Freda Labianca was no stranger to the challenges of diabetes. She watched family members struggle with the disease throughout her life. But when the busy mother of two and blogger from Hamilton, ON was diagnosed with it herself 11 years ago, it still came as a shock. She was just 32 years old.
When she lost her father to complications of the disease, it emphasized the importance of effectively managing her diabetes. “I realized I needed to make good lifestyle choices regarding eating and exercise,” Labianca says. “I even tried kale for the first time!”
Keeping her blood sugar in check posed some challenges for Labianca, who takes an oral medication to control her glucose levels. She had to resist junk food and sometimes would skip going out to dinner with friends. She also found that interpreting blood sugar readings was complicated. “The numbers were confusing,” she says. “I’d test my blood, then have to figure out what the results meant.”
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Discovering a new tool
About six weeks ago, her doctor recommended using the CONTOUR®NEXT ONE, an easy-to-use, highly-accurate glucose meter developed by Ascensia Diabetes Care.
“It’s changed the way I manage my diabetes,” says Labianca. “It’s very intuitive. I was able to figure out how to use it quickly.” The CONTOUR®NEXT ONE comes with the unique smartLIGHT feature, which responds with a coloured light to indicate when blood glucose levels are on target (green), below target (red), or above target (yellow).
“This fast feedback really allows me to see how I’m doing and what impact the foods I’m eating has on my blood sugar,” says Labianca. “I can then take action. If I’m below target, I now drink half a glass of fruit juice.”
The device can also wirelessly connect with the free CONTOUR®Diabetes app, which automatically transfers results to a digital logbook and generates reports that can be shared with health care providers. Over time, this smart meter and app system can help people with diabetes understand how everyday eating and exercise habits impact their health.
Through the years, Labianca has seen many devices for diabetes management come and go. “The CONTOUR®NEXT ONE is the best I’ve ever come across,” she says.
You don’t have to just live with diabetes; you can thrive, too, thanks to technologies such as this easy-to-use, highly accurate blood glucose meter.
This article is sponsored by Ascensia Diabetes Care Canada Inc.
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