• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

I must be stupid but I cant use the SD Codefree machine

J

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I was waiting in anticipation for my monitor to arrive this week and since then I've been having to work overtime and starting at 8am so the only day I've had time to try to use it was this morning as I wanted to see what my level was before eating. I´ve been on U tube and watched a couple of videos on how to set the machine and the lancing device, and read the set up guide and instruction booklet, but apart from ending up with about 4 fingers looking like my cats have attacked me the monitor didn't take any reading after I put some blood on the little strip that was sticking out, it just carried on flashing an apple. I also am not sure if I set this correctly in the first place to read my blood before or after meals, so I don't know if it would be accurate anyway. Also, by the time I had finished trying to work out what to do with the machine and lancet and whether the test solution was in there I had given in to having my first morning cup of tea. Would it not be a fasting test if you have had a drink of tea with milk in it? Also there is a spare like cap top that I don't know what to do with or where it belongs along with a metal kind of strip that doesn't seem to fit anywhere on the device No reading came up and I've ended up just switching it off fed up. Does anyone know if the pharmacists or diabetic nurses would mind showing me how to use it?
 
When I bought my Codefree meter I did not do any setting up on it I just took it out of the case put the battery in put a strip in it pricked my finger and put the blood on the strip and I got the level what my BG was. To be honest I did not know there was any setting up to do
 
Have never seen the apple picture on mine. I just put in a strip (which turns it on) see the flashing picture of a strip. Prick my finger, get a small blob of blood and let the strip suck it up. Then I get the reading. I record all my readings on a spreadsheet so don;t use the codefrees own store. You do need to let the strip suck up the blood I find rather than try to stick the blood onto the strip which never works for me.
 
Just a thought are you sure it is an apple you are seeing on the screen or the drop of blood icon. The metal type strip is just to test if need be that the machine is working and you don't get test solution with it
 
Do you have photographs of the extra bits ?
Also you must wait for the machine to bleep before letting the test strip suck up the blood .. Leave it sucking up the blood until it bleeps again ... Then it should give you your bs reading.
Some strips you do add the blood to by dropping on to the strip ..but not the code free meter ...
Also are you putting the strip in the right way around .. The big gold end is pushed into the sleeping meter ..then it will wake up .. Bleep to say it's ready ..then you hold the meter upright with the strip over the top of your blood .. Let it touch the blood and it will be sucked into the strip ...
 
Having read your OP I can only think of the following. You don't "Put blood on the strip". What you do is prick your finger and hope to raise a blob of blood then you shovel it up by sliding the strip towards the blood. The line at the tip of the strip is a capillary tube that will suck up the blood when the tip of the strip comes in contact with it.

The only thing I can think of that looks like a cap is some lancet pens have another business end packed with them in case you wish to prick your thigh or arm which needs different stabbing specifications.
 
Sounds like you are blobbing lol. No, just put strip in machine, prick finger then move end of test strip to the blob of blood. It sucks like a straw so you don't need to do anything else, machine will count down from 5, you'll hear a beep, and result will be shown.
PS. In the interests of being helpful D), I just did a quick test, was trying to figure out that Apple you saw. The Apple is actually a blood drop symbol so I'm fairly certain you're blobbing the blood on, rather than allowing it to be sucked up.
Please don't think you're stupid, or anything of that ilk, we've all been there and it's a learning curve. No question is considered daft here
 
Last edited by a moderator:
When I got my first meter (different make) it came with 10 strips, but I only managed to get 3 readings, the other 7 were error codes. So it's not unusual I think to take a bit of time to get it right.
 
Hi jal16 this video might help
 

The apple symbol is the symbol for a pre-eating test. You can choose, at the setup stage, to tag each test as before or after eating. The after eating symbol is an apple with a bit out of it.

I can't recall too much detail of setting my Codefree meter up, but I'll have a look at the instructions shortly. I can't do it straight away, as I really must do something else right now.

I'll post again in a while.

In the meantime, here's a link to the user guide: http://www.homehealth-uk.com/PDF Test Instructions/User_Guide_UK_final.pdf
 
Just quickly - Are you putting the blood onto the strip before you put it into the meter, or putting the strip into the meter and waiting for the symbol for the drop of blood appear?

The droplet of blood should be applied to the end of the strip, with the strip in the meter and the droplet symbol showing.
 
hi, When I opened the box it said to read the guide before doing anything or I may get incorrect readings, I also read the quick start guide. It was these guides that told me to set it up, a bit like a mobile phone. Date, time, pre-meals, post-meals, hypo warnings, etc etc. Quite complicated. Wish I hadnt bothered like you and some others now.
 
Hi, thanks for your help. I dont think I let it try to suck up any blood. Was trying to put blood onto it as in the photo I was looking at. Must have read it wrong in my eagerness
 
Pinkorchid said:
Just a thought are you sure it is an apple you are seeing on the screen or the drop of blood icon. The metal type strip is just to test if need be that the machine is working and you don't get test solution with it
Click to expand...
Hi, it was definitly an apple or an apple core I think I set up something to do with post and pre meals when I was going through the instructions. Wish I hadnt bothered with them now.
 
Thanks, it does look like you can use other places to get the blood in the instructions. That could be it. To be honest, today was my first day off in 7 days and I was rushing again as needed to get out to the vets with our kitten and also then be out most of the day, hence my late replies. Thanks for your advice.
 
Hi @jal16 I did exactly the same when I first set my SD code free up too. I put a drop of blood on end of strip not realising it was actually a little capillary at the end.

To begin with I found the apple and bite out of apple for pre- and post-meal testing was very useful, have to admit that now (many years down the line) I don't bother - just test and make a note of it. But I do find the average reading useful.

Are you getting on with the meter Ok now?
 
Thanks Ladybird, Ive had a bit of a bad week. I think Ive set the machine to not bleep, and also to show that apple or apple core but I don't know if I can reset it to factory settings and start again I must have been "blobbing" ha as I certainly wasn't putting the strip to my fingers. I was scared of the setting at first on the lancet and started at 1 but ended up on about 4 still without any joy and looking like a murderer or gardener I'm going to have another go tomorrow evening, think I need to order the next box of 50 strips in preparation
 
britishpub said:
When I got my first meter (different make) it came with 10 strips, but I only managed to get 3 readings, the other 7 were error codes. So it's not unusual I think to take a bit of time to get it right.
Click to expand...
Yes, thanks, and me Im going to be ordering another box of strips tonight!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…