Two different readings

Buttons11

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162
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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I got a Tee2 meter about 2 weeks ago, and although my readings are still too high, they have been going down gradually.

Yesterday I went to see the DN for the first time and she gave me a Contour TS meter. She did a finger prick test on a similar meter and it was 9.8, which I thought at the time was higher than most of the ones I've done.

This morning I tested myself with the Tee2 and it was 8.5. Then I used the Contour and it says 9.3.

So which one do you reckon is wrong?
 

Bluetit1802

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I got a Tee2 meter about 2 weeks ago, and although my readings are still too high, they have been going down gradually.

Yesterday I went to see the DN for the first time and she gave me a Contour TS meter. She did a finger prick test on a similar meter and it was 9.8, which I thought at the time was higher than most of the ones I've done.

This morning I tested myself with the Tee2 and it was 8.5. Then I used the Contour and it says 9.3.

So which one do you reckon is wrong?

Neither is wrong. Meters are only accurate to within plus or minus 15% and they all have to conform to the same ISO accuracy standards before they can be marketed. It is very rare to see the same consecutive readings, even if you use the same meter twice. Our blood rushes round our bodies very fast, changing all the time, and each drop of haemoglobin in those drops of blood will have a different amount of glucose attached to it.

Those 2 readings were close enough. If you record your levels I suggest you average them. I also suggest you put one of the meters away and keep it for emergencies only. Stick to one of them.
 

Buttons11

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Thanks @Bluetit1802 I just assumed they would be closer. As I put in my other thread the DN told me only to test twice a day, but I have been testing more often with the Tee2. She's done me a prescription which I "should be able to pick up on Monday or Tuesday", but I am away from home Mon-Wed anyway so I only have the 10 tests which came with the Contour until then. When I get more supplies I will put the other one away.
 

britishpub

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It's quite possible to take 2 consecutive readings with the same meter and get results even further apart.

It has happened to me numerous times, which is why I don't stress over the results of finger prick tests too much.
 

Freema

Expert
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If the one of them is consistently higher than the other, I would choose to use the one with the highest number on a daily basis, so that I get the best control aiming for getting numbers lower every day... both numbers are in a unhealthy high level anyways... so seem you could lower them more either by going lower in carbs or by your medication.
 
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Buttons11

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162
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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both numbers are in a unhealthy high level anyways... so seem you could lower them more either by going lower in carbs or by your medication.

I only saw the DN for the first time yesterday (which is how I've ended up with 2 meters) and I can't pick up my prescription meds until next week so I'm sorry but this is the best I can do for now. Did your levels drop overnight?
 
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Alison Campbell

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1,443
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Tablets (oral)
Your nurse wants to check that the medication is working and that your blood glucose does not get to low before meals.

On this forum we use meters to check that we can tolerate what we eat.

It is unlikely that the NHS will prescribe enough test strips for both important scenarios. So you will need to use both meters or purchase additional strips for your contour.

I am not on medication and only have annual lab tests so I purchase all my test strips for my contour next one on ebay where prices vary but I pay about £10 for 50.
 

Alison Campbell

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Both scenarios are too low and too high. Sorry if I did not make that clear.
 

Bluetit1802

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you will need to see how many strips your nurse pescribes. I can almost promise you it won't be enough for all the testing you need to do before and after meals plus fasting, bedtime, when you are likely to be low and before driving.
This is why you will need to buy extra strips.
 

Freema

Expert
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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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I only saw the DN for the first time yesterday (which is how I've ended up with 2 meters) and I can't pick up my prescription meds until next week so I'm sorry but this is the best I can do for now. Did your levels drop overnight?

yes actually they did , but I went from eating a lot like maybe 2800 calories a day to eating only 1000 calories daily for the first 6 month after diagnosis, and stopped eating anything with a lot of carbs right away... so it took me only 3 month to get down to an almost normal level a HbA1c of 44 from 57... and then after further 3 month one of 34... the very few calories also made a difference .. but mostly going lower in carbs
my daily level was 9.2 mmol at the start is around 5.5 on average now on about 100 grams of carbs a day.. and a little more when exercising a lot
 
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