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Concerns about SD Codefree

Hi,
I was sent the (hopefully) attached chart by the suppliers of the SD Codefree when I queried the readings of my meters.
It shows that the Freestyle meter tested was considerably lower consistently throughout the test. I have a Bayer Contour too that usually reads even lower than the Freestyle and the test highlighted this too so it looks pretty reasonable.

I have emailed Abbott about these variations and they have told me to call their helpline as they can't do anything via email. As of yet I haven't been able to ring them as I have been at work during the week and have not had chance.

HTH
Angie
 

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Well. Ages ago I filled in a form for a free meter. It has just arrived! Let me add to the confusion. The new new one is a Bayer Contour, and it came with some testing solution for the normal range. I tested all three meters.

Freestyle 7.3
SD 10.4
Contour 6.9.

SO the SD is the only one that is out of normal range. I bought extra strips for the SD, and they are reading the same as the few that came included in the pack.

Catza, I wouldn`t be bothered about a point 5 difference, but it was 2 apart earlier. :crazy:

I now have a headache with wondering which I believe. Even going by the chart you included (thank you Angie) there is a huge disparity between them.

I may well be sending the SD back, but the pricker thingy is great!
 
So which is the most accurate? I have an SD codefree but am getting a meter on prescription (as soon as the practice nurse is back from holiday a week on Monday). I have no idea which make I am getting, but as I have come to trust my Codefree completely, I am wondering if getting a new meter is a good idea. Perhaps I should get it and see what the disparity is, and then decide? I know that they all work differently, but a 2 point difference, that is not a small amount.
 
Just to add even more to the confusion....
I thought I would test before lunch and I have just opened a new pack of strips for my SD....
6.1 with the SD
6.2 with the Freestyle
That is more like the results I got when I first got the SD, so maybe there was something with that batch of test strips after all.
I know there does seem to be a slight variation in batches of the Freestyle strips at times but only by the odd 0.something.

By the way has anyone else received the letter from Abbott about the testing solution readings for the test strip batches too? I got it the other day and basically they say if you have some batch numbers the high test solution will read higher than the other batch numbers.....what is all that about? How can both batches be right if they are expecting them to read different levels? :crazy:

Regards
Angie
 

It is even worse when you look what happened when I used to control liquid Jo. The SD was well over normal range at 10. 4. The Freestyle and Contour were in range. I am not willing to buy more strips to see if there is a problem with the SD, especially as two strips from different tubs read wrongly on control.

Just think, your readings may have been normal all along, and it wouldn`t surprise me.
 

I am well over hal way through the batch of Freestyle strips now Angie. I will do a triple test before and after tea tonight. All these tests are going to cost me an arm and a leg!
 

I have just ordered more strips as I am running low and will need them until I get my new meter, as I say a week on Monday away, then maybe a day or two to get the actual prescription filled. I will carry on in confidence with my Codefree for now. Where did you get the strips? I have always bought mine from Amazon.
 
I bought all my things from ebay, but it is the same seller. I just like the protection of paypal.

At my surgery they seem to have a collection of new meters. Obviously they are more pro testing than most.
 
Jeannemum said:
I bought all my things from ebay, but it is the same seller. I just like the protection of paypal.

At my surgery they seem to have a collection of new meters. Obviously they are more pro testing than most.
Click to expand...

Who knows which is right? I certainly don't. I am not going to worry about it anyway. I can't do anything about it, and have at least ten days before I get my new meter and strips, and as I say my codefree is what I have always used, and what I trust. I will do a comparison when I get the new one, until then no point in me getting in a flap.
 
I suppose I will have some idea when I get my Hba1c done. Until then I am going to have to make a choice and send the SD back. Mine is far to much out of the control numbers for me to believe it.


i think everything has good and bad production lines. I must have got one made last thing on Friday :***:
 

Possibly, the old 'cr*p items made Friday afternoon. I shouldn't worry, it only puts your BG up. As you say, wait for your HbA1c then you will know for sure.
 
I use a Freestyle Freedom Lite.

Just looked at the 3 month average from my testing (intermittent test campaigns) and the overall average is 7.0 mmol/l.

My latest HbA1c was 7.0 which equates to an average of 9.6 mmol/l.

[Meter average 27% lower that HbA1c.]

This is one reason why I finally started Metformin.

Will check my strips (2 seperate packs) against the test solutions but I am now wondering if the meter is reading consistently low.

* Well, bit of a performance. It took me an awful long time to find the tiny writing which told me which was the high and which was the low solution. Red cap high, blue cap low. Tested two batches of strips, one expires 2011/12 (oops - out of date - thought they ran to end of 2012) and the other 2013/07. Trying to drop solution onto the strip didn't work well, so for the last 3 tests used a plate with a pool of solution. Both high tests used the same pool of solution.

Results, older first:

Low:_____2.4_____2.6______8% lower______02.2-03.9 acceptable
High:____15.0____17.4_____14% lower______13.8-20.7 acceptable

Both well within the acceptable values on the packet for low and high solutions.
Old (4 months out of date) strips reading lower than newer in date strips.
Although strictly I shouldn't I think I will blast through my next set of testing (next week) using the out of date strips as those are the ones I used in mid-end March for my last lot of testing so although perhaps not fully accurate they will be comparable. They also still test within range with the control solution.*
 
It is all a flipping worry. Here is me sure that my BGs are in the normal range of low, and maybe they aren`t. I might go up to my daughters and prick her fingers to see if hers are wildly different.
 
I sent back a Codefree, which as giving me high readings. I was getting 9s and I normally never go over 6.5. In correspondence with the company, i came to understand that there were problems with some strips. i compared the results from my 2 meters, the Freestyle Lite and the Codefree. the Codefree was a MUCH higher result.
Hana
 

If you look at the chart I posted on the previous page though it does look as if the Freestyle meters read lower than many others not just the SD.

Has anyone got a meter to compare the freestyle with that is NOT a SD or Bayer Contour? This may help settle the confusion. Unfortunately i haven't.

Regards
Angie
 
Jeannemum said:
It is all a flipping worry. Here is me sure that my BGs are in the normal range of low, and maybe they aren`t. I might go up to my daughters and prick her fingers to see if hers are wildly different.
Click to expand...

Jeanne, you need to make up your mind and choose just one! Three meters! Two sent me mad in less than 3 days. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: I got an SD and it gave me slightly higher readings than my One Touch Ultra. I gave it to a relative who says it works fine. When I used it I wasn't so much concerned about it giving me slightly higher (mostly) or occasionally lower readings but more the consistency. My guess is that some of them are quite sensitive to the size of the blood sample and things like that.
 

I know xxyzzy. I am going batty here :crazy:
 
Hi,

I had same apparant problem but the Freestyle Lite reading low is not a new phenomenon. I no longer use my Freestyle Lite as my main unit as the readings were too low - what I wanted was accurate results not a low reading!! I am an American living here now and prefer the mg/dl meters. I too bought the SD in mg/dl in March and find it compares favourably with my usual meters. FWIW this is what I got from the same drop of blood earlier today:-

Freestyle Lite 93 mg/dl
Accu-chek Aviva 113 mg/dl
SD Codefree 111 mg/dl
ReliOn Micro 109 mg/dl

Jenny
 
PS the only way of knowing which meters are REALLY reliable, is to test in parallel near the time of the HbA1c and then compare the numbers. It's easy to find the BG/ HbA1c comparison on-line. Anyone got an HbA1c coming up? My last one was pretty much in-line with my Freestyle Lite meter.
Hana
 

That's a good point Hana. I calculate an estimated HbA1c from my readings. On my recent one it came back showing my One Touch Ultra is probably reading low and that maybe I should have kept the SD :lol:
 
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