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Accu Chek

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KAREN1

KAREN1

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi i was just wondering about my accu chek bg monitor. when i was given it by dsn there was no control solution with it, do i need this and what difference does it make to readings? can anyone help? thanks
 
Hi Karen,

Despite having the control solutions I've never used them. I don't know if they are strictly necessary and that's why I don't use them?

Tom H
 
Thanks Tom i didn,t know whether or not it was necessary.
 
If you don't use the solution how do you know if your meter is acurate :confused:
Karen, give the meter company a ring they will send you some.
 
hi sue i will give them a ring tommorow, i only just found out they come with some when i was looking at meters for sale i wonder why dsn didn,t give me some. sometimes i feel low but meter says other wise maybe this is the cause many thanks!
 
The last meter I got came without the control solution. Apparently it is not put in all meters now. The solution gives you a good idea of how accurate the meter is, so contact the firm and see if you can get some. I think it is also available from some pharmacies and chemists.
 
My experience of using control solution is that it goes out of date before you use it all.. it would make more sense if the meter companies put a trigger in the meters to state every x months or y strips that you need to run control solution.

I guess it should also occur when you add new strips, although I think the coding of the strips to the meter sets the control range - certainly when I have used control solution its always been to the spec of the strips.

Meter companies are great when you run out of consumables, including batteries and pens, they want us to continue to use their meter and more importantly their test strips (just try buying some privately to see why!). I've even known AccuCheck to send me a new upgraded meter 'free of charge!' 🙄
 
my new acco-chek nano came witout control solution. I simply asked for some on the website when I registered the meter and it arrived in 48 hours. think supposed to use control solution with every pot of new strips, if you've left meter out of temperature range, dropped it or if suspect readings are out of kilter
 
i got mine 3 weeks ago have use it once i find it handy if i get a unsually hi or lo reading and i have no symptoms can test it to check if the readings tally
 
I was told to use the control solution everytime I put a new chip into the reader. Then I have to make sure that both solutions are within the range printed on the side of the holder for the testing strips. If they are (as they've always been) then no problem, if not then I suppose it means the tester is faulty.
 
I've never used control solution. Would seem a waste of 2 strips if you did it every time you started a new packet of strips.
The control solution also come with a wide range something like 13-19 for high range.
you are supposed to throw the solution out 28 days after opening.
 
sofaraway said:
I've never used control solution. Would seem a waste of 2 strips if you did it every time you started a new packet of strips.
The control solution also come with a wide range something like 13-19 for high range.
you are supposed to throw the solution out 28 days after opening.
Click to expand...
I do hate wasting 2 strips. Wasn't told about throwing the solution after 28 days though. Will ask at my diabetic clinic appointment on April 21st.
 
I thought it has a short life expectancy - and as the test strips are self encoding, I am unsure really how you can get significant differences. So I won't bother wiht them!
 
You can ring Accuchek, they are very helpful, they also supply free batteries for the meters.
 
i got told by my dsn that control solutions are ok to use but that they aint really doing to much to the bg machines these days. used to be very good a few years back but technology has improved that much that now it is really not needed. she told me that i can use them and they will provide me with it if i wanted to use it but in her opinion it is not needed so i no longer use it.
 
mikep1979 said:
technology has improved that much that now it is really not needed.
Click to expand...

I'll second that Mike. The first two machines that I had were massive and needed their own separate sort of pencil case thing to keep them in. Absolute bricks they were.

Tom H
 
i remember them type of machines to tom lol total nightmare to carry!!!
 
I've used the control solution once when I got some readings that were very much at odds with how I was feeling. I concluded that I had hit on some faulty strips rather than a faulty meter. Since that was several months ago, I guess I should throw the solution away now, and get some more!
 
Lizzie said:
You can ring Accuchek, they are very helpful, they also supply free batteries for the meters.
Click to expand...
Do they send out just one or a few to keep you going for a while?
 
MarcLister said:
Do they send out just one or a few to keep you going for a while?
Click to expand...

When I rang, they just sent one. You can also order them from the website. The thing to do is to order one before the one in the meter runs out, then you always have a spare to put straight in. When you put in the 'spare', order another one straightaway!🙂
 
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