Blood Monitors Compared

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
im having my meter changed by my docs no doubt its coz the strips are cheaper i have the aviva nano at the moment

i do have a question tho i checked my level the other day and it was 10.5 did another check half an hour later and it was 6.7 can this happen or is my meter playing up ?
 

Crimsonclient

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,080
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Farmerfudge there is a blood monitor you can plug into an apple iPhone made by BG. Only problem with it, it's rather expensive. Boots sell them by the way.
I got the ibgstar (for iphone) and bg star last week for a back up meter and both we're supplied to me free of charge direct from sanofi


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nok1888

Active Member
Messages
32
I've been using the freestyle optimum with no problems but I was given an accu-chek aviva as a back up but thought I'd try it out. Morning bloods were both 4.7 but just checked now and the aviva was 6.8 and the freestyle was 7.8!? I'm going to check again before and after tea to see the differences but what one do I trust?

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DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
I've been using the freestyle optimum with no problems but I was given an accu-chek aviva as a back up but thought I'd try it out. Morning bloods were both 4.7 but just checked now and the aviva was 6.8 and the freestyle was 7.8!? I'm going to check again before and after tea to see the differences but what one do I trust?

I'm under the impression that no monitor gives the same reading. There is a margin or error.
 

robert72

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,878
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
They are required to be within +/- 20% although they are usually more accurate than that. Using multiple meters to test your blood at the same time (especial from the same drop) will drive you insane :arghh:
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
im having my meter changed by my docs no doubt its coz the strips are cheaper i have the aviva nano at the moment
i do have a question tho i checked my level the other day and it was 10.5 did another check half an hour later and it was 6.7 can this happen or is my meter playing up ?

have you used the control fluid to test the readings ?
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
hi diamondash ...sorry what do u mean ?
Meters come with a little bottle of 'control solution' .. this is to test the machine, rather than using finger prick test, to see if the readings are correct. On each vial of strips there will be a range of readings and each strip will give a reading within that range when the solution is applied. It is recomended to be used periodically to test the meter.
 

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
aahhh rite i didnt know that and no mine did come with any

Im getting a new meter this week sometime so will check with that one aswell as i think mine has been giving strange readings last couple ov days

as not sure if ur BG can drop so much within half an hour
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
aahhh rite i didnt know that and no mine did come with any

Im getting a new meter this week sometime so will check with that one aswell as i think mine has been giving strange readings last couple ov days

as not sure if ur BG can drop so much within half an hour

It is actually possible, I think! but there are variable determining factors... ie. what had you eaten and when. Were you due to eat? esp. if you are still producing insulin. Do you inject? etc, etc, etc. There will be lots of knowledgable forum users to help you soon, I'm sure.

I've had a drop after eating a biscuit ....
 

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
hi i had my breakfast the first test was 2 hours after at 10.5 and the second was half hour after that i just thought it was strange

im type 2 i dont inject
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
hi i had my breakfast the first test was 2 hours after at 10.5 and the second was half hour after that i just thought it was strange

im type 2 i dont inject

hmmm, I'm not really in a position to say, but I think it could happen. Others on here will have more experience with sudden drops, or it could have been a false reading... Look out for it happening again. It's quite a balancing act, isn't it :)
 

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
oh yes if deffo is a balancing act im trying to test quite a bit as im due to go to diabetic clinic next month for first time so would like some readings with different foods to take with me but im getting alsorts of crazy ones last few days lol its driving me mad as sometimes i can eat the same thing on 2 days and get totally different readings one days its ok to et something next day i think no its not ok to eat haha goin mental :-(
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
oh yes if deffo is a balancing act im trying to test quite a bit as im due to go to diabetic clinic next month for first time so would like some readings with different foods to take with me but im getting alsorts of crazy ones last few days lol its driving me mad as sometimes i can eat the same thing on 2 days and get totally different readings one days its ok to et something next day i think no its not ok to eat haha goin mental :-(

Oh what a nuisance for you ... How long have you been testing and could some other underlying feature/reason be affecting your levels ?
 

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Ive been testing since i got diagnosed last june on and off .....i had to stop my medication just b4 xmas as i was having a really bad time with it so i have been testing regular since last month as not been on medication and ever since then my levels have been all over the place not one day is same as next even tho ive eaten same thing so i cant eat to my meter as no 2 days are same no wunder i have a headache with it all haha

So looking forward to going to diabetic clinicnext month to sort it out as going to ask for injectable medication as not had a good time with the tablets
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
Ive been testing since i got diagnosed last june on and off .....i had to stop my medication just b4 xmas as i was having a really bad time with it so i have been testing regular since last month as not been on medication and ever since then my levels have been all over the place not one day is same as next even tho ive eaten same thing so i cant eat to my meter as no 2 days are same no wunder i have a headache with it all haha

So looking forward to going to diabetic clinicnext month to sort it out as going to ask for injectable medication as not had a good time with the tablets
Oh I say ... I would say there is an underlying problem that is affecting your levels. I was reading about the LCHF (LowCarb HighFat) diet yesterday . Take a looksee and see if it would help you. It's a great diet for diabetics.
 

Cath40

Well-Known Member
Messages
91
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Thanks ive already tried that was no good for me as i have an hernia so the high fat would be no good for my stomach thats also the reason i cant take the metformin or some other medication its a pain so im not doin the high fat im trying a combination of both i dnt eat any more than 130gms ov carbs a day and try to keep the fat down think thats y my levels are all over the place at the min opfuly iwill get it sorted next month wen i go to the diabetic clinic :)
 
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ben39uk

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Do people find the IBGStar an accurate meter compared to others, or do you think it reads high
 

Thommothebear

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,186
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Do people find the IBGStar an accurate meter compared to others, or do you think it reads high

I have 4 meters now, the IBG star is always much higher than all the others, sometimes by as much as 5mmol, I never use it anymore. I always go back to the Freestyle.


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