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Health Tech Review: TEE2 Glucose Meter by Spirit Healthcare

By Health, Reviews2 Comments
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Image of the TEE2 Glucose Meter by Spirit Healthcare. Image From & Copyright © Spirit Healthcare.

 I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic for a decade. You can read my story of how I was diagnosed with diabetes here.

I’ve used various glucose meters, but they’ve all essentially done the same job. Around 6 months ago I was switched TEE2 Glucose Meter by Spirit Healthcare by my GP. Here are the Pros and Cons of the TEE2 Glucose Meter:

Pros

  • It’s easy to use.
  • It meets the latest coding standards.
  • No coding is required.
  • The customer support is brilliant and really responsive. You can telephone a freephone number: 0800 881 5423 or email info@spirit-healthcare.co.uk
  • The meter shows trends data.
  • Apparently the testing strips are cheaper for the NHS to buy.

Cons

  • The meter and its accessories look and feel cheap. For example the zip off the pouch came off in my hand during my first week of use.
  • It’s around the average size of other meters on the market. But my previous meter was much smaller, making it feel big to me.
  • The screen isn’t colour like my previous meter.
  • The date is set in the American-style format: Month-Date, with no option to switch to UK formatting.
  • No automatic changing of time. You have to manually change time on the meter when clocks go forwards and backwards.
  • The meter has no connectivity to smartphones. It would have been great to have Bluetooth connectivity that put meter readings into a smartphone App.
  • The desktop software just wouldn’t work on my iMac. This meant that I would have to go back to recording results using pen and paper in a logbook. No logbook was provided. This again felt like going backwards, as my previous meter did connect to my computer and download test results and trends data to my iMac.

Although the pros and cons for this meter are equal in number, overall this meter has felt like going backwards for me. The TEE2 Glucose Meter feels really limited when compared to my previous meter and other meters on the market right now.

I really wanted to like the TEE2 Glucose Meter and for it to improve my diabetic self-care. But it hasn’t done this. Instead it’s given me more to remember to do (writing results in logbook).

If you have a choice on which Glucose Meter you use, my advice would be to do your research and choose one that is more sophisticated than the TEE2 Glucose Meter. If you don’t have a choice and have been put on the TEE2 Glucose Meter by your GP or Diabetic Specialist Consultant/Nurse my advice would be not to have too high hopes or expectations for it.

Blog soon,

Antony



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Monday 1 May 2017

Hello Hypertension :(

By HealthNo Comments

I feel like the insides of my body are like those of an old man. An old man who has lived a long life of over indulgence.

Maybe six months ago, while attending my GP for a regular medication review he asked for some blood tests. The results came back and the news wasn’t good. I was diagnosed with High cholesterol (Hypercholesterolemia). He starts me on a statin. Statins are medications that reduce cholesterol.

A month ago, another medication review and my GP checks my blood pressure (BP). Not satisfied with the result, he repeats the test several times, getting similar results. It’s high. He puts it down to anxiety, although I’m not particularly anxious. He says he will check it again at my next medication review.

Fast forward to last week, my latest medication review. He checks my BP again and it’s still high. He diagnoses Hypertension (high blood pressure) and starts me on Ramipril, a medication that lowers BP.

Both statins and Ramipril are usually given to 50+ year olds, not someone who is thirty like myself. I do have diabetes (type 1) (see How I was diagnosed with diabetes) and a ‘mood disorder’ (see my life hiatus). I probably don’t eat well enough, carry a little extra weight, don’t exercise enough, I do smoke but rarely drink alcohol. I have a family history sudden cardiac death (SCD). These medications are likely to extend my life. But let’s not kid ourselves, I don’t have a pension and the odds are that I won’t need one.

So although I have to say hello to Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia, they’re not going to stop me from living an enjoyable and happy life.

Write soon,

Antony

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Monday 13 March 2017

A decade of living with diabetes

By Health, Thinking2 Comments
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Diabetes/Health Logo Illustration. Copyright © Sye Watts/Antony Simpson, 2014.

 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a decade ago. You can read my story of how I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes here.

In the last decade not much has changed. I’m still testing my blood sugars 2-3 times a day. I’ve used various BM monitoring meters over this time, but they’ve all essentially done the same job. I’ve recently switched to the TEE2 Blood Glucose Meter by Spirit Healthcare Ltd which is one of a few that connects to desktop computers and produces reports on BM readings. Tracking trends and so forth. I will review this meter on my blog in due course.

I’m still injecting myself with artificial insulin 4 times a day. I’m still going for annual podiatry checks, annual retinopathy screening and annual diabetic review appointments with my GP and Practice Nurse.

Over the last decade there’s been countless reports in the media of better treatments or even potential cures for diabetes. But so far, nothing has materialised.

My hope for the future is that one day I’ll be healthy again. Let’s hope that the next decade brings better treatments and perhaps even a cure.

Write soon,

Antony

You can learn more about diabetes by visiting these external links:



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Monday 30 January 2017

Mind Map: What Makes A Good Nurse?

By Health, Life, ThinkingNo Comments

In my day job, I’m a Nurse. I had an experience recently that made me ask the question: What makes a Good Nurse?

I started with a mind map of my ideas (click on the Image for Full Size Image):

what-makes-a-good-nurse

Mind Map: What Makes A Good Nurse? (Click for Full Size Image)

Despite the size of the mind map, there were loads of other qualities, talents and skills that I simply couldn’t fit on the mind map. These include:

  • A Sense of Humour
  • Patience
  • A Holistic Approach to care.
  • An understanding of and interest in Biology (Anatomy & Physiology), Sociology & Psychology.
  • Basic Life Support – Skills in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
  • An understanding of public health and health promotion.
  • An understanding of key issues: addiction, smoking cessation, mental health and obesity.
  • Knowledge of both hospital and community services including: what services offer, how they operate and how patient’s can access them.
  • Works Well in a Team.
  • Has Leadership Skills.
  • Aware of legislation relevant to patient care, safeguarding and other legislation related to their field of practice.
  • Has three goals: to prevent patients from getting sick/unwell, to make sick patients well again, and to keep patients as well & healthy as possible.

A Good Nurse needs to have so many qualities, talents and skills. No one person will have everyone of the qualities, talents and skills listed here. But I’ve worked with some fabulous Nurses that have come pretty close.

Nurses work in teams, which is where skill mix comes into play. Having a team of Nurses with a good mix of qualities, talents and skills means excellent patient care. This is because most, if not all of these qualities, talents and skills are met by the Nursing team as a whole.

Is there a quality, talent or skill you think a Good Nurse needs to have that isn’t on the mind map or list above? If so, please leave a comment below.

Write soon,

Antony

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Thursday 28 April 2016
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