Glucose meter without control solution?

[RichardM]

I'm new to this game, and there are a lot of these machines on the market.

What would ideally be useful would be a machine where

1) Accurate and easy to use (In practice, not just on the sales blurb!)
2) Consumables are reasonably priced
3) Does not need control solutions etc.

Does anyone use/know of machines that satify these criteria, and/or a web site that does direct comparisons of the various machines on the market?

Many thanks

 

[Dennis]

I used to use an Accu-check until I had it tested and found it was giving readings up to 60% out. I now use an Ascensia Contour, which I have also had tested and have found to absolutely accurate. It doesn't need recalibrating with control solution, gives a result in 5 seconds and is quite small so very easy to carry.

Forgot to mention it is made by Bayer Healthcare and a tub of 50 test strips (if you have to pay for them) is £25. But you should be able to get them on prescription if your diabetes is treated by medication.

 

[RichardM]

Hi Dennis - thankyou for the information ...

How do you go about having your meter tested?

 

[Highmoor]

I am not used to all this diabetes stuff too, was diagnosed on xmas eve 2007. They gave me a ascens contour meter too, with 50 strips, it works real good, and i think they have a 10% being out rate, but are very small, come with a little pocu and are real easy to fit on your belt or like i do stuff in my pocket. Tabs are expensive,so get them on prescription, and get your self a exemption card (pay up front for 3 months, cos youll go through the strips real fast, and it works out cheaper to pay up front.

 

[bbsue]

if you want to check your acsensia contour just go to the company web site and you can order a free bottle of test solution from them i know this because i did and just as a point dont understand why there is talk of paying for treatments and three month pre payment card if you are diabetic you just apply for a card i think i got the form from the chemist or diabetic nurse you then get a card that excepts you from all payments for perscriptions which i found ironic because when i had cancer i had to pay for all my medicaion and it cost me a fortune bbsue

 

[sami]

hi
you can only get free perscriptions if you are on daibetic meds if you are on diet and exrcise you still have to pay so that why its better to up front you only pay once no mater how many perscriptions you get

sami
just found out
HbA1c 7.7

 

[Dennis]

Hi Richard,

Sorry, I seem to have missed your question, so a belated answer. I took my old Accu-check and new Ascensia meter to my diabetes nurse and she checked each against a control solution that (I think) has a value of 6 mmol/l. The Ascensia was spot on, but according to the Accu-check the control solution was at hypo level.

 

[compass]

Re: Ascensia Contour

What do you mean by 60% out Dennis? Plus or minus ?
Thank you

I used to use an Accu-check until I had it tested and found it was giving readings up to 60% out. I now use an Ascensia Contour, which I have also had tested and have found to absolutely accurate. It doesn't need recalibrating with control solution, gives a result in 5 seconds and is quite small so very easy to carry.

Forgot to mention it is made by Bayer Healthcare and a tub of 50 test strips (if you have to pay for them) is £25. But you should be able to get them on prescription if your diabetes is treated by medication.

 

[Dennis]

Usually the Accu-check was giving a much lower (but incorrect) reading than the Acsensia. Just occasionally the Accu-check would give a higher reading, but again this was an inaccurate one.

That doesn't mean all Accu-checks give incorrect readings. Mine just happened to be a bad one, but its bad readings were so consistent that it was fooling me into believing I had much better BG control than I actually did have.

 

[SilverAndEbony]

One of the things you have to consider with control samples is are they out-of-date. They should only be used for a limited amount of time after you've opened them. I can't remember what happens to make them 'go off' though. It should say on the bottle or in the info you get with the solution.
If you get an 'odd' reading the advice is to do the test again, clean the meter, do some control sample tests and test again.

I'd be interested to know what the accuracy of the meters is, and how important that is for me. I have type 2 so I'm not on diet/exercise and metformin. I test twice a week and have, thankfully, never had a bad hypo - 'just' feel a wobbly getting bad tempered. My low reading is just over 4.