A1C self test kit from Bayer

I would be interested if the testing kit was a tad cheaper. Although it is a 10 test kit the initial outlay £140 is too much for me to contemplate.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00434KM...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B00434KMF2

I have one of these. One thing you should be aware of is that the test packs expire - mine expire 10 months after the purchase date, so I will have to test monthly to get the full use. I paid £110 on ebay to a kit with 10 tests.

I had a quick look around the net and the kits seem a bit thin on the ground at the moment. I just wish my Pharmacy would start it's proposed trial of doing the test.

Where did you get it from as I have been looking?

It's not the cost of the kit that's got me puzzled, it's the cost of the consumables... and I've not been able to locate any refills for it which is worrying... you'd think that supplier would carry them as well...

the A1cNOW+ got rubbished anyway here:

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/study-a1c-now-test-is-****-and-so-are.html

There are no refills. You have to buy an additional set of testers. In the US, drugstores sell two-test kits. You get one meter, and two test kits. The meter can only be used for two tests.

apparently there are 10 and 20 test versions... but no refills...

http://www.quickmedical.com/metrika/index.html

Utilizing micro-optical technology that's integrated into a proprietary reusable monitor with single use cartridges, the Monitor will expire after the programmed number of tests have been run (10 or 20).

Click to expand...

in this day and age, that is just criminal that the meter becomes useless after the pre-programmed number of tests have been performed and no refill kits are available... what a waste of resources making those electronics and the plastic housing.

Paul_c said:

in this day and age, that is just criminal that the meter becomes useless after the pre-programmed number of tests have been performed and no refill kits are available... what a waste of resources making those electronics and the plastic housing.

Click to expand...

The 'meter' is just a bit of plastic that's a couple of mm thick with the cheapest of lcd screens in it. It's not criminal - there is far more wastage in the tubes of solution.

you've obviously no idea just how much resources are used in manufacturing electronics or how much pollution results. And for chip manufacture, it's pretty nasty... which is why they outsource it to third world countries. The fact that these testing kits cannot be used after their pre-programmed life of just 10 or 20 tests is ridiculous.

No it isn't. I throw away test strips every day - they're entirely useless. I put the bayer units in with my plastic recycling as I do with the milk bottle lids. It's no more ridiculous than manufacturers not recycling any plastic product, so spare me your synthetic indignation - I bet you've never even held one of these kits in your hand.

I have one of these testing meters. I found it easy to use, straightforward and quick. Mine expires in Dec this year.

I agree with swimmer2,until there's an alternative to electrical current test strips then we have no alternative to use them and then dispose them along with my lancets,I certainly don't trust in the accuracy of urinary glucose sticks for keeping tabs on my levels!

I use Bayer's Contour blood glucose tester. It is fantastic. I would never have the discipline to write my results down. You just insert USB into your computer and it will automatically download the results. You can have a graph, individual readings etc. It is fantastic.
I did not know they had the A1C self test. I will ask my doctor at my appointment Wednesday.

Just confused as to how it works, as doesn't the Alc test need veinous not capillary blood? Am I wrong?? I bet I am.
CathyN x

Answering my own question. Yes I am wrong. the You Tube video link is useful. The diabetic man is very patient and thorough, and it all looks fairly easy!! Ok Cath? OK.

I am in the U.S. and periodically use this product. The results hold up pretty well with the results from a visit to my endocrinologist. The only version available here contains only two tests, but the cost is only $29 for the kit fo thats $15 per test. I think that is about 9.5 Pounds a test.

dlmoak, I think you'll find you can buy the 10 test kit as well as I bought mine from a firm in California and imported it

OK - I see my doctor often enough that I don't really need a 10 test kit set, but its good to know - I haven't seen them on the shelf in the drug store.

I've just ordered one of these despite the cost as I feel I need the Hba1C test to give me the incentive to keep going with low carb - otherwise I gradually slip into more and more occasional lapses particularly when under stress. I used to get a home test kit that involved sending a drop of blood away for testing but it doesn't seem to be available any more. According to the doctor I'm only 'pre-diabetic' and so I don't get any tests from her, but I believe that's only because I have been pretty much low-carbing for over ten years now and so I self-test sporadically for BG to see how I am responding to different types of meals etc and to try and check that things are not escalating. When I have self-tested HbA1C in the past, the results were higher than I would have guessed from my regular BG, so I definitely think it will be worth doing as I haven't been able to test for a year now.

So annoying to sell a ten-pack if the tests run out that quickly though! However, my husband is also borderline and has much more trouble with diet as he travels on business a lot. He won't test himself and gets an official HbA1c from the doctor but never makes a note of the result so it will be interesting to see what his numbers are.