Unsure of Meter Readings

[paulgillyuk]

Just wondering if anyone could help me out or no a answer to my question, wen i was first diagnosed as T2 on 4 September, I ordered a meter called SD CodeFree with extra strips&needles,been using that upto this Thursday gone wen I recieved a Free Accu-Check Avia meter,my Dr has gave me a prescription for the strips&needles for it, been using it since. Yesterday first thing done a fasting sample on the SD CodeFree Meter and it showed at 6.7 then immediately done it on the Accu-Check Aviva and that come back 4.9,for my own mind continued testing with both to see wat readings come back and the SD CodeFree always come back with a higher reading.???.. Which one is the most reliable out of the 2 of them then. Accu-Check or SD CodeFree.am very unsure

 

[Clivethedrive]

Hi paulgillyuk, i use an accu chek and so far i have been happy with the results, i also have a contour next usb which i use rarely ,they are usually within 1 to 1.5 of each other any more than that and i would double checking with the control solutions.

 

[ally1]

i use the accu check meter at the moment and shows very high readings compared to the codefree

 

[paulgillyuk]

Mines the opposite Ally1 my SD CodeFree showing high readings compared to the Accu-Check Aviva

 

[copey399]

I know the SD Codefree is favoured by a lot of people who have to buy their own testing strips as they are a lot cheaper and I was going to get one as my GP will only let me have 50 strips a month (and may even stop letting me have them as I'm not on any meds so no danger of hypos). I was a bit worried when I read the reviews on Amazon about the Codefree though as lots of people seem unhappy with the results. They have said that if you test twice, one after the other, you can get very different readings.

By some fluke on my prescription I was able to get 100 strips and found them invaluable for testing before and after meals to see what "spikes" I got from different foods but now I've only got 50 which isn't even enough for twice a day for a month (til I can get more) so I'm at a loss what to do. The One touch Verio strips are £27.99 so I won't be buying them on a regular basis.

 

[paulgillyuk]

My Dr has only prescribed me 50 accu-check strips for the month, ave to see if he will repeat it after the month though, the readings seem pretty high on the SD to Accu though

 

[andcol]

all meters + strips have a tolerance level. For the SD Codefree that is +-15% for readings above a certain level and a fixed amount below that level. The reading you get can therefore fall anywhere in this range. You will also find variability between batch numbers.

I have always found my SD reads higher than my accu but my SD came closest to my HbA1c. Read into that whatever you wish. BTW you are looking for trends as much as individual readings unless you want to know exactly what a food stuff does to you.

Here is a tolerance graph I drew for the last batch of strips I had that I found was reading at the top of its tolerance level. Find your meter reading on the left trace along to the lines and go down to find your real range.

 

[copey399]

Nice graph but I can't pretend to understand it (blush). Maybe I'm just thick

 

[DeejayR]

The usual consensus on here when this topic comes up is to use one meter and stick to it.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/glucose-meter-accuracy.84746/
going back to 2008!
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/blood-monitors-compared.4982/

 

[andcol]

Nice graph but I can't pretend to understand it (blush). Maybe I'm just thick

If your meter shows a reading of 7 then follow the number 7 on the left (y axis) horizontally along to the red and blue lines and read the corresponding real numbers: 6.1 and 8.2 - That means your meter reading of 7 could actually be anywhere between 6.1 and 8.2 . Hope that helps more

 

[Bluetit1802]

One meter may read higher than another, but which is the more accurate? We have no way of knowing.

Personally I prefer a meter that may be reading higher or I could be experiencing false security.

It is wise to stick to one or the other and not use both at the same time. I would put one away for emergencies and stick to the other. All we are looking for is trends, upwards or downwards, and testing out what meals do to us. Unless we need to test to calculate injected insulin requirements, it matters not if our meter reads high.

Just to add, I use the Codefree and I also have an Accuchek Mobile. From time to time I have cross checked these meters and found no significant difference when averaging results over a period of a few days. Also, I can get wildly different results from both meters when testing 2 or 3 times on the trot, as much as 1mmol/l or even more sometimes.

 

[copey399]

If your meter shows a reading of 7 then follow the number 7 on the left (y axis) horizontally along to the red and blue lines and read the corresponding real numbers: 6.1 and 8.2 - That means your meter reading of 7 could actually be anywhere between 6.1 and 8.2 . Hope that helps more

Oh yes, got it now thanks x

 

[AndBreathe]

Just wondering if anyone could help me out or no a answer to my question, wen i was first diagnosed as T2 on 4 September, I ordered a meter called SD CodeFree with extra strips&needles,been using that upto this Thursday gone wen I recieved a Free Accu-Check Avia meter,my Dr has gave me a prescription for the strips&needles for it, been using it since. Yesterday first thing done a fasting sample on the SD CodeFree Meter and it showed at 6.7 then immediately done it on the Accu-Check Aviva and that come back 4.9,for my own mind continued testing with both to see wat readings come back and the SD CodeFree always come back with a higher reading.???.. Which one is the most reliable out of the 2 of them then. Accu-Check or SD CodeFree.am very unsure

To be honest, for we T2s, not taking drugs likely to induce a hypo (and Metformin isn't one of those drugs likely to induce a hypo), we need to be consistent in our testing, using the same meter, and applying some "rules" to our testing - around when we test - then record those scores and look at the trends. Clearly, initially, we want our trend to be a lowering blood score, and later on, as things get under control, we look for stable, almost predictable numbers. It almost doesn't matter what the numbers actually say.

Your Doc will be monitoring you, I'm sure, with regular HbA1cs, which will back up your findings, but I found the reducing numbers before my very own eyes to be such a great encouragement to carry on on the days I was a bit fed up of it all.

 

[KimG]

I had a 1.4 discrepancy between the codefree and the Accu Check I've now been given. Stick to the Accu Check it's the one the NHS go by, even if it is 1.4 lower

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I was given a free meter and about 50 strips a month (CareSens) which I find is enough for me since I did my intensive testing soon after diagnosis for a few months and now basically just dabble in it. But if I had to fund my own test strips I'd go with the SD Codefree and just put up with any accuracy issues. I think anyone on insulin or hypo-inducing meds should have a more accurate meter and plenty of strips.

 

[britishpub]

I started with an Accuchek Aviva, then a Contour Next. The Contour was lower at first but recently has been higher in side by side tests. That would point to differences in batches of strips rather than the meters themselves.

Just got a Codefree and initial tests are 0.3 to 0.5 higher.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I had a 1.4 discrepancy between the codefree and the Accu Check I've now been given. Stick to the Accu Check it's the one the NHS go by, even if it is 1.4 lower

Doctors that supply the Accu Cheks do so because the manufacturer gives them the meters and pays them to supply them. Not because they are more accurate! Most of the more well known meters are supplied to GP's this way.

 

[KimG]

I'm sticking to the Accu check because it's those readings the diabetic nurse will take for my progress. I don't think any meter is accurate from what I've read.