What Meter to go for?

[Clivethedrive]

Well for speed of getting one, i got the Accu Aviva, with the fastclix lance, being a needle phobe, i faint when the doc want a blood sample, so the virtual pain free blurb atracted me, first two test took around 5 minutes for me to pluck up tbe courage to push the button, so not a good start, but that said it is fine now and the pain is beyond minimal, so i now prick like a pro! I will definatly look at some of the meters you have recommended, after i see the DSN on the 13th and see if i can get one on perscription, so for free now i do not have to pay perscriptions anymore, got to be some benefits hay?
Thanks all for the help.

Hi zacthedog,just checking are you lancing the side of your fingertips,nearest the nail,as there are less nerves thereclive

 

[zacthedog]

Yes Clive and thanks, i have tested all sides now after the one on christmas eve with a boots disposable on the tip of a finger, will not be doing that again in a hurry.

 

[Streety]

Hi Zacthedog,

I see you've lots of advice about meters (I prefer my accucheck over my freestyle lite) but not a lot on prickers.

I use an accu-chek multiclix. I like it because the needles are contained in a plastic cylinder (I have little kids) and you can dial up the strength of the prick. A little yellow dot shows you the needle is loaded and the action is smooth once you press the button.

It's all self contained so you never see a needle. While the lancets come in packs of 6, I stay on the same needle until it's blunt. To go from a blunt to a sharp needle is very easy, you just dial up to the next number and it loads it. Good luck

 

[Incidentals]

@BeccaScott there have been a few mentions of accu check mobile, if this is your machine of choice please contact me and I will send you a limited edition pink faced one, that I got when checking around in a previous thread about type 2s wanting to test, we get these things for free in scotland, so i got this one online and its free to whoever wants it I use the machine associated with my clinic and it's free. So 1 brand new still in box unregistered limited edition pink faced blood glucose monitor free for the asking!

 

[Jordi77]

I use a bayer contour next usb meter as it has a rechargeable battery in it and I can stick in it over 2000 tests and I only recharge it once every year just to get the results down from it and I use a different lancet as I have small kids around and I don't want them to get stuck with it and the same with the needles and they are kept out of reach but they have gotten into where I keep them before and I am always thinking before I do it, but kids are kids and get in al sorts of places and you can't have eyes in the back of your head when you are doing something else.

 

[Ann1982]

Despite the advice on here I resisted buying a meter, as I don't like the idea of pricking my fingers several times a day.
But I now realise that although I brought my HbA1c down between being diagnosed and my 3 month retest, I will not know how my levels are going until my next test at end of September.
Also I would like to know how different foods (and beer) would affect my levels. So I have ordered a meter online.

It is the Accu-Chek Mobile Blood Glucose System meter, about £20 on Amazon. I chose it because it has generally good user reviews. Users say the lancet pricks are less deep and painful than other meters. It doesn't use strips. The downside is that it only comes with 50 tests which have to be used within 90 days or they expire, and new lancets cost more than a new meter, so it costs more than the code free meter at £20 every 90 days.

But I will use it as an introduction to testing. If I find it does help me I might get another after 90 days or try the code free meter with testing strips. It should arrive on Monday.

You should check the accu check site you can get a free meter. Also Boots have the lancets and test cassettes on sale just now

 

[Louisette]

I bought mine from the pharmacy, I had a prescription but it isn't reimbursable . It is an Accu Check and comes with a pen type lance. I think that is better and you don;t see it when it goes in. You can adjust how much it enters your finger with a 1 to 6 setting. I started on 2 and didn't get enough blood so now use 3. I found it a bit tricky at first to get the angle right and I think there may have been a problem with it. Thanks to support here I got that sorted out.
It was expensive and so are the strips and lances but it is easy to carry and easy to use once you get the hang of it.

 

[Ann1982]

I have the Freestyle lite had it about 6 years now. The strips are expensive but I do get 50 a month on prescription, doesn't everybody get strips on prescription?

Unfortunately many GP's won't give meters to type 2's and if they do it's usually one that the strips are cheaper for.

 

[paula121s]

I use an accu check mobile. My surgery said I don't need to test as type 2, but I do! I know, rebel . I find it relatively easy although I did struggle changing the lancet to start. But now I know how, it's easy. I don't find pricking my finger painful. I like that it's small and compact. The cassettes are fairly pricey, but I have discovered on Amazon you can get 2 cassettes of a 100 a lot cheaper. I think for both it was about £35.

 

[Jordi77]

I get my lancets and test strips on prescription as on insulin for my type 2 and I have a exception certificate as well as when I was on metformin I was able to get them on the exception as well but it has all changed but I was on both metformin and insulin and I was on the maximum for metformin which is 6 and I didn't even have any of the side effects as I did when I took the full amount of Victoza and that is a injection and a half which makes you feel full and you only eat small amount of food and you loose a bit of weight with it as well but it does make you feel really ill but the metformin is nothing compared to that one

 

[Julia99]

Thanks @R2T2. There isn't an ASDA near where I live. But I will be passing one later in the week so I might pop in to see if they are still on offer and pick up a spare.

I've got one of these and I love it! I download the graph showing my scores every couple of weeks sad I know
Boots had an offer on the test cassettes and lancets a few weeks ago and if you order online you can deduct the VAT so I paid £11.99 for the cassette. I have got a prescription from the DN but she won't put it on repeat, I gave to ask when I want another one. I've just had my endo appnt at the diabetic clinic (first one) and he's overridden the diabetes diagnosis and says with my blood glucose results over the last 13 months I'm still only pre diabetic! I assume she won't give me any more prescriptions now.

 

[gavin86]

I use a freestyle optimum neo (type1 so the ketone testing is useful occasionally). Also it saves my history and I can download it via USB.
Re: lancets, I use one that I got out of an accu-chek monitor with the 6x lancet cylinders because it's nicer.
We get free meters here, and I was originally diagnosed as type 2 so they gave me the accu-chek first, then let me keep it anyway