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Odd readings from a Bayer Contour Monitor

K

Kleinian

Member
Messages
12
I am Type II controlled by diet and Metformin. I check my blood glucose with a Bayer Contour monitor and it normally works very well BUT I have had some odd readings. This morning I took a reading that was effectively a fasting blood glucose - about 12 hours after food - and it was 11.6.

I am very careful with my diet and normally my early morning readings are in the high 4 and low 5 region but suddenly I get this much higher reading. After 7 minutes I took another reading and it was 5.3. This seems a little odd.

Anyone got any ideas about this?
 
That sounds to me as though you had a rogue duff strip or your finger was contaminated the first time. I would not expect retesting within 7 mins would show such a large drop.
 
Hobs - agreed. I no longer use my fingers to get blood. I tap into the hypothenar eminence on my left hand. I must have taken at least 1000 and it is looking a bit under the weather!

I did think my hand might have been contaminated but I promise you it was clean. I did wash my hand before the second sample and maybe I shouldn't have done.

It is a little worrying if it is possible to get a 'duff' test strip. Some weeks ago I had a result of 20.8 and this shrank to 4.6 after 4 hours. I got the 20.8 after I had eaten a Conference pear for desert and I thought that might have been it. I could have picked up some pear juice along with the blood. I did make a test on Conference pears later and even after taking blood through a 'wipe' of pear juice I could not repeat the 20.8.
 
I still seem to be in trouble with my Bayer Contour monitor! I just took a reading and it was 9.6 which I didn't believe. I instantly took another reading and it was 5.9. I think this clearly demonstrates a problem with either the monitor or the test strips because I changed nothing.

I am getting worried!
 

If you think there is a fault, then contact Bayer and tell them. They will probably send you a new meter.
 
Ah ........the good old 'hypothenar eminence'......... :wink:

We had another member a while ago who also used the same area and he too was getting some odd readings. He simply started using the sides of the fingers again, which is where it is recommended and found that the readings were much more reliable.

If your meter checks out with the control solution and the strips are viable (in date) then try the normal site testing as AST (Alternative Site Testing) can give different numbers.

Failing that a phone call to the manufacturers might help.......
 
I think I must make a 'phone call! I quit on my fingers as a test site because they were ruined. The hypothenar area is much larger and always gives me a good sample.
 
Your fingers ruined....what happened ? :?

I test using fingers 7 - 9 times daily and mine are like a 'baby's bum'........no probs at all. I presume you were using the sides and not the tips ? As for the HE, it might give you a good sample but it is one that has been shown to have problems by more than one member.

Let us know how you get on.
 
cugila - my thanks for the reply! I did try contacting Bayer but I just got the run around. I was promised a call back on my 'phone but it didn't happen. I will keep trying them.

When I was using my fingers for samples I got to the stage where scar tissue was interfering with the sampling. I was using the fingers of my left hand along the side of the top joint - mainly the middle two fingers.
 
Only thing I can think of really is that maybe the depth of the lancet device is too deep for your skin, is it adjustable. Mine is set on 1 1/2 and I use a Accu-Chek multiclix which is very light on skin surface.

Maybe you are very thick skinned ? Something I think I need to be sometimes..... :twisted:
 
cugila - even though I use the Bayer Contour monitor I use the Accu-Chek multiclix! When I first started doing my BG I would use a fresh lance for every test - and this was going to cost - but after I read Bernstein I kept the same lance for some time. I bought a load off eBay and I have only used a couple.

I noticed on my monitor that the battery indicator was indicating low so I replaced the batteries and it is still indicating low battery power.

I am not sure about all this AST stuff. My fingers and HTE are connected and not very far apart!

I will persevere trying to contact Bayer and report back.
 
Cugila - I took your advice and tried my fingers again with the lance set on 1.5. It did work and I got rapid and easy blood samples. I normally have to 'squeeze' any jabs I make on my HTE.

I will try to stick with my fingers! The BG was around 5.5 and seemed both reasonable and acceptable given the circumstances. Maybe squeezing my HTE upset my blood samples?

I have given up trying to contact Bayer about my monitor. They are very wicked because they keep promising to 'phone me back but they never do. Hmmmm.
 
I'm pleased to hear that you are now back to using the fingers again.

It's a shame that people when diagnosed are just left to their own devices. They never seem to be told by many HCP's how to do the basic things. A T1 I'm helping out had his 'pricker' set on 5 and he too was always saying how much it hurt.......I got him to turn it down and now he finds, like you that it is simple and painless.

Nice to hear positive comments......
 
Cugila - how do you do this? Some 8,500 posts, I think, and always a quick reply! Incredible. I am impressed.
 
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