choosing a meter

[mallorcaben]

Hi,
I'm looking for a bi of advice.
Which glucose meter should I buy?
I am type 2 diabetic, recently diagnosed and taking medication.
Being new to this, I bought a book and the first thing it recommended was to buy a blood glucose monitor.
As I have high cholesterol and uric acid, is it worth buying a combined meter?
I would like one with a usb connector to my computer.
I've just spent an hour on Amazon, Youtube and Google but there are just too many choices!

Anyone got any advice from experience.
Thanks
I forgot to mention, I live in Spain so I have to buy the strips myself....
The SD Codefree seems to come up as the cheapest for strips. No usb but I can log the results myself

 

[CathyN]

Hi!!

Yes, it's a bit daunting, I know. When I went to Boots they only had AccuChek meters, so that's the one I got! An AccuChek Nano. It is absolutely fine and I'm very happy with it. I buy my own strips and those are the only drawback £27 for 50 .......

Good luck!

 

[mrburden]

Hi,
There are a lot of good meters on the market at the moment. All the meters I've tried have good points and not so good.
For ease of connecting to a computer and good software, I found the Bayer Contour USB to be one of the best. The new version (USB Next) doesn't seem to be much of an upgrade from the original in my opinion. It does have a small but very easy-to-read screen. It seems to give very accurate BG results, produces very good graphs and logs and is easy to connect, plugging straight into the USB port. It also has space on-board for saving files, music and pictures etc. as it works like a memory stick. Strips £15-£20 per 50
http://www.bayercontourusb.co.uk/

I currently favour the Freestyle Insulinx meter. It has a carb-counting calculator which allows you to quickly work out how much insulin is needed for the carb intake at meal times. This is probably not so useful for a T2 diabetic. The meter has built in software and again, gives good graphs and accurate test results. It has a mini-USB connection wire included in the kit. The only downside I have found is that the LCD touch-screen is not very clear, particularly if you have problems with your eyesight. Strips £20-£23 per 50
https://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/prod ... rview.html

 

[eggplant]

I was given a Gluco RX Nexus when I was first diagnosed 6 months ago and found it pretty accurate and in line with my HbA1c. Then, when my results got better, darned if they didn't take my strips off prescription. :-(

So, based on recommendations on the forum, I bought the SD Code Free - strips are only £4.99 for 50 (as against £11.95 + pp) for the Gluco Rx. The SD does return slightly higher results (around + 1 mmol/L for me) and that's a bit disconcerting at first but overall, it seems a reasonable fluctuation for much cheaper strips. I compared both the first day I used the SD Code Free, with the following results (mmol/L):

Test Type: Time | Gluco | SD | Difference

Before Breakfast: 08:55 | 6.1 | 6.3 | + 0.2
After Breakfast: 11:05 | 4.6 | 5.0 | + 0.4
Before Lunch: 14:10 | 5.3 | 6.5 | + 1.2
After Lunch: 16:10 | 6.4 | 7.5 | + 1.1
Before Dinner: 19:50 | 3.7 | 4.6 | + 0.9
After Dinner: 21:30 | 7.2 | 7.3 | + 0.1
Before Bed: 23:10 | 8.2 | 8.1 | - 0.1

Have used the SD Code Free since Christmas and it consistently returns a slightly higher reading of around 1 mmol/L although it seems less accurate at higher levels and more accurate at lower levels. I've decided to run with it until my next HbA1c and see how things go.

I'm still using the Gluco Rx to test once a month (over 3 days). The Gluco Rx has a USB connector and you can get free software to download results. It also gives an indicator to test for ketones for high BG readings. In the end, I suspect I will stick with my Gluco Rx rather than the SD Code Free, even if the strips are a bit more expensive - just because it feels more accurate.

PS: My BG levels were lower than usual this day as I was travelling by car for over 8 hours and not eating much until late evening.

 

[hanadr]

Look up info on meters. David Mendosa has some on his site. Admittedly it's American, but can give you some ideas. then look at the websites of companies who provide meters in the Uk. check out their test strip prices and see if they have a "patient care" scheme.
Without meaning to advertise, I can heartily recommend my meter, the Freestyle Lite supplied by Abbott Diabetes Care. The meter is tiny, fast and only uses the tiniest spot of blood.[smaller than a pinhead is enough] It will download to a computer if you wish. I don't bother, but it's not all-singing/all-dancing.
Abbott's patient care service is brilliant and test strip prices fair.
You should decide what your personal needs are and search for a company which fulfulls them. I wouldn't buy from a retail pharmacy. It works out much more expensive.
Hana
PS the Freestyle Lite also allows Alternative site testing, which I use to save my fingers.