Evaluation of glucometers

As far as information to be provided... just the Glucose reading really! Averages of different period, and maybe a predicted HbA1c.

Meters for me, should be compact, LOOK good and be accurate (not in that order of priority).
I particularly like my Accu-Check Compact Plus because it has a drum with stips, meaning i dont have to handle the strips, makes for quicker and easier testing!

Ultimatly a non-invasive glucometer would be fantastic. something that you just stick you thumb on it and it tells you your BG... i saw some development of some new technology that does just that and i can't wait for it to come to market (if it does)

I have used a number of dirrerent meters, mostly given to me by either the clinic or free from manufacturers (advert in Balance etc). I now use the OneTouch Ultrasmart. I like it because it allows me to record insulin dosage. The Diabetic Nurse just grabs hold of it and looks up all the averages at appointments. She knows more about the meter than I do.

Improvements would be the ability to programme it to set the insulin dosage in whole units (or half units) as plugging through the tenths when inputting is a pain. If you could buildinto the meter the sort of dosage suggestions from programmes like SiDiary, that would be my ideal meter. As it is, I carry the meter and a PDA to handle it.

Nigel

I have used a number of dirrerent meters, mostly given to me by either the clinic or free from manufacturers (advert in Balance etc). I now use the OneTouch Ultrasmart. I like it because it allows me to record insulin dosage. The Diabetic Nurse just grabs hold of it and looks up all the averages at appointments. She knows more about the meter than I do.

Improvements would be the ability to programme it to set the insulin dosage in whole units (or half units) as plugging through the tenths when inputting is a pain. If you could buildinto the meter the sort of dosage suggestions from programmes like SiDiary, that would be my ideal meter. As it is, I carry the meter and a PDA to handle it.

Nigel

oh yeh... a bolus calculator would be handy on a meter... if it took into account your Ratio, Insulin Sensitivity factor and your target bg. I use a bolus calculator on the internet for lunch when im a work and it's always right. but i dont use one for breakfast, snacks or dinner but im enver at a computer then, so to have one on a bg meter would be handy to say the least!

i'm pretty **** at this so help me out
whats a bolus calculator? i'm trying to fix myself diabetes wise and i'm wondering if this would come in handy for me

These are the terms used to describe the fast acting insulin dosage (bolus) and the longer acting base dosage (basal). I don't know what they are called that.

Type 1s on intensive therapy take lantus (or similar) once a day and 3 (at least) fast acting doses to cover meals. This could be Novorapid or Humalog or similar.

The so-called bolus ratio is how much carbohydrate in grams are covered by one unit of insulin. In my case the numbers change due to the time of day - largely as a result of the level of activity. I am less active in the evening and therefore need more insulin as I am note routinely burning off energy.

I got to grips with this by reading some books and also some articles on the internet. One of the best books I ead was Using Insulin by Walsh and Roberts. It's American so you have to devide all the BG readings by 18.

I hope this helps - and apologies if it is off message for this thread. PM if you want to ask for more info.

Nigel

Sorry, I orgot the last bit. You then use the ration to caluclate how much insulin to take to cover the food you are about to eat. You adjust the ratios as you go to fine tune the result. The starting point is the total carbs eated in a day devided by the total of the rapid acting insulin taken.

Nigel

and your insulin sensitivity factor is how much 1unit of insulin will bring down your BG.

You can work out a rough starting point for your ratio being using the following rule of thumb...

500 / TDD (Total Daily Dose (including rapid and basal))

So if my total daily dose is 50units, then 500 / 50 is 10.

That means for each 10g carbs i take 1 unit of insulin.

It's not 100% accurate, because we're Human and all different, but it makes for a good starting point to adjust from there.

Stuboy said:

You can work out a rough starting point for your ratio being using the following rule of thumb...

500 / TDD (Total Daily Dose (including rapid and basal))

So if my total daily dose is 50units, then 500 / 50 is 10.

Click to expand...

Sorry Stuboy, you lost me there - where does the 500 come from - not carbs per day surely!?!

I currently use a ascencia contour and a one touch ultra.

I like the non calibration thing with the contour.

I would like to be able to press a button for the bs averages that cover the different times of day over say the last week.

Instead of the whole lot being added up I want the fasting and pre-meals to come up separately. I calculate this by hand but it would be great if it was automatic. I should say I'm not good at following instructions so the retrieval would need to be easy.

I have developed an "insulin calculator" which you programme with your own data which then makes the sums easier to do for meals.

You put in your meal sensitivity, correction doses and carb weighting values in tables.

When it comes to any meal you put in the meal eg breakfast, your current bs eg 6.1 and the amount of carb you intend to eat eg 40g and the amount in units appears.

You really need to know what you are doing BEFORE you programme the system and the course at http://www.dsolve.com helps you do just that. It is free of charge.

Again apologies if off topic. The 500 Rule was developed by Walsh and Roberts from some tables they published in the Insulin Pump Therapy Handbook in 1992. It just a simple formula that gives a reasonable first estimate or starting point.

Nigel

I have the Freestyle mini. It's great. Tiny, fast ,accurate and comes in its own pouch. they've even changed the batteries it uses. My first one needeed AAAA batteries and they were impossible to find. My current one uses the coin batteries. Abbott supply the meter with a lifetime guarantee. A while ago, they replaced all meters with a version that only reads in mmol/l. They used to be convertible to the other units. I'd recommend this meter to anyone. I'd liket the strips to be cheaper though, so i could get hold of more of them.

I also use Freestyle Mini which I'm happy with. Prevously had several varieties of Acuchek, the last being Aviva (I think), the one that comes with the Multiclix lancing device (6 lancets in sealed drum). Freestyle was provided by diabetes nurses, the others were free upgrades. Aviva was OK but rather big in its case, so when I started DAFNE and started eating out more, something smaller was essential to remove my excuse for leaving it at home. Ditched the Freestyle lancing device though, Multiclix is much better - just twist it for a new lancet each time when out and about, no need to fiddle with lancets, or remember which ones have been used. Spare or used lancet drums can be carried in a pocket/put in the bin because the sharp bits are inaccessible.

Convenience, size (the whole kit, not just the meter), accuracy and speed are the most important factors. Choice of colour or changeable covers (like on mobile phones) would be a bonus!

As already suggested, separate averages for pre-/post-meal readings would be good but I'd settle for this in separate software (more convenient in meter but not really essential on the move) and it needs to be suited to flexible regimes. For example the FreestyleMini PC programme couldn't cope with tests at 1pm being pre-meal one day but post-meal the next and its calculations ignored bedtime/overnight readings.

Sue

LittleSue, have you tried the OneTouch Ultrasmart meter? This has all sorts of averages and graphs ON the meter. It's a great little meter and it's quality built as well, it's just a shame it doesn't have built in strips like the compact plus and the breeze 2. That would just be the ultimate meter!

How about a meter that doesn't require test strips?

I couldn't agree more with Sarah. Plus the fact that they have to be be constantly re-calibrated, and even then aren't anywhere as accurate as some of the newer ones that never need recalibration.

I have a one-touch ultra and haven't had any problems with it. I always recalibrate when using a new pot of test strips with a different number. There have been only a very few occasions when I have had an eyebrow raising unexpected result and when I test again immediately, the result is as expected. So all in all I am happy with that one and my latest hba1c seems to confirm it's working ok. I find it very disconcerting that there are meters out there whos accuracy seems to be in question. We diabetics rely heavily on these test results for calculating insulin etc and I think it's awful that some may not be relied upon to give accurate readings. I know that if I am driving to work and I have a moment where I wonder if I put my test kit in my handbag, the burst of panicky adrenalin is unreal. I couldn't imagine what life would be like if I was unable to test my bg to "see where I am at". Life would be unbearable.

Caitycakes x