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Weird readings next contour one

Brodiebear

Brodiebear

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
Location
Telford
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diabeties
Love my contour meter but today I am not sure if something is wrong. Took a reading this morning 11.0 bit high (for me) so took the dog on a 3 mile 1 hour walk, came back took a new reading 11.7 , so took another one and it was 12.4 then 11.4 and last one 10 8, surely you glucose can't change that much in under 3 minutes ?
Tried a new pack of testing strips and made no difference so either the meter is playing up or , well I don't know what ?
 
Brodiebear said:
Love my contour meter but today I am not sure if something is wrong. Took a reading this morning 11.0 bit high (for me) so took the dog on a 3 mile 1 hour walk, came back took a new reading 11.7 , so took another one and it was 12.4 then 11.4 and last one 10 8, surely you glucose can't change that much in under 3 minutes ?
Tried a new pack of testing strips and made no difference so either the meter is playing up or , well I don't know what ?
Click to expand...
There's a 15% deviation allowed on a meter, so you rarely get the same number twice, even from the same blood drop. It's not 100% accurate, but accurate enough to now whether you're hypo, hyper or fine. So the meter's fine, most likely. But if you've had it for a long time, it might be time to be replaced if the numbers seem very much off...
 
Glucose meters have to be within 15% of the actual reading to be considered compliant, all those numbers are in that kinda of range from each other, so all the results are kinda saying the same number (ie about 11.4 ish).

If a new set of strips said roughly the same number that would suggest that is about where you are.

Do you have any control solutions to test it, that's the only other thing I could suggest if you think its wrong
 
Brodiebear said:
Love my contour meter but today I am not sure if something is wrong. Took a reading this morning 11.0 bit high (for me) so took the dog on a 3 mile 1 hour walk, came back took a new reading 11.7 , so took another one and it was 12.4 then 11.4 and last one 10 8, surely you glucose can't change that much in under 3 minutes ?
Tried a new pack of testing strips and made no difference so either the meter is playing up or , well I don't know what ?
Click to expand...
What numbers do you normally see?
Could you be coming down with something?
 
bulkbiker said:
What numbers do you normally see?
Could you be coming down with something?
Click to expand...
You know that's a good point. Had my flu jab two days ago. I wonder ?

Had been getting 7's to 8's and had my recent review and bloods were coming down.
 
JoKalsbeek said:
There's a 15% deviation allowed on a meter, so you rarely get the same number twice, even from the same blood drop. It's not 100% accurate, but accurate enough to now whether you're hypo, hyper or fine. So the meter's fine, most likely. But if you've had it for a long time, it might be time to be replaced if the numbers seem very much off...
Click to expand...
2-3 years old
 
Brodiebear said:
You know that's a good point. Had my flu jab two days ago. I wonder ?

Had been getting 7's to 8's and had my recent review and bloods were coming down.
Click to expand...
Some people react quite badly to the flu jab (one reason I avoid it).
Could be that is the problem.. my mum was always ill for a few weeks after hers but the wardened flats she lived in kind of applied peer pressure to get it done sadly.
 
Brodiebear said:
Love my contour meter but today I am not sure if something is wrong. Took a reading this morning 11.0 bit high (for me) so took the dog on a 3 mile 1 hour walk, came back took a new reading 11.7 , so took another one and it was 12.4 then 11.4 and last one 10 8, surely you glucose can't change that much in under 3 minutes ?
Tried a new pack of testing strips and made no difference so either the meter is playing up or , well I don't know what ?
Click to expand...

Hi,

At the most you were seeing a 1.6mmol variation within 3 minutes.
Was this from different hands/fingers? This phenomenon has been known & documented before.

If it's any consolation, dog walking for me as an insulin dependent with "nill by mouth" (and an ideal FBG.) has been known to notch up an increase by 3mmol.

Best wishes on getting back in range soon..
 
The 15% tolerance shows more with higher numbers because 15% either way creates quite a large number that the meter can fall within and still be considered accurate..

Obviously the lower the reading the less the difference will be

It shows on the strip pot. Where control solution is

At the lower end a 0.5 difference is all you will get where as in the 7's a 1.5 difference... once you go higher obviously bigger variances


So its more accurate where it needs to be..

Does it matter if you are. 11,12 or 13 no not really either way you are high and that what the meter is designed to tell you



JPEG_20201122_064100_376055953569798077.jpg
 
On any repeatably accuracy tests I've ever done, I have found the Next system to have relative accuracy of maximum 0.2 deviation, but that's in the range of ~4.5 mmol/L so in the higher range it's not unexpected to see the deviations you're reporting. Especially in the mornings when it's likely to be creeping up anyway and then mixed with exercise that can either reduce or increase glucose depending on which direction the wind's blowing...
 
I also use the Contour Next One and generally find it to be quite repeatable. It is claimed to be accurate to within 8% rather than the more typical 15%, but that could just be creative marketing. It is certainly more repeatable than an 'ExtraCare' testing kit that I bought from Amazon that was so erratic that it was useless.

Jaylee's point about testing sites is a good one - I get fairly comparable results from all fingers except one, which I injured a few years ago and always reads >1 mmol/l higher than the others.
 
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