Replacement Accu-check finger pricker needed - How easy to get one and where from?

[MarcLister]

Today has been a bit hectic then after work I played some footie with my colleagues, so I was aware my blood sugar was going to be a bit off-target. So when I got home I decided I would check my blood sugar. I got my finger pricker out and did the usual but my finger felt like nothing had happened. I tried to get blood out but there was nothing. I then realised that the needle from this particular chamber of the pricker was sticking out of the pricker itself.

I tried another chamber but this time there was less puncturing of the skin and still no blood. I tried another Multiclix roll but the same thing happened. Eventually I used the finger pricker I keep in a pencil case for work and that worked fine.

I then came to the conclusion that the finger pricker I keep at home has broken. I've tried 2 Multiclix rolls and nothing happens with any of the chambers.

I've looked on the Accu-chek site and I can't find out how to purchase replacement finger prickers, just batteries and testing solutions. Do I have to buy another Accu-chek meter to get a new finger pricker? It seems a bit much when I just need a new finger pricker.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very glad to hear them. I will of course use my 2nd finger pricker but I like to maintain two sets of meters, one for work, one for home, in case I lose one or it gets broken.

 

[Northerner]

I would just call their customer service Mark, they are usually pretty good. They gave me a free meter and software etc. so I'm sure they would give you a free pricker - they want you to continue using their consumables! 🙂

Nice to hear from you again - hope things are going well 🙂

 

[trophywench]

I concur with Northie! - and I don't think they'll give you any grief either, they are very very good even when it's summat that costs a LOT more than a Multiclix goes wrong, LOL

 

[spiritfree]

As Northerner has said, I am sure accu-chek will replace your finger pricker. They have a really good customer service.

 

[MarcLister]

Nice one. I've read threads on here before saying Accu-chek are pretty helpful but I wanted some more modern evidence of that before I ring them up and ask nicely.

Nice to hear from you again - hope things are going well 🙂

Generally they are indeed. Thanks. I hope you're OK?

In diabetes terms I'm having on-off problems with weird midnight hypos. I can be anywhere between 6.5 and 10 when I take my blood sugar before I go to bed. I will then make lunch for tomorrow and wash before I go to bed. Sometimes when washing I feel a bit woozy so I check my blood sugar and its dropped quite alarmingly in sometimes no more than 30-35 minutes. I could be at 10 when I do my evening test and then half an hour later it could be 4.4 or something else equally drastic. The weird thing is that the massive drop seems to happen AFTER I take my Levemir. When I first started on Levemir after my diagnosis, 3 years ago, I was told to take 14 units. As time has progressed, and hypos come on during the night, I've reduced the amount of Levemir I take at night to a single unit. I should take another unit in the morning but I'm quite forgetful, and sleepy, at 6am so I often don't.

What I find strange is that I'm fine up until Levemir o'clock and then, after just a single unit of Levemir, whoosh, blood sugar is on its way down. I've no idea why. I mentioned it to my consultant last September and he was clueless which kind of made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy that it wasn't me being thick and that it was a weird one, sad that even my consultant couldn't work it out.

I was speaking to a colleague the other night whose husband is a type 1 diabetic about my hypos. She found out I was having them on Twitter as another colleague of ours is often still awake at midnight-2am when I wake with my hypo so I sometimes tweet him as I'm recovering. 😎 My colleague then wishes me a hypo-less night when I depart the tweetsphere for my bed. My other colleague was then talking about it. She suggested I should perhaps ask my doctors if I can/should try another long-acting insulin to see if I'm reacting in some weird way to Levemir.

Anyway, that's just a quick update on me! 😛 Perhaps in another thread we can discuss this. 🙂

 

[MarcLister]

Well I just got off the phone with Accu-chek's customer service and you're right. They were very helpful, well he was to be precise. They are going to send me a replacement finger pricker in exchange for me sending my broken one back so they can look at it and see what's wrong. I was quite impressed with that; he didn't talk as if they wanted to make sure I was fiddling them by getting free pens but that they really want to look at broken finger prickers to see what's happened to them in case they can fix a manufacturing flaw or something.

I then cheekily asked for a cap for my other finger pricker; on both they are quite cracked and keep falling off. Seeing as I'm getting a replacement finger pricker I only needed a cap for the other. The helpful chap said they can't send out a replacement cap but I'd get another finger clicker. Ah well, I compromised.

Thanks for your help on this. I'm glad Accu-chek were very helpful on this. I suppose they realise that by doing their best with positive customer service they will do much better in retaining customers. 🙂

 

[trophywench]

So Mark are you literally only having 1unit of Lev at night and 1 unit in the morning?

What would happen to your BG if you took absolutely none?

And when you take your evening Lev, how long is it since you had your dinner-time jab? - and what is your fast acting anyway - certain of em last longer than others 'usually'

 

[MarcLister]

So Mark are you literally only having 1unit of Lev at night and 1 unit in the morning?

What would happen to your BG if you took absolutely none?

And when you take your evening Lev, how long is it since you had your dinner-time jab? - and what is your fast acting anyway - certain of em last longer than others 'usually'

I should have one in morning as well as one at night but that was a suggestion from my consultant and I forget the morning one. 😛

It might be worth trying not taking Levemir mightn't it. I'm starting to think I need to eliminate Levemir, or not, as the cause of this regular problem and the only way I can do that is to not take Levemir at night for a week or two and see what happens.

I normally do my evening Levemir/BG test at about 10-10.30pm and have dinner between say 6 and 7-7:30pm on average depending on how tired I am from work, when I got in and did I have to go shopping to get dinner first.

I take Novorapid for my fast acting insulin. I know that some insulin will last longer than others. I'd be surprised if the Novorapid is the problem seeing as this evening hypo situation occurs within an hour of me taking the Levemir. Maybe its just a coincidence.