Is my meter going bonkers?

[CathyN]

Evening all.

Just did my bedtime test and got 5.2mmol/L. My levels have been improving and I have had a couple of 5s - 5.5 being my lowest. I decided to test again immediately. i did - immediately - and got 5.9.

Then I did another test to get the best of three - result 6.2mmol/L. The last test must have been 4 minutes after the first - so can anyone shed light on what's occuring please?

I would be devastated to find out that my meter has been malfunctioning, as I've been seemingly doing very well. Does anyone think my meter is not to be trusted? It's an Aviva Nano. The one thing that gives me hope is that it didn't give wildly fluctuating levels like 5.2 then say 9. then 6.4 or something. But 5.2 to 6.2 is fairly big, I suppose.

Oh yes - my hands were very clean, and my strips are in date and new ( only used 10 or so ). I also had a completely carb free meal a few hours earlier.

Thanks in advance

CathyN x

 

[RoyG]

Join the the club Cathy here is what I wrote last week,

These meters do my little nugget in, two readings first 7.1mmol? I know that has to be wrong it was 5.1 before my lunch and only had tuna salad, so take second reading 5.8mmol that's 25.4% error if my math is correct??? what gives with these things.

Personally I have given up worrying now; I have two meters one Avivo Nano and a Contour, I tried cross checking with both and that made me more paranoid. So now I am just using the Contour, I think they do throw up conflicting readings, and I now sort of know where my readings are going to be by my diet, if it is a high and for me that's above 7 as above, I will leave it 10mins go and wash my hands and retest normally it comes down to what I would expect. I also have an idea by my general well being if it is high, I know if its above the 6.5 ish, I feel tiered and lethargic. So I think the name of the game is getting the hang of how you feel with the general pattern of your readings and diet to give you an indication of whether it's there or there about's or it's throwing you a curve ball on occasions. the other thing is to use the testing solution to see if it's in range.
They only say accuracy is around the 15% mark which I think is overstated some read high some low, on the whole they are pretty good though.

 

[Grazer]

RoyG is right - multiple testing with the same or different meters does your head in! 15% is a norm for innacuracy, so as your readings are within that, no problem with the meter.
Even with clean hands, you can still get false readings. Squeezing too near the puncture site to get blood is a common way.
Unless you get a really silly reading, best to stick to one! I even phoned Bayer on this to talk to their techy guy and got stupid answers.

 

[CathyN]

Thanks to Roy and Grazer

yes !!! Good advice. I did feel slightly bonkers doing multiple tests. However - what was slightly amusing was I thought back to my first test ...... I hate needles, I feel sick when I see blood - I'm one of those people who has to lie down for a blood test (!). I wish I had a video of that first test - it took me ages to actually press the finger pricker ...... Now I'm testing away like a demon. Once you really get interested in the result, all the other stuff becomes insignificant, doesn't it.

Thanks for your help

CathyN xx

 

[hanadr]

In general no 2 tests, however close together will be the same. Just to be sure check the battery.
Hana

 

[RoyG]

Yes Cathy, It can be a bit obsessive at first, I was testing 8 times a day at first. But then reasoned 4 times is sufficient 2 hrs after my meal I don't bother doing morning and pre meals don't see the point. in a while I will probably only test if I try a different dish or at random, just to check. My BS seems pretty stable. Paying £27 for a pack of strips had me reeling with shock and putting my BP up and it's not nice having a young shop assistant comforting you in the middle of Boots. I have bought the codefree now so strips will be a lot cheaper.

 

[debbiem1]

could not help with the monitor as i have one but not got round to buying any more strips since using the 10 that came with it
wanted to say thanks to RoyG have told people that i know when my levels are up or down further than my normal but am told there are no symptoms by health professionals and other diabetics my DN is good and does seem to understand and is happy that i can tell but sooooo wish they would give us strips just to help when you eat something different to know if its ok or not

Cathy hope your readings keep going the right way and you stay off the meds for as long as you can 1 year on and still i am only on diet and exercise well when my bad knee lets me do it :crazy:

 

[CathyN]

I really hope I'm as good as you and stay off for a good while. I'm lucky that I can afford the strips although they are a BIG expense. I think it's dreadful that they are not prescribed.
Anyway ... hope you continue the good work!! CathyN x