[beefy]

There's been a couple of times that I've had odd readings with my meter, and usually doing another test shows a different (more expected reading) result...

However I'm perplexed today...

I just tested on my left pinky and found a 6.0 (108) which I was thrilled with for a pre-meal... but it was MUCH lower than I anticipated (I was expecting 7-ish) so I retested in the other hand, and had a 7.9 (142) ...

That's a huge difference. So I retested my left hand, index finger this time, and got a 6.9 (124) ... I did a test on my ring finger with the same result... (Yes, I just used FOUR strips in the space of like 2 minutes... at a buck a strip, that's $120/hr I just gave to Bayer. Anyone with Bayer stock, you're welcome...)

Now I should say I *ALWAYS* wash my hands pre-test, just with hot water (no soap/lotions etc.) so it's not that... what the heck could cause such a range in test results? Is my meter flaky?

BTW I believe the two 6.9's ... that's within what I was expecting based on what I've eaten today...

 

[breezeonby]

There's been a couple of times that I've had odd readings with my meter, and usually doing another test shows a different (more expected reading) result...

However I'm perplexed today...

I just tested on my left pinky and found a 6.0 (108) which I was thrilled with for a pre-meal... but it was MUCH lower than I anticipated (I was expecting 7-ish) so I retested in the other hand, and had a 7.9 (142) ...

That's a huge difference. So I retested my left hand, index finger this time, and got a 6.9 (124) ... I did a test on my ring finger with the same result... (Yes, I just used FOUR strips in the space of like 2 minutes... at a buck a strip, that's $120/hr I just gave to Bayer. Anyone with Bayer stock, you're welcome...)

Now I should say I *ALWAYS* wash my hands pre-test, just with hot water (no soap/lotions etc.) so it's not that... what the heck could cause such a range in test results? Is my meter flaky?

BTW I believe the two 6.9's ... that's within what I was expecting based on what I've eaten today...

Bayer loves me as well! If I get a funky reading, I am going to retest. But you can get obsessed with re-testing. Does your meter have control solution? If so, it might be a good time to do a control test. I wash my hands with soap and water, that should be enough!

 

[ColaJim]

There's been a couple of times that I've had odd readings with my meter, and usually doing another test shows a different (more expected reading) result...

However I'm perplexed today...

I just tested on my left pinky and found a 6.0 (108) which I was thrilled with for a pre-meal... but it was MUCH lower than I anticipated (I was expecting 7-ish) so I retested in the other hand, and had a 7.9 (142) ...

That's a huge difference. So I retested my left hand, index finger this time, and got a 6.9 (124) ... I did a test on my ring finger with the same result... (Yes, I just used FOUR strips in the space of like 2 minutes... at a buck a strip, that's $120/hr I just gave to Bayer. Anyone with Bayer stock, you're welcome...)

Now I should say I *ALWAYS* wash my hands pre-test, just with hot water (no soap/lotions etc.) so it's not that... what the heck could cause such a range in test results? Is my meter flaky?

BTW I believe the two 6.9's ... that's within what I was expecting based on what I've eaten today...

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please bear in mind that the FDA only requires they be within plus or minus 20% at least 95 % of the time.
and no, i would not bet my life on my gluco-meter's readings.

i sometimes need to use 4 strips to get a reading that i am sure is within 20 %,
if the reading are 210, 110, 130, 140 i throw out the obvious " out of average reading" and choose the average of the " more consistent readings ( +- 20 % )

i use ACCU-CHEK AVIVA or Relion Confirm meters

still a lot better than urine test strips!

ColaJim

 

[beefy]

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please bear in mind that the FDA only requires they be within plus or minus 20% at least 95 % of the time.
and no, i would not bet my life on my gluco-meter's readings.

That's not overly accurate. I had no idea, THANK YOU.

I thought I was doing something wrong somehow...

 

[breezeonby]

Meters

I always have a back up meter on hand. You never know how long a meter will last. I dropped a meter on the kitchen floor and there was no carpeting so I thought some pieces might come off, but it was ok, but if not, you are going to need a back-up meter. Be prepared!

 

[Checochinican]

As a scientist by training and inclination, it pains me to see inaccurate meter readings, and I suspect they happen a lot. I have to settle for the notion that the trend, not the individual scores, is what's important.

I have two meters (and just received a third) to test them against each other. Using the same drop of blood, I can get widely divergent scores.

 

[Lancer]

Yeah, sometimes I'm not sure what to make of the readings sometime. I had a 166 about a half hour after eating a small yogurt, thought that was probably high, tested again immediately and got 135. An hour and a half later it was 105.

I'm new to this so I'm still not sure what to expect but all of that seemed odd.

 

[joe_h]

yeah nothigns perfect

 

[weaveroflight]

I get different readings on different fingers taken at the same time. Your response have helped me.

 

[CDB]

Just bumping this because it's something that has perplexed me too, and I found it helpful. Also wanted to ask, is there a more accurate method available for testing that's practical?

 

[VeeJay]

I would like to mention here that blood serum is not static. It is not a homogonous mixture of all components all the time. As it traverses through the veins one part may be a different mix than another part. That's why different fingers, or even the same finger even 30 seconds apart, will show different levels of blood glucose because it's measuring that bit of blood at that second in time. It's not all the fault of the meter.

It's the best tool we have at this time. It's WAY better than testing urine on litmus paper, which is what was available before the meters.

Gotta keep these things in perspective.

 

[CDB]

I would like to mention here that blood serum is not static. It is not a homogonous mixture of all components all the time. As it traverses through the veins one part may be a different mix than another part. That's why different fingers, or even the same finger even 30 seconds apart, will show different levels of blood glucose because it's measuring that bit of blood at that second in time. It's not all the fault of the meter.

It's the best tool we have at this time. It's WAY better than testing urine on litmus paper, which is what was available before the meters.

Gotta keep these things in perspective.

True, was just wondering and to be honest obsessing a little bit. It's my personality, I like to tinker and I like data.

 

[John.in.France]

As VeeJay says, your blood serum can change quite a bit in minutes, and swapping fingers will also throw the numbers.

The other factor is the test strips themselves. They are very vulnerable to contamination - a little moisture from leaving the box open in the kitchen for ten minutes could trash the lot!

However, the meters despite their disappointing accuracy standard are still a lot better than the urine test strips of my youth. The absolute value isn't critical - the pattern is. For instance my meter seems to be consistent but if I rely on the very small (like two) samples of lab readings done when I got my A1c tests, it looks to be reading 15% low. I'd prefer it to be right - but I'll settle for a consistent level of error.

John

 

[grammaB]

I've had days like that! I'll test 4 times to get a good idea of what the # might really be! Fortunately my ins is really good and I don't pay much per strip...a fraction of a cent. I wash with soap and water before tests and/or sometimes use alcohol wipes. I have accu-chek aviva and a walmart relion as a backup. What I find more annoying is the difference in readings for different batches of strips!! I can be sailing along with great #'s and a new vial will show higher readings!

I may be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that once you use a blood drop it may be contaminated by something on the strip?? I never use the same drop for retests because of that. I will retest on the other side of the same finger instead.