dannyw
BANNED
- Messages
- 430
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Although I completely agree with this the fact that certain meters read consistently high or low does make a difference if on insulin and are a driver. We are all aware of the DVLA guidelines and how strict they are ( as they should be ) so a meter that read lower than it should can make a difference.I come back to a point I made elsewhere on this topic though. Diabetes is not a condition of exactitudes. So one meter reads differently from another? So what? As a T1, you had to use urine and test tubes and then visual colours to guesstimate what was going on. Now you get an electrochemical reading that, due to reading to 0.1 of a mmol, people believe to be "accurate".
Given that timing, absorption rate, test locations and measurements are all variable and not at all "accurate" then the numbers on blood glucose meters can only ever be a guide. The best you can hope for is consistency. Getting hung up on the accuracy of the numbers or even the accuracy of the numbers isn't going to dramatically change your life. If you target 5mmol/l on a blood glucose meter, then, based on the current and future ISO requirements, you will be measuring within the range you want. with it is 4, 5 or 6 really doesn't matter a vast amount. For a type 1, what's more important at that point is the direction of travel.
I too look for trends though rather than worry too much about single readings and hopefully with technology moving so fast, the margins of error will reduce even further in the future.
Again, I agree. My point was the other way around though really. If say, you had a meter that read consistency lower than another, it may affect your freedom to drive. If you tested your blood and were between 4 & 4.5, you'd need to snack and increase levels whereas your actual readings may be over 5. OK, not going to make much of a difference to most people but if you kept your numbers tight, it could occasionally be a pain.This is why there's the five to drive guidance, and equally, if your meter shows you at 4.8, the DVLA guidelines say you can still drive. Even if the meter is reading 20% high, and your number is 4.5, with a real number that is 3.6, your meter says 4.5 (so no issue on that point) and you aren't technically or clinically in a hypo state at 3.6!