Question About Meter Accuaracy

Hello fellow T2s,

I've been using a meter for about a week or so now and I have a question about accuracy following my testing today.

Meter : Wavesense Jazz

I took my post lunch reading and was not happy about what it was reporting. So I ended up taking multiple readings which yielded the following results:

Attempt 1: Error code
Attempt 2: Different error code
Attempt 3: 9.3
Attempt 4: 5.7
Attempt 5: 6.6

The first 2 errors were with the same stab wound and just annoying to waste 2 strips for no apparent reason.

New finger prick for reading 3 but it just felt wrong given lunch was just an omelette and my spikes are usually pretty good.

So another finger prick and reading 4 ... this seemed very low given my pre meal level was 6.0.

So 4th finger prick and yet another reading of 6.6.

On my app it tells me the meter accuracy is +/- 0.7 mmol but none of those readings fall into that tolerance range.

I've never done multiple tests before so I don't know how usual this is but based on these results I can't see the meter tests are in any way useful / reliable.

So, question is - is this normal or is there a. Issue with the meter or the strips?

If it's normal, what reading should I record as the most representative.

Am I maybe doing something wrong?

Fortunately I'm not relying on the meter for any medication so it's just for me to monitor how I'm responding to the things I eat.

I now question all my previous FBG readings as I don't think I can trust them. I might have to start doing 2 tests in the morning to see if there is a significant variance between them but I still wouldn't know which one is right(er).

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

We had an early dinner tonight so I did two more tests to get pre meal readings:

#1 - 5.9
#2 - 7.6

- Test strips are new and in date until end of 2022
- Hands are washed with soap and dried before testing
- Of my first 50 test strips I got 40 readings, the other 10 gave errors. A few of them were due to not fully dried hands or not quite enough blood.

ianf0ster said:

No matter the reputation of the brand, it's still possible to find a poorly manufactured meter or batch of test strips.

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I'm inclined to agree - I've emailed Agamatrix to see what they say as those first results are outside the ISO2013 requirements detailed on the link @HSSS shared.

That being said I took 2 readings post dinner and both came it at 6.9.

Rachox said:

Have you stored your strips correctly, for instance not in a humid atmosphere such as kitchen or bathroom? Do you close the lid quickly after removing the strip from the pot and lastly have you checked with the manual what the error codes are?

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The strips are brand new, I received them 2 days ago. They've been stored in their tub with the lid shut, zipped inside the meter case and in my bedroom draw.

Antje77 said:

Just a wild hunch. Have you changed your soap lately? If there is a residue it can affect readings.

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Interesting theory. The soap gets changed when it runs out - I don't track how often that is. but the two stable readings I got where from the upstairs bathroom which is a different brand of soap. All the varying readings were from the downstairs loo.

I'll use the upstairs one tomorrow morning for my fasting reading and do two tests to see if they are consistent.

Two readings this morning (using soap in other bathroom) for my fasting level:

Reading #1: 7.1
Reading #2: 6.2

So still large variances but they do seem to be in the allowed tolerance range.

Babble said:

Interesting. I have the same Wavesense Jazz meter and have been unhappy with it since being given it 3 months ago. It’s consistently 0.5 - 1 above a code free meter I was given during pregnancy 7 years ago. Obviously I want to believe the lower readings from the old meter (with new strips). I too get quite a few error readings. I’d be interested to hear what the manufacturer says.

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AgaMatrix customer care gave me a call this morning in response to my email.
Since the meter is a number of years old they offered to send me a new one to ensure all is functioning properly.

My new meter arrived yesterday. I have to say Agamatrix customer service were fantastic.

The new meter certainly seems to be giving better results, no error codes thus far and the meter readings seem more realistic.

The 7.4 yesterday morning was with the old meter (avg of two readings). All the others are with the new meter.

Deediabetic said:

I don't know if this is true but my diabetic nurse told me that pushing your fingers too close to where you've pricked yourself to get enough blood to put on your test strips can cause a higher and inaccurate reading. She said to use gravity and apply pressure further below on your fingers and hands to get enough blood to test.

Are you by any chance applying pressure too high up your finger to get enough blood to test?

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The AgaMatrix customer service person I spoke to mentioned the same but since I was massaging the lower end of finger to get the blood we didn't think that was the problem.

The new meter has been much better, no errors and much more consistent results. Seems there's plenty of others that have had the same problem with the Wavesense Jazz - kept coming across similar feedback online.

kitskinner said:

Hi. Are you taking readings at the same length of time after meals? My nurse says to test after 2 hours to get a valid response. Also your morning readings could reflect a bad nights sleep .
T2, Insulin

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Yeah, 2 hours after.