GLUCOLAB meter?

[desidiabulum]

Just heard from my GP that they are switching me to using a GLUCOLAB meter and test strips. Obviously I shall miss my dear old Free Style Lite -- we have had such happy times together ('WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 8.1????!!!!!' etc).
Presumably the switch is being made because the test strips are a lot cheaper, but does anyone else have experience of a GLUCOLAB meter? Are they any less reliable?

 

[Den1]

I have had 3 Glucolab meters and have now reverted back to my old One Touch meter. The first meter I had came up with odd codes, which wasn't in the booklet and Neon Diagnostics who supply the meters took this one back and replaced it. They did not know what these codes were either. The second meter didn't last very long either, my first reading of the morning said my blood sugar was so low it could not give me a reading, I knew this was incorrect as I felt fine and re-did it and was given a reading of 11 and did another one straight away and it came out as 11.3. I contacted Neon Diagnostics again and they replaced it with my third meter. This one lasted two days. It did exactly the same and gave incorrect readings. As this can be extremely dangerous, especially if you think your reading is high and give yourself insulin I spoke to my Diabetic nurse again and she suggested I go back to my old meter (which I'd had for some time and never had a problem with it) and they would supply me with the test strips. JUST BE CAREFUL - if you think the reading is wrong, retest yourself!

 

[borderter]

I trialed it and HATED it ,no back light ,worrying odd readings and loads more ,hope you can get gp to leave you on the wonderful freestyle strips

 

[Den1]

When I spoke to the chap from Neon Diagnostics he told me that they had no complaints about their meters, but speaking to my Diabetic nurse she said they had quite a few people complaining about them!

 

[desidiabulum]

Thanks for your comments. I hate the **** thing -- from the ludicrously elaborate meter right through to the thin but overly elaborate logbook which is cunningly just too big to fit in the meter pouch. I tried th meter once and now I can't get the **** thing to register any new readings (I don't want to set alarms, programmes, logs of previous readings) -- it just seems to be stuck on the first reading and after reading the instruction manual twice cover to cover I still can't work out what I'm doing wrong. The really annoying thing is that I first tested it 2 hours after breakfast and it gave a reading of 8.4, which I'm not proud of, and which it now quotes endlessly back at me just to rub it in.
I have been working through my stockpile of free style lite instead, but almost used so I will have to go back to the clinic and ask them to get it started up again. Unless any of you can tell me what I did wrong????

 

[EdwardJam]

My GP changed my meter to Glucolab, I wasn't sure about it at first but now very happy with it. I wasn't the only one to be given it either, a few people I know also use it. None of us have had a problem and it is allot less stress than my old meter.

 

[pedroespero]

I started using GlucoLab a few months back as part of a cost cutting exercise. I found the meter very easy to use- similar to a Freestyle which was one of my previous meters. I starting comparing GlucoLab results with my old meter and found them to be little higher. I phoned up Neon Diagnostics who very helpful sends me another meter with more testing solution . The new meters reading was same. I went to see my Nurse who checked all my meters against her special professional meter & test solution-Result-- both Glucolab meters were testing the most accurate. Very happy to be using Glucolab and no problems-- now have spare meter which keep in car

 

[ArsenalCath]

I am quite happy with my Glucolab meter. However it is the only one I have ever used so I do not have anything to compare it with. My husband uses a different one to mine. I am hoping it is accurate as since I was diagnosed my blood sugars have gradually decreased and are no mostly within normal range. Happy, Happy, Happy.

 

[rubold]

Needs a lot more blood than Freestyle Lite. I was given the Element also from Neon diagnostics, although they are both manufactured in Korea, but it read so high that it was not detecting quite severe hypos. So I complained to the Nurse Manager and she said that as I was type 1, I was allowed any system that I had confidence in. So I use Freestyle Lite and Accuchek Mobile.

 

[New_Planet]

I am consistently getting wrong readings with Glucolab. I also have Glucomen and the readings are very different.
I think there is a fault with glucolab