Which Meter do you use?

[TyTy]

i was given the BG Star Sanofi machine it a very good machine

 

[PatsyB]

wonder why one doctor says you do not need to test and another says you do....must admit I do prefer to keep to one doctor but is hard to get into see him as everyone prefers him ...laughs

 

[PatsyB]

BG Star Sanofi machine...not seen that one wonder if my doctors have that too..I will enquire

 

[TyTy]

I got my meter from my diabetic nurse

 

[TyTy]

Yes it a good meter, do not need much blood to test

 

[Winnie53]

I've never understood advice to not weigh yourself or test your blood glucose daily. While that may be good advice for some people, I need that daily feedback to stay on track with my health goals.

 

[orchid5]

It's scandalous that there is conflicting advice. You don't give bp medication and not check the bp so why any different with diabetes, admittedly it is type 2 that this relates to! I was told not to bother testing and eat normally ermmmm no I'm a nurse who works in speciality that sees what not controlling your diabetes does. I've also recently done a large data collection for a registry in the uk and to say that was an eye opener with regards to the number of type 2 with complications would be an understatement! I say test and look after yourself.

 

[TyTy]

Yes , i am not sure why the conflicting information, my nurse was great , she gave me a meter and told me to test

 

[WeeFergus]

I use the SD Codefree because the strips are cheaper than most (I'm a Scot !). I've also got an Accu-Check Mobile which I bought in panic when I inadvertently ran out of strips for the Codefree but I just keep it as a back-up.

 

[PatsyB]

Seems like people use many different meters ...must admit the meters I use are very good they were given by the Nurse at my Doctors surgery ..but can see you can buy them as well which is good...

 

[Stemar]

Hi All,

I use the one touch verio from Johnson & Johnson here in OZ, but I've had it for a few years, it still works Okay. But I just received an Email from the NDSS here in Sydney offering a 20% discount on the new Dario it's an all in one system that let's you store your information on a secure cloud. I first saw it on this web sight, so maybe you could check it out, because with the 20% discount it cost $69.00 AUS, which isn't to bad. Also, take care and catch ya all later.

Stemar, (Downunder)

 

[perth]

I've been using the Dario since it was released here in AU and I know it's been out in the UK for a while, I love it, actually I have two now. They are just sensors that plug into a device's headphone socket so I have one downstairs and one upstairs (sounds lazy!) and I just take a reading with the closest one. Doesn't matter which device I use they are uploaded as Stemar said into the cloud and you can check on your phone or tablet your progress.

Of all the meters I've tried, this would have to have the smallest blood sample size, they say (ironically) you only need a sample the size of a grain of sugar.

It seems to read a little lower than most, but closer to average I would say, certainly not on the high side.

 

[Nuthead]

Hi All,

I use the one touch verio from Johnson & Johnson here in OZ, but I've had it for a few years, it still works Okay. But I just received an Email from the NDSS here in Sydney offering a 20% discount on the new Dario it's an all in one system that let's you store your information on a secure cloud. I first saw it on this web sight, so maybe you could check it out, because with the 20% discount it cost $69.00 AUS, which isn't to bad. Also, take care and catch ya all later.

Stemar, (Downunder)

Got one or these sent free. You need an iPhone or iPod to use it. I think Android phones now have an app for it as well. It is not a stand alone meter, more or an adapter for your phone. It uses a standard type Lancet but has no storage for them. It does store the strips but there is no case supplied with the unit. The software is in my opinion very good.
It has a cap at one end to cover the Lancet and another at the other end to cover the strips. I found it a little fiddly to use and the caps could be easy to loose. The phone adapter plugs into the headphone socket and is stored in the side of the unit.. it all works ok but I find having to carry new and used lancets and used strips separately annoying and again fiddly.

 

[Stemar]

Hi Perth,

Thanks you just made my mind up for me, as I was considering wether to get it or not, but after reading your Imput I decided to place my order via the Email I received from the NDSS, here in Australia. Does your Tag (Perth) relate to where your from or is it just a coincedence? Thank you for your post as I can say a lot will be interested to read about it as by looking at the photos it looks rather small, but well organised as far as it all comes together. So you take care and I hope to cross paths again in the future.

Stemar, (Downunder)

 

[Al44]

I'm type 2 on two Metformin 500mg daily.
Now my current GP refuses to prescribe test strips so I've been wondering which test strips are cheapest to buy?
Would this site consider listing the price of different test strips, and any special offers too?

One matter of concern is the different reading by different meters for the same drop of blood:
My Bayer Contour gives the lowest reading, almost always 1 mmol/L lower than my Bayer Contour Next and my OneTouch Verio when the reading is around 7 mmol/L and 2 mmol/L lower when the reading is around 11 mmol/L; seems rather more than the ±15% tolerance although if one meter reads 15% low and the other 15% high, I suppose it might account for a 1 or even 2 mmol/L difference.

Another matter of concern is my GP takes the view that my HBA1C of 6.5 is "almost non-diabetic, so why bother to test at all?" and used my concern about spiking to 11 mmol/L an hour after breakfast to justify his opinion that I shouldn't test. He went on to suggest I stop taking Metformin AND limit myself to an annual HBA1C "because you've never had a hypo".

I don't believe my diabetes is sufficiently well controlled for that, at least not yet.

 

[Janemm]

I use Abbott Optium Xceed, I get the testing strips from My GP

 

[lessci]

I'm type 2 on two Metformin 500mg daily.
Now my current GP refuses to prescribe test strips so I've been wondering which test strips are cheapest to buy?
Would this site consider listing the price of different test strips, and any special offers too?

One matter of concern is the different reading by different meters for the same drop of blood:
My Bayer Contour gives the lowest reading, almost always 1 mmol/L lower than my Bayer Contour Next and my OneTouch Verio when the reading is around 7 mmol/L and 2 mmol/L lower when the reading is around 11 mmol/L; seems rather more than the ±15% tolerance although if one meter reads 15% low and the other 15% high, I suppose it might account for a 1 or even 2 mmol/L difference.

Another matter of concern is my GP takes the view that my HBA1C of 6.5 is "almost non-diabetic, so why bother to test at all?" and used my concern about spiking to 11 mmol/L an hour after breakfast to justify his opinion that I shouldn't test. He went on to suggest I stop taking Metformin AND limit myself to an annual HBA1C "because you've never had a hypo".

I don't believe my diabetes is sufficiently well controlled for that, at least not yet.

Cheapest is probably the SD Code free, 100 strips are about £13 - but the more you buy the cheaper they get. Meter in case with lancet and a few strips are about £12. Check out Homeheath or they also trade through Amazon Marketplace. Make sure you tick the I am a diabetic box as you then get them VAT free.

 

[Al44]

Thanks Lesley, will follow up.

 

[Tim55]

I'm with A144.

My wife bought me an SD Codefree while awaiting official confirmation.

Diabetic nurse I saw gave me a Nexus Gluco RX as she was concerned my levels were so high I may be late onset Type 1, and gave me a testing regime to follow, but not to "eat to my meter"

I chose to follow the first part of that advice and ignore the second bit

At the follow up appointment she was so pleased with results she told me stop testing and would not prescribe any more strips.

Consequently I now just use my trusty Codefree. which i suspect gives results on the high side but i'd rather have it that way.

The +/- 15% point is extremely valid too. I have a scientific background and was shocked when I looked up the accuracy standards set for these meters. To put this in context, if you get a reading of 10.0 on your meter, the actual value could be anywhere between 8.5 or 11.5 and the meter would still meet the required standard. I would hope the repeatability of the same meter would be a lot better than that but even so it means I don't stress too much over minor oscillations.

I looked into this when i was using both meters - the NHS provided one for the DN and the CodeFree for my own records for consistency, and recorded 7.3 on the CodeFree and 6.1 on the Gluco.

Why CodeFree - similar to WeeFergus above, except more so. I'm a Yorkshireman!

 

[Al44]

Interesting Tim, and you're absolutely right, there's a worrying difference between a reading of 8.5 and 11.5!

2 hours after only a modest dinner (OK, a rare small bowl of pasta followed by strawberries & cream) last night Contour indicated 9.3, which is too high but just about acceptable for a once monthly 'treat', while Verio showed 11.2, much too high and frightening given the small quantity consumed.

Have ordered the SD Codefree meter, still have some Contour and Verio strips, when it arrives will check the SD Codefree readings against those to get a feel for how the readings compare.