Meter test strips - can they be re used?

No, I once tried washing one and reusing it.It does not work unfortunately!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ardbeg said:

I know the instructions say use once only, but, has anyone tried re using them and if so are they still accurate?

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This will never work. They are ONCE only. As soon as they are used they are contaminated. :?

Hi, I wish!!
back in the day there was the BM-144 test strip. It could be used in the reflolux meter, which was in mobile phone terms, a brick. The beauty of the test strips was you didn't need a meter to read them- you looked at the colour and matched that with a Bg reading. Not as accurate as current meters, but you could cut the test strip length-ways which meant you got 2 tests from one strip. Sorry I've gone right off track reminssing. Shame that they were discontinued.
Jus

Errr...does the phrase ' told you ' come to mind!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

In each test strip, there is a chemical called glucose oxidase. This chemical reacts with the glucose in your blood sample and creates an acid called gluconic acid. The gluconic acid then reacts with another chemical in the testing strip called ferricyanide. The ferricyanide and the gluconic acid then combine to create ferrocyanide. Once ferrocyanide has been created, the device runs an electronic current through the blood sample on the strip. This current is then able to read the ferrocyanide and determine how much glucose is in the sample of blood on the testing strip. That number is then relayed on the screen of the glucose testing meter.

There are still visual test strips available, they are cheaper than the meter read ones. There are at least 2 brands available. Unfortunately the original BM strips, were discontinued in about 2002.
One thing about those was that you could cut them vertically, thus double your supply. I even remember cutting a pack up into 3 each, many years ago. Anyone interested in trying them should google for them.
Hana

PS, the visual test strip marketed most here, is called Glucoflex-R. This is a generic version of the BM and can be cut into 2 strips, to save money. I know this doesn't strictly answer the original question, but it does save.

Thanks for that Hana, will look them up-might sound sad, but I loved the old BM :cry:
Jus xx

The good old BM strips, yep used to cut them in 2 or 3, while I was pregnant I had a loan meter (the brick) still took 2 minutes to read :roll: I brought my own when I had to return the loan one, at a cost of £150 (zero VAT) the batteries were camera batteries that cost £8 to replace..

Back in there early 90's a tube of 50 BM sticks cost £19.40 each, so when you think about it, yes our modern tests strips are sort of expensive, but compared to earnings back in the 90's and the cost of the BM strips, perhaps not as bad as we thought..

Janabelle
In the early days after T1 husband was diagnosed, he had a little urine testing kit.( worked on Benedict's reagent) It was very unaesthetic to use and not actually all that much use. We encountered BM strips in the hospital and got my vet brother to order them for us. I say us, but only T1 was using them. I had the steady hands to cut them. He had a terrible stabber. I can't remember when he got his first meter. and soft stabber.
Hana

Back in 2007 when my gp refused to prescribe me more than 50 strips per month I then started to go a bit frantic as I didnt know how I could carry on with bolus/basal doing so little bg testing.

In desperation I started to wash the blood out of used strips under the tap and left them upright on a piece of tissue to dry out.

Freestyle strips failed, so did Onetouch. But .......... that little black meter that was advertised a while ago that had the A.... strips worked. Did a test, ran the strip under a running tap to get blood out, left it to dry upright on tissue for about 2hrs and hey presto ..... did another bg test and got result. The result that I got wasn't as accurate as using a fresh strip though but there was not too much difference really.

I would say that diet controlled peeps who do not need to know their exact bg level cos of not using insulin or tablets could probably get by ok by looking at the meter mentioned.

Ardbeg said:

I know the instructions say use once only, but, has anyone tried re using them and if so are they still accurate?

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The test strips are strictly one use only. The test strips hava a chemical called Glucose Oxidase (plus something else :?: ) coating one of the electrodes. The chemicals are totally consumed during a test and consequently there is none left to perform a second test with. In fact it is the time that it takes to consume them and the glucose that gives the blood sugar reading.

IanS

Hello Ardbeg,

It is impossible to use again, as IanS and others have explained. As Joper has stated in her reply, I can remember when the blood glucose meters first came widely available. My doctor at the time only give me 50 test strips at a time, and as you had to make a appointment with him to get a prescription, it was a pain to say the least. The tubes which the test strips came in were colour coded (as some are now) each colour representing a value of the blood glucose level which to compare your test results against. So, what I would do was cut the test strips in half, so that 50 strips bacame 100, you couldn't use the them in the meter unless they were whole, but as the meters were big and clumsy, I much prefered this method anyway. And yes Joper, the batteries were around £8 a time to buy, the meter company's then didn't provide free batteries as they do now.

I don't think you can do this with modern test strips, plus it wouldn't be advisable to do so. Hanadr, I too remember well when I was first diagnosed, the urine testing kits which were given at the time, dreadful things, thank god things have moved on!

Regards

Nigel

noblehead said:

I too remember well when I was first diagnosed, the urine testing kits which were given at the time, dreadful things, thank god things have moved on!

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I'm laughing and remembering when I was first diagnosed and sent home for the first few days with a jar of sticks to test my urine with the colour chart and my Mum saved some of them and took them in to show the nurse just to make sure we were reading them correctly! :lol: :lol: how delightful :wink: then they packed me off with the 'brick' and I had to stab my fingers with the pin but no stabber?! think it was around then that I realised I wasn't good with self inflicted pain 8)