I'm in love with this meter & it's app.
As a (slightly!) irresponsible T1 diabetic, I've been really bad for going long periods of time without testing, months in some cases :S. The other week I decided to knuckle down and get back in the habit of taking diaries, proper carb counting, and had received one of these last year but never really gave it a go. Started using it and it's totally changed things around for me.
The "meter" other than it's convenience in terms of size etc isn't much to write home about. The whole unit is about the same size as the Bayer Countour Next USB meter, and fits in the wee pocket of my jeans/trousers, so carrying it about is certainly easier than the separate pouch needed for other meters. The fact this whole plastic unit contains the 'meter', the lancer and the strip container are all housed within this unit is the big bonus here. My whole blood testing kit fits in that small pocket I mentioned, and just needs a phone to go with it.
The meter component pops out at the flick of a switch and inserts into your smart phone/tablet via the headphone socket. This to me is a big improvement on things like the BG Star(?) iPhone kit as upgrading the phone meant a loss of either results or the ability to even plug in the meter (iPhone 30pin adaptor to the new 'lightning' connector rendered some previous phone BG kits unusable
). Doesn't matter if you completely change make or platforms with this meter, it will still work provided the device can install the app.
The lancer is like any other, has 4 depth settings and is as comfortable to use as any other I've used. The only 'downsides' I would say exists to the lancer is that you seem to need the specialised Dario lancets (available on prescription through NHS) for it the guarantee to work correctly - I loaded it with a standard lancet from my old lancer which whilst it looked similar, was slightly thicker and caused it to stick. The 2nd thing I'm concerned about is the priming mechanism, I'm sure it's very sturdy it just 'feels' a bit flimsy to me and I've been worried about breaking it. Think that's just a bit of paranoia on my part though
.
The strips come in small plastic containers that load in to the 'bottom' of the unit, which has a pull off cap to cover it up. Each 'tub' contains 25 strips. They require a very small amount of blood, but probably on average to any other meter. Nothing more I can add to that really.
The big, BIG positive thing about this kit for me is the App. It's free, and would work without the meter if you wanted to test it out before ordering anything. It does appear to be geared around T1 diabetes though, but I am sure it will have it's uses for T2 as well.
So big positives about the app (for me anyway):
- Test reminders - you can set 'reminder profiles' so the app can ping reminders to you for testing. I have different profiles set for days off (where I'm likely to have less of a routine) and work days (where I'm more likely to be testing as it fits in with breaks/lunches at work etc). This has made a big difference to me personally as even when on silent the 'buzz' going off draws attention to my phone which the alert then reminds me to test if I've forgotten.
- Diabetes Profile - you can tell the app what types of insulin you're on (includes basal/bolus & pump options), your target ranges, and correction factors (Insulin correction and carb influence). The app will then use this info for varying purposes, including 'at a glance' reports of what % of your results are 'in range' or out of range, how many hypos/hypers you've had, how many balanced days and an estimated HBA1c result (usual common-sense rules apply to this one). The info is really useful it's what it can use it for later that's making the huge difference for me.
- Food Menu - for carb counting data entry, you can either create food items on the 'menu', detailing their carb contents, take photo's to accompany the entries etc and how many 'servings' are included in your measurement (for example if you entered the details for 1 cookie, and had 3, you can say you had 3 servings, rather than working out carb content for 3 in total). Really handy for if you have items in your diet you eat lots of and want to log quickly. For the stuff you don't eat regularly, there;s the option to search an online database for what you're eating, and this database appears to be pretty comprehensive! So far I've googled things like Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, Pop Tarts, Cookies, Snack/cereal bars, Oven chips, juices, Krispy Kreme donuts...all of which have had entries in the app! I've used the 'carbs & cals' app on my iPhone before and the Dario menu via the search function seems to have a great deal more of branded items than it does, which given the amount of branded foods I eat in my 'diet' is a god-send.
- Bolus calculator - this is the thing, especially in the last 3 days that has totally changed my outlook. I'm pretty good at estimating carb values, and also pretty good at adjusting my basal doses on my results, but where I struggle due to the nature of my 'large snack' based diet, is accounting for Bolus on Board...I was regularly having too many hypos for my liking or running too high due to trying to incorrectly work out what bolus to take to account for what was already left over in my system from my previous snack. The basal calculator in this app has, for the last 3 days seen me have 3 straight balanced days, no readings over 8mmol, and a few minor hypo's, which ultimately resulted from me 'rounding up' it's dose suggestion (i.e it suggested 3.4u, I took 4). It takes your upper/lower ranges, works out the middle, looks at your correction factors (how much insulin will reduce your BG by how many g of carbs will raise it) then suggests bolus doses calculated on the half-life profile of the insulin you told the app you use in your diabetes profile. As I said, I gave it accurate figures 3 days ago, and have had nothing but 'green' days in my own DAFNE diary since following it's advice.
- Logbook (online) - the app itself allows you to view your results/logbook based on your data entries on your phone screen - however, I have found it easier for me to view this on laptop, where I then enter the details into a spreadsheet diary I created to send on to my clinic team. The fact the logbook on your phone is automatically backed up online via WiFi/3G etc is huge to me, it means no requirement to synch the meter to the PC like I had to do with my Contour Next - and even if I lost the phone, or upgraded to a new one, when I log in to the app on the new phone, my results will still be there waiting for me. From the online portal you can view the logbook in several formats, but can also directly from the page email the logbook/timeline as either a PDF or .CSV file. You can also 'search' your diary for particular events/activities/results, and view them as a chart over varying timeframes, which again, can be emailed if necessary.
- Activity/Mood tags - when logging results on the app, you can 'tag' the BG/Carb/Insulin events with tags such as 'mood', 'where you were' & what you were doing. This is something I was asked to do at clinic to assist with long term low-mood issues, and tracking this in relation to my BG just became a hell of a lot easier thanks to the Dario app.
(tbc...)
