{"id":36198,"date":"2014-06-11T00:31:09","date_gmt":"2014-06-11T04:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=36198"},"modified":"2015-12-28T03:50:16","modified_gmt":"2015-12-28T08:50:16","slug":"blood-testing-machine-break-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=36198","title":{"rendered":"Blood Testing Machine Break Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was the end of an era. My blood testing machine and I broke up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Neither of us wanted to end it. My machine had been steadfastly and happily testing my glucose levels for almost five years. I know for some that\u2019s a long-term relationship between a blood machine and a diabetic. But, the whole time we were together we figured if it ain\u2019t broke, why fix it? And it was anything but broke.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t always like that. When we first started out, my Accu-Chek and I didn\u2019t like each other one bit. It wasn\u2019t really the machine\u2019s fault. When the Accu-Chek came into my life I simply wasn\u2019t ready for a new machine. But, like an arranged marriage, I had no choice. I had to go with the machine because my insurance company mandated it. I got a notice saying they would no longer cover the test strips and machine that I had been using for three years. As a result, overnight I found myself giving my sweet, little One Touch UltraMini\u2014which I couldn\u2019t imagine living without\u2014the \u2018old heave ho.<\/p>\n

I would look at my Accu-Chek and remember how just days earlier I would be able to slip the Ultra Mini into my pocket and take it literally everywhere I went. We were joined at the hip. To be blunt, the Accu-Chek was bigger and slower than my OneTouch. It took me a while to warm up to it.<\/p>\n

The turning point came one day when I thought about my very first blood glucose-testing machine. It had been 25 years earlier. The thing was as large and heavy as a brick. It required constant calibrating. The test strips cost twice a much as they do today. But, despite all that, I loved that machine. It enabled me to control my diabetes better than I ever had before. It freed me from the stigma and inaccuracy of using urine test strips. It showed me a whole new way of living\u2014a better way of living.<\/p>\n

With that history on mind, I decided to give the new Accu-Chek a fair try. And, wouldn\u2019t you know, over time I came to trust and rely on it without reservation. I eventually stopped pining for my old OneTouch. I started looking forward to testing three or four times a day with my new machine. I learned to stop looking back because, frankly, it didn\u2019t do either of us any good.<\/p>\n

Then, a week ago I was shoved into the middle of a crossroads once again. Another insurance company sent out another notice saying they were changing the kind of blood glucose meters they would cover. When I got the notice I had one drum of Accu-Chek test strips remaining. I used them sparingly, counting the days until they were gone and then, just like that, yesterday I used the last one. Time goes by so quickly.<\/p>\n

Now I will turn to my new machine. I\u2019m sad. But, I\u2019m also hopeful that one day I\u2019ll be able to love it unconditionally. I think my Accu-Chek would have wanted it that way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":53098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1501],"tags":[418],"yoast_head":"\nBlood Testing Machine Break Up<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yesterday was the end of an era. My blood testing machine and I broke up. Neither of us wanted to end it. 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