Prediabetes What's a good simple glucose meter?

[Andy3142]

This question has doubtless been asked endlessly, so please forgive me for asking yet again. What's a good simple glucose meter to investigate my blood sugar levels? I've read a lot and just got confused.

I'm wondering if I might be in some way or other pre-diabetic because if I don't eat I get very hungry, and easily get the shakes. I'd like to be on solid ground before talking to my GP.

Checking blood sugar randomly or a couple of times in a day doesn't look very thorough. If I understand rightly, a glucose meter will both let me make a profile of glucose through the day, and also let me do a fasting glucose test. But the page on this site for glucose meters has over fifty units! - which to choose for a simple but thorough first investigation, please?

Many thanks

Andy, Bristol UK

 

[Mr_Pot]

This question has doubtless been asked endlessly, so please forgive me for asking yet again. What's a good simple glucose meter to investigate my blood sugar levels? I've read a lot and just got confused.

I'm wondering if I might be in some way or other pre-diabetic because if I don't eat I get very hungry, and easily get the shakes. I'd like to be on solid ground before talking to my GP.

Checking blood sugar randomly or a couple of times in a day doesn't look very thorough. If I understand rightly, a glucose meter will both let me make a profile of glucose through the day, and also let me do a fasting glucose test. But the page on this site for glucose meters has over fifty units! - which to choose for a simple but thorough first investigation, please?

Many thanks

Andy, Bristol UK

I have TEE2+ from Spirit Health it is very popular as the strips are relatively cheap.

 

[xfieldok]

I use Tee2 also, @Rachox has a good thread.

Edit: Welcome to the forum!

 

[Rachox]

Welcome to the forum @Andy3142

Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.

Spirit Healthcare have a meter with cheap strips, the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/

with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/

Some members have got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423


With more expensive strips is their Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual




Home Health have recently bought out this one, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet, links to strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/


There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips respectively (these are printed on a business card supplied with the meter).


And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free from Home Health which has the cheapest strips available if bought in quantities of 5 or 10 pots with the codes below. However I found it to be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go, just bear in mind it seems they are replacing it with the Navii, details above.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/


and here for the extra strips

http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833


Disclaimer, I haven’t used any of the discount codes I have quoted so I don’t know if they are still current.


Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

 

[Ronancastled]

I have a SD Codefree, very cheap strips, about 10p each but not the most accurate, often reads 1 mmol/L higher than actual lab venous blood.
I also have a Accu-chek Mobile which has 50 tests on a £25 cassette, about 50p per test. It however seems to be deadly accurate.