- Messages
- 334
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Still only a couple of months in on this, and I thought it might be useful to compile a list of things I wish I'd known from the outset. (Actually, one I did, but I've seen others comment that they didn't.)
1) +/- 15% tolerance on the meter, on most tests, meets the requirements for accuracy. Read the leaflet that comes with the meter and strips, to see the accuracy of your specific device. 15% either way means that a true 6.0 can read anything between 5.1 and 6.9. If in doubt about a reading, re-test. Average out 3 or more if needed, or go with the two that are closest together.
2) You aren't trying to get blood onto the window of the test strip, you're trying to get it into the middle of a 3 layer sandwich through a tiny slot in the end. (I only discovered this, peeling apart a used test strip.) The best way to get a sample without accidentally smearing it is to touch the very end of the test strip to the droplet of blood at 45 to 90 degrees to your finger.
3) Clean hands can make all the difference for an accurate test result, but rinse and dry thoroughly, since any residual soap or water will break the surface tension of the sample and cause it to smear rather than form a droplet. Another recommendation I've seen is to finger prick, wipe the first sample away, squeeze some more blood out, and test that.
4) Probably the best/least painful test site is on the side of a finger or thumb, next to the nail, though not so close that the droplet flows onto the nail.
5) Many people don't replace their lancet after every test. Some do, though some replace daily, or even less frequently.
6) Factor in the cost of strips when choosing a meter. That'll be the bulk of the cost over time, and the cheapest meters don't necessarily have the cheapest test strips.
Additions, corrections and disagreements welcome. I'm not saying I have all of this right, or that my test meter works like everyone else's.
1) +/- 15% tolerance on the meter, on most tests, meets the requirements for accuracy. Read the leaflet that comes with the meter and strips, to see the accuracy of your specific device. 15% either way means that a true 6.0 can read anything between 5.1 and 6.9. If in doubt about a reading, re-test. Average out 3 or more if needed, or go with the two that are closest together.
2) You aren't trying to get blood onto the window of the test strip, you're trying to get it into the middle of a 3 layer sandwich through a tiny slot in the end. (I only discovered this, peeling apart a used test strip.) The best way to get a sample without accidentally smearing it is to touch the very end of the test strip to the droplet of blood at 45 to 90 degrees to your finger.
3) Clean hands can make all the difference for an accurate test result, but rinse and dry thoroughly, since any residual soap or water will break the surface tension of the sample and cause it to smear rather than form a droplet. Another recommendation I've seen is to finger prick, wipe the first sample away, squeeze some more blood out, and test that.
4) Probably the best/least painful test site is on the side of a finger or thumb, next to the nail, though not so close that the droplet flows onto the nail.
5) Many people don't replace their lancet after every test. Some do, though some replace daily, or even less frequently.
6) Factor in the cost of strips when choosing a meter. That'll be the bulk of the cost over time, and the cheapest meters don't necessarily have the cheapest test strips.
Additions, corrections and disagreements welcome. I'm not saying I have all of this right, or that my test meter works like everyone else's.
