar within a short time after eating really doesn’t tell you much. The best time to check it is 2 hours after eating. By then if everything is working properly your sugar should be down under 150 max.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I see, thanks for that information.

[myrdale]

Sugar uptake is just step below instant.

I've known diabetics who when hit with low blood sugar would pop a candy and within minutes they were fine.

It is also amazing how quickly your body can kick itself out of ketosis from the introduction of carbs.

Every couple of years I will water fast (water and water alone, no juice, no soda, and no food period, just water!). The longest I've gone was 10 days.

You can measure your ketone levels in urine using test strips. After a day or two with no food you go into ketosis. Your body begins gluconeogensis in which it produces glucose from fat, and then your body switches to burning ketones. I am not sure of the exact details how those two are interlinked.

Anyway this can carry on indefinitely, so long as you have fat to burn. Once the fat is gone, then you begin true starvation in which your muscles and other tissues are consumed. For the duration of the fast, the ketone strip is bright red. But within just a couple hours of your first meal, ketones disappear from the strip altogether.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Earned $93 thusfar, got $207 more to go of free money.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I am trying to do that

[QuarterMillionMan]

Rec'd this medical bill in the mail on 7/11/24 for $20 which is fine, but the service was done over 1 year ago. Is it normal for doctors to bill for service over 1 year ago? Maybe it was something the doctor or billing department overlooked.

[james.hendrickson]

Its only $20, why not just pay it and free up the mental bandwidth?