Meter Accuracy?

[LinsT]

Hey all,
I have a Glucomen Areo monitor. This evening I had some root veg with dinner and some dark chocolate. Waited the required 2 hours then went to check my glucose levels, to make sure these foods weren't having too bad an effect. I did the reading and it came out as 4mmols/l. I thought that couldn't possibly be right so did a second test straight away. The second reading was 6.4 mmol/l. Now I'm worried that my meter isn't working properly - that's a big discrepancy! Anyone got any thoughts on this? No point stabbing my fingers if the results aren't reliable.

 

[irrationalJohn]

Did you wash your hands? The first thing I wonder about when meter readings are "strange" is the possibility of contamination.

 

[Robbity]

It happens - readings can be distorted by "contamination" on fingers, normal meter accuracy, blood circulating al the time therefore glucose levels changing with it...

Are you usually getting consistent patterns to your testing? If so you don't have anything to worry about from a single odd reading. If you are regularly getting random readings that you can't account for, then contact your meter manufacturer for a bottle of control solution - usually available free in the UK, and you can then do a test to confirm whether the meter is working within its normal/permitted ranges.

Robbity

 

[martsnow]

I have at least five different meters including the Glucomen Aero. They are a reliable and accurate meter and the reading of the Glucomen correlates quite accurately with all the other meters I have. If the accuracy of the meter still concerns you then contact the manufacturer and ask if you can obtain a control solution which is a standardized solution that when tested on a strip should give you a reading that corresponds to a reading within the range given on the strip container. Good luck with the aero I love mine, and the only reason I have several meters is that strips for the various meters come along at competitive prices

 

[LinsT]

Thanks for the replies - its the first strange result I've ad so will just keep an eye on it. Will definitely get some control solution just to put my mind at rest. Thinking about what you said re contamination - I had just been wringing some washing out and wonder if the finger I used was slightly damp and maybe it watered the result down. All I can think of!
Thanks again.

 

[Tirianne]

I had just been wringing some washing out and wonder if the finger I used was slightly damp and maybe it watered the result down. All I can think of!
Thanks again.

Yes- I've had odd readings just after washing my hands -so I make extra sure that my hands are clean and really dry before testing. I also have several meters (for price of test strips and convenience for when I go out so I have one in my bag) and just when I think one of these meters is consistently higher than the other two, then it can change. I've even tested with the same drop of blood by 'priming' 2 of the meters -so the test can only be seconds apart - and sometimes there's a discrepency of almost a whole point and at other times they're almost identical. I suppose it just goes to show that this is not an exact science and that as long as you test regularly with one meter and take the 14 or 30 day average -you'll have a good idea of whether BG levels are within the required range.
Hope that's useful.

 

[LinsT]

It happened again today - once again after my hands had been very recently wet - so I think you are right Tirianne and that my hands just weren't dry enough. They seemed dry, but on both occasions I had my hands in water for a period of time - not just a quick wash - so perhaps water stays in the skin and dilutes the test. Wish my BG really was 3.9!

 

[Tirianne]

That's interesting. What was the result when you did have dry hands?
Souds like we were diagnosed around the same time (I was June) - how much Metformin do you take and have you had some weight loss on the LCHF diet?
I've just started doing the step 1 from the' Diabetes Miracle' by Dianne Kress - reccommended by someone on the forum and I got it from Amazon. So that will be interesting to see whether it helps lower BS.
I might start a thread to see who else has tried this.

 

[navigator]

I am following the forum on behalf of my brother who has been Type 2 for a number of years and is overweight etc.
For some while he has been able to do his blood sugar test 4 times a day, and only rarely does he get an odd result. Until I advised him, he has rarely washed his hands. Now I have bought him anti septic wipes and sterile tissues to dry his fingers. [every time] I will keep you posted on the results.
On the issue of calibration, I did this recently and found the metered results within the range. Now here is an off the wall suggestion. I have normal blood conditions regularly confirmed by blood tests every 6 months requested by my doctor.
What would be anyone's comments if I do a blood sugar test on myself say two to three hours after eating? What should the values be? And then get my brother to test. Would this process be a way of eliminating the tester and the test method, as being the cause of the off track readings?

 

[Len_Smith]

Hey all,
I have a Glucomen Areo monitor. This evening I had some root veg with dinner and some dark chocolate. Waited the required 2 hours then went to check my glucose levels, to make sure these foods weren't having too bad an effect. I did the reading and it came out as 4mmols/l. I thought that couldn't possibly be right so did a second test straight away. The second reading was 6.4 mmol/l. Now I'm worried that my meter isn't working properly - that's a big discrepancy! Anyone got any thoughts on this? No point stabbing my fingers if the results aren't reliable.

 

[Len_Smith]

I had the same type of difference on my meter and when I checked The calibration solutions provided had limits for solution A of 6.1 to 9.2 mmol/L and 10.8 to 16.2 for solution B.
I checked further and it appears that the limits are + 15 % below for solution A and + 0% for solution B. It appears the limits are due to change to + 10% and + 7.5 % if the manufacturers can meet the new standard.
I used to work in QA in the Pharmaceutical Industry where such limits even for a biological tests would not be acceptable to the MRHA for licensing a product.
I guess it is the best available at present but at times I agree the test does not even deserve a drop my blood let alone the sore fingers from stabbing them to get "best guess" results.
Let's hope that the patch test under development is more reliable, at least it will be less painful!!

 

[LinsT]

That's interesting. What was the result when you did have dry hands?
Souds like we were diagnosed around the same time (I was June) - how much Metformin do you take and have you had some weight loss on the LCHF diet?

With dry hands my BG is usually between 5 and 7. On the occasion when I'd had my hands in water they were coming out between 3 and 4. Testing a few mins later they were back to my normal ranges. The only time this has happened were the 2 times when I had been doing something that involved having my hands in water for a while - washing up / wringing out some wet laundry. My hands felt dry but I reckon my skin itself was waterlogged.
I'm on 2000mg metformin at the moment - 1000mg am and pm. Funnily enough I weighed myself today and have dropped a stone in weight since diagnosis. Which is interesting as I've been following the LCHF diet as a way of getting my BG under control and haven't been worrying about weight loss. Only weighed myself as I'd had a lot of comments from people asking if I was on a diet lol. I'm not planning regular weigh ins. For me this is about maintaining control of my BG's, whilst eating well and without feeling 'deprived'. Also, I'm not convinced its a result of the LCHF diet - and more a reflection of the fact that I have cut out the sugary snacks I used to eat. I still miss my cake and chocolate horribly - still waiting for that 'eureka I don't want sugar' moment that some people have achieved!

I've just started doing the step 1 from the' Diabetes Miracle' by Dianne Kress

Don't think I've heard of this. Will keep an eye out for your thread to learn more!

 

[LinsT]

Let's hope that the patch test under development is more reliable, at least it will be less painful!!

Lets hope it will come in at a cost we and the NHS can afford too!

 

[jane12]

Hey all,
I have a Glucomen Areo monitor. This evening I had some root veg with dinner and some dark chocolate. Waited the required 2 hours then went to check my glucose levels, to make sure these foods weren't having too bad an effect. I did the reading and it came out as 4mmols/l. I thought that couldn't possibly be right so did a second test straight away. The second reading was 6.4 mmol/l. Now I'm worried that my meter isn't working properly - that's a big discrepancy! Anyone got any thoughts on this? No point stabbing my fingers if the results aren't reliable.

I have tested my meter on occasion just for the hell of it by taking a reading and then immediately taking another , I get the same sort of discrepancies. I have also tried it testing the blood from my left hand first and then my right immediately afterwards. Again the readings are different! Anxiety can also make your reading rise .

 

[Tirianne]

LinsT, I hope you're feeling reassured that we all have these different readings from time to time - either with the same or a different meter. I suggest that one solution is to see the bigger picture and not rely too heavily on what might be considered rogue results. I gather that BS levels can change from minute to minute and as jane12 has said, anxiety can contrbute to a rise in BS as can illlness and dehydration. I've also had tests (from the same finger) almost 2 points apart!!
I found it helpful to keep a chart for a week or so and see the trends - that's why there's a range given for levels before and after meals and if you're within that range, then don't worry too much as I was told that anything under 7.00 for 2 hours after a meal is fine.
Does your meter give you a 14 or 30 day average BS?
The next HbA1c will give you the most reliable indication of how well your BS is being controlled.
Hope that's helpful. T x

 

[jane12]

I'm glad it's not just me who has diverse readings. I am a t1 diabetic so rely on insulin but 2 hrs is not enough time to get my readings back to the 5-7mmol range, it's usually about 3 - 4 hours later. Also it is dependant on what I am doing ie sat behind my desk in the week highish all day, weekends riding my horses low all day. I think it is more helpful to look at the average over 24 hrs or when you get up and when you go to bed. Say around 6 for both, so over 18 hrs or so your bs will peak and then stabilise again.

 

[Robbity]

The main things to watch for are patterns and trends - many meters can record your test results and they may also give weekly, monthly, etc averages for fasting, pre and post meal levels, all of which can be very useful (check your meter's manual).. These are what you should be looking at rather than individual results which are generally not very informative in isolation. @jane12 has given you a good example of the kind of patterns she sees.

Pre and post meal levels will tell you how your body's reacting to various foods, and these together with a food diary can help you identify those which cause high spikes so you can then reduce your consumption of these. And longer term averages will show you whether your diet, medicine, etc are helping you reduce your overall levels, and appropriate adjustments can be made.

Random or repeated tests on the same or different fingers are generally just an exercise in futility and frustration and a complete waste of time and money unless you have a valid reason for doing this. As I said in my previous post, your blood's circulating all the time, and as it does so, you are going to also see some fluctuations in your glucose levels. So think about what you are using your meter, and what a test is going to tell you. It may not be perfect, but it's one of the most useful tools we have to manage our diabetes.

Robbity

 

[fkarno]

I have at least five different meters including the Glucomen Aero. They are a reliable and accurate meter and the reading of the Glucomen correlates quite accurately with all the other meters I have. If the accuracy of the meter still concerns you then contact the manufacturer and ask if you can obtain a control solution which is a standardized solution that when tested on a strip should give you a reading that corresponds to a reading within the range given on the strip container. Good luck with the aero I love mine, and the only reason I have several meters is that strips for the various meters come along at competitive prices

This is nonsense. Control solution is just a sop for people who are prepared to believe anything that a manufacturer says. Blood glucose meters get official approval as long 98% of tested meters show readings within +/- 20% of the true figure. In other words, if you get a reading of 5.0, all you know is that your actual BG is somewhere between 4 and 6. The only practical way to test your meter is to take it along to the diabetes clinic and test your meter against the laboratory-quality analyser that they use. These are accurate to about 2%. If you have an accommodating GP you can also take your meter to your practice and ask them to take a sample and have it analysed for actual BG, and test your meter against a sample from the same stick.

 

[martsnow]

It is not nonsense if you are not used to a new meter. At the end of the day it is up to you to decide for yourself. Out of ten different meters you may get ten differing readings. If you stick to one meter what you are looking for is trends in readings what makes your bg go high and what keeps it at a steady level. Its a bit like scales, do I weigh myself on scales that say I am fifteen stone or the ones that say I am fourteen stone seven. As long as I stick to one set of scales If I lose half a stone then I lose half a stone.

 

[navigator]

This post is written on behalf of my brother.
I thought that if we regularly do blood sugar tests before eating and two hours after eating it would be possible adjust the type food being eaten to get a better result. I also understood that the readings before and after would make it possible to adjust the amount, type and timing of the insulin needed. If the blood sugar test readings are "suspect" what do we base that adjustment on. My brother was recently in hospital due to CKD and was given 1 unit of bloods. Before admission his blood sugar test were steady and in the right ball park. For some while he had been on 20 units on waking and 26 on going to bed. After the blood transfusion these two values were changed to 6 and 8. On waking his blood sugar result is around 7 and at bed time [2 hours after a light snack] BS is around 8. What do you think has the biggest effect on his insulin needs?