SPRING into action!

While today we got a bit closer to spring here in Georgia and set our clocks forward an hour, this is also a great reminder to do some housekeeping checks with your diabetes supplies. You have probably heard that when the time changes, it is a good reminder to check your smoke alarm batteries. Well, now you can use the time change to help you remember a few other important things that are often forgotten because we don't do them daily.

1. Check your expiration dates on your emergency supplies!! This includes your glucagon emergency kits, nausea medications (promethazine suppositories or ondansetron tablets), ketone strips, and any other medications you don't get refilled each month. If your supplies are expired, contact your Moye's Pharmacy to refill what you need.

2. This goes hand and hand with number one, but check your supply on-hand of these emergency medications as well. Do you have a glucagon kit at school or work AND at home? Better yet, do you have a glucagon kit at all? You'd be surprised how many people somehow never got one filled when they were first diagnosed and/or were not educated to keep one at home AND school/work. If you need education about how to use your glucagon kit, call your Moye's pharmacist and set up a time to go in and learn about how to use it. Don't wait until you need it for your child and realize you don't know how to use it! Equally important, if you are an adult diabetic, now is the time to make sure those family members, friends, and co-workers you are most often with also know how to use it and where you store it.

3. Do you have an extra glucometer on hand? If you don't that is fine, but then you need to make sure you have extra batteries for your current glucometer. If you are unsure which replacement battery type your machine takes your Moye's staff will be glad to help you.

Here's to a happy, healthy spring!!!

Important Safety Notices

Recently I became aware of some important safety recalls on Lifescan diabetes testing products that I wanted to let you know about. The information can be found at www.lifescan.com. If you use Surestep test strips or One Touch Ultra test strips be sure to visit this web address to find out more information. The recall regarding the Surestep test strips was especially alarming to me because apparently the affected strips will give a falsely low reading when the blood sugar is greater than 400 mg/dL. With flu season here, a 400 mg/dL reading isn't completely far-fetched, so make sure you check your lot numbers on your strips to see if they are being recalled. If you are unsure where to find your lot number or have trouble accessing the website, call your Moye's pharmacist and they will be happy to assist you!