I am interested in buying a PDA to keep track of my son’s blood sugar readings-carbs-insulin, etc, but I’m not sure what brands have these capabilities. I have found information that LifeScan with have such a product available later this year “One Touch UltraSmart”, and also Therasense will have a similar product. Any suggestions?

There are several programs for Palm-type handhelds that can be used to help keep track of blood glucose data, as well as other information helpful for diabetes management. We have a listing of some of these programs in our Computerizing Your Meter section. Accu-Chek has a new software package for the Palm called Pocket Compass, which we will be reviewing in the coming weeks.
In addition to pure software solutions, there are two meters that integrate with the Visor, a Palm-compatible PDA:

TheraSense makes a product called Tracker, which is essentially their FreeStyle meter adapted to fit into a Handspring module. Tracker is available for purchase today and will be reviewed here in the coming weeks.
Accu-Chek showed their Advantage meter as a Handspring module at the 2002 ADA conference. That product is not yet available for purchase (July 2002), but will be soon.

The ONE TOUCH UltraSmart that you mention is a new meter from LifeScan that includes advanced data management capabilities in the meter itself. The UltraSmart has a data interface to download to LifeScan’s IN TOUCH software, which runs on PCs.

Any of these software tools can help you identify patterns in blood sugar readings, which you can then use to help adjust insulin and food to achieve better control.
JSH