Optium Xceed

[qrp]

Hi, Martinzee, I use a One Touch Ultra with strips on prescription but for out and about, I take an Xceed with me because it's more compact in its wallet. (I pay for the strips myself). Also, the foil wrapping guarantees the strips don't get contaminated by any atmosphere you happen to be in, or fingers even! Doesn't apply to me but being out in a small boat, for example, would mean moist, salty air entering the vials in which strips are commonly supplied. And there are other aggressive environments around.

NOt seen the much-fabled new strips yet. Results in 5 seconds as with the old strips are surely fast enough for anyone, aren't they? It's washing and finger sticking that takes the time. More important to me is what size of blood drop they need because there are times when a decent drop is reluctant to form eg when cold. What is the new drop size? Glad you're happy with your meter!

Regards QRP

 

[ThinType2]

HI

I've had a Optium Xceed for approx 1 year and its been great even after being in my bag all year getting battered!!

Can you send me the details of the company you called so I can try and get a new PC thingy as well!

 

[bluebird]

How much are the strips and where do you get them from

Cheers Val

 

[qrp]

Hi, Bluebird and apologies to Martinzee for inadvertently posting my reply to him as a separate item. Thintype2, he may not read your post unless he comes here! Sorry!

Supplier for Xceed strips: I order from http://www.ChemistDirect.co.uk at £21.10 for 50.

Click on 'Health', 'Diabetic Products', 'Meters,Lancet,Strips' which at last gives you a separate button for strips. Quite a puzzle if you don't know how! They are on page 1.

Incidentally, the site offers Xceed meters complete in case for £5.99 and the One Touch Ultra meter for £6.99. Each comes with 10 strips which alone are worth around £4!

Regards QRP

 

[sofaraway]

why do you pay for your own strips, i saw on another post that you are on insulin, surely your GP will prescribe you test strips?

 

[Kimbers.21]

i have Optium Xceed and get my strips pescribed from my doctors for it

...you dont even know how very special you are...

 

[qrp]

Hi and thanks for comments.

Well, I do get strips on prescription for the One Touch Ultra meter, as previously mentioned. I do 3 premeal and 1 bedtime tests ie 4 a day and 120 a month. When I first became a Type 1 in June 2007, I thought 'they' would baulk at prescibing strips for a second, different meter so decided to use the Xceed for 'out-and-about' at my own expense. I didn't want to provoke a 'beancounting' attitude to my use of strips, even though it's bona fide. I've become aware that getting strips is something of an issue: either they won't allow it for Type 2s or are miserly even for Type 1s. ( But NICE will hopefully resolve all that in April?)

Out and about includes exercise (testing recommended) and driving (testing obligatory). My 30 min walks don't really need it and I only drive locally. So I only use the Xceed when I do need to have a meter with me.

At 8 months in to Type 1 diabetes, I reckon I'm coming out of the honeymoon period. A C-peptides test would soon resolve that but the local 'health care team' haven't ever had one done so I get shrugged off. The time is right now for basal testing which is a strip-hungry - 5 strips per 8 hr test and 3 tests to cover the 24 hr day. Retests, too, if the basal dose isn't right.

Basal testing is a valid and necessary psrt of BG management but my local health care team don't seem to have heard of it! So we'll see what they say when the stip usage balloons! Anyone else out there doing basal testing?

Regards QRP

 

[ThinType2]

Hi Everyone

I use a Optium Xceed and it has come up with an error message this morning E-6, I could not find my book first thing, does anyone have an idea what it means? (I suspect the battery my of gone????)

 

[Mandarin]

Thintype2
Error E-6 means "callibration/Test trip error"

Repeat calibration using the callibration bar that came with the test strip you are using.
Check the date setting on your meter
Check the expiration date on the test strip foil

 

[ThinType2]

Thanks Mandarin

Changed the batteries, then did what you said, its now saying E-2???
Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

 

[Dennis]

Thintype2

Here's the error codes for your monitor:
E1 - Temperature is too high or low
E2 - Problem with meter, turn off and on again
E3 - Problem with test strip
E4 - Blood glucose result too high
E5 - Blood sample applied to test strip too early
E6 - calibration or test strip error

I suggest you cut and paste this, print it and keep it with your monitor.

 

[ThinType2]

Thanks Dennis, much appreciated but I think the machine has had it!! I've ordered a new one now on-line special offer £14.99 for two! (quicker than waiting for my hospital to sort a new one on the NHS)

 

[martinbuchan]

I use the XCeed for plasma ketone measurement. I request only ten strips at a time cos the are very expensive and expire within a few months. I have used 10 strips in a year (mostly at the start). Quite good if you go on hoolidasy and need only one monitor because it will measure both blood glucose and plasma ketones but with different strips.

Marty B

 

[zbdot73]

GDay, just a quick note on the E-6 error code. My xceed came up with this error, and after some investigation i've found it doesn't necessarily mean the meter is broken. In short the date/time reset on my meter (prehaps low-batt) and as such the year defaulted to 2011. It looks like the date of the testing strips is contained within the calibration stick and the xceed checks the date, if it's to far out the you get E-6.... any way after resetting my date/time on the meter, no more E-6 worries.

Cheers, zbdot73.

 

[Nephilim]

how can i reset the meter?
._.
i know... i feel stupid doing this question u.u
but i really don't know how do that...
.(

:wink: Kissu!

 

[Nephilim]

Thanks a lot :wink:

 

[qrp]

Hi, all, has anyone any experience of checking one meter against another?

Recently I checked my Optium Xceed against my regular meter, a OneTouch Ultra, and got a surprise.

First off, both meters had good repeat accuracy ie their readings grouped within about 10% - called 'good precision' by the manufacturers.

The Xceed averages out always 10% or thereabouts higher than the OneTouch. Example: 6.7 and 5.9 for OneTouch and 7.3, 7.7, 6.8 and 7.2 for the Xceed.

I reckon this 10% difference wouldn't matter too much if it was always 10% but it's not. Sometimes it's much more as for example these readings: OneTouch - 7.8 and Xceed 10.6, 11.3, 10.8, 12.0 and 11.6. (Quite a nice group, actually)

Just for the record, I was using different fingers to avoid oversqueezing and both meters had just had control solution checks done. Also, all checks done within 5 minutes.

I had already raised this issue with the Xceed help desk and was using their replacement meter and new strips, the latest 0.3ul ones.

According to the helpdesk, different meter systems are 'allowed' to be 20% different from one another but should be within 10% for their own repeat readings. So which meter system to believe?

The OneTouch Ultra gave 8.7 against the clinic's 9.4 on a blood test last week; also, I had slight symptoms recently and saw 3.6 on the meter, which is about right for me. So I'm fairly happy with the OneTouch on that basis. With 3.6, the Xceed would have been reading 4.0 ie 10% higher. This could trap an unwary car driver out on the road, so there's a few things to think about here.

Anyone else had experience of accuracy checking and with what result?

Regards to all on this great forum qrp

 

[Kansenji]

Re:

Hi,
I had a Hypo today and was struggling to get my Optium Xceed meter to work as I kept getting the E6 message. After going through five strips & getting five punctured fingers, I found out what the problem was: The strips had gone out of date! I struggled to open a new pack, used the new calibrator stick, inserted a new test strip & HEY PRESTO, ALL WAS SUN & ROSES. It was a struggle though; I'm only glad my wife was on hand to help.

Hi Everyone

I use a Optium Xceed and it has come up with an error message this morning E-6, I could not find my book first thing, does anyone have an idea what it means? (I suspect the battery my of gone????)

 

[Ikklemo]

If you join the Abbott Diabetes (free) "Friends for life" club, as a member you can get the cable that connects your Exceed meter to the computer for free, simply by calling. Once you have registered your meter you will also get free batteries for life. You will have to download the Precision Link programme, again on their website and free.

I called them last Monday - 0500 467 466 -and got my cable on Tuesday - I was impressed.

The website is: abbottdiabetescare.co.uk

 

[everain]

Hi there!

I'm new to this bored, hoping to learn some things along the way and contribute as much as I can.

However I had this E-6 error myself and its curious to note that my Keytone test strips are indeed out of date, not until i begun to freak about why i was getting this error did I closer investigate. I'll have to get some new test strips ASAP not that I need to check my Keytones often its just incase you know

Anyways just thought I'd speak up about what I had found.

Thanks,

Everain