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Using out of date test strips, NOT good :-(

Mister LJ

Mister LJ

Member
Messages
15
Location
Peterborough
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Other
Well, embarrassingly, I have found that using out of date SD Codefree test strips is NOT a very good idea. I've only just this week started testing with some strips and a meter that I bought last year this time, container expiry date: 2019.01.30 (It had been looking like I'm pre diabetic. Who knows what now?)

A new 50 strips container arrived this morning and I took a reading along side an out of date strip, there appears to be a 1.0 difference between the two readings meaning that my readings should be higher than they were. :arghh: I thought I'd get away with it but the moral is, to NOT skimp on DIY health devices, even weak batteries.

At my own expense of stupidity.... Get fresh strips and new batteries! :facepalm:
 
You're not the only one or the first who has fallen into this trap. Don't beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. Just make a mental note that this happened and you can avoid it next time. Good luck.
 
You mean a 1mmol difference from the strips?

You do realise that can happen with 2 strips from the same tub from exactly the same drop of blood right? They aren't 100% accurate and have a certain margin of error that is expected so it could be nothing to do with the fact the test strip was past its expiry date
 
kaylz91 said:
You mean a 1mmol difference from the strips?

You do realise that can happen with 2 strips from the same tub from exactly the same drop of blood right? They aren't 100% accurate and have a certain margin of error that is expected so it could be nothing to do with the fact the test strip was past its expiry date
Click to expand...
Exactly, completely within tolerance. Remember those strips don't have a timer that makes them useless at midnight on the expiration date. On the contrary, manufacturers will make sure they last a lot longer, so nobody gets a wrong reading and they don't get their *beep* sued over whatever complication might occur because of it. :)
 
This is something that is all to familiar when buying and using blood glucose monitors.
More research will help to understand how the meters work, the variables and how to interpret the results.
 
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