Advice on testing strips please!

[Pine Marten]

I'm thinking of buying a meter and testing strips and have looked online, but I'm not sure what to get - is this a good one: 'Accu-Chek Aviva Blood Glucose System, comes with a drum with 6 pre-loaded lancets', and says 'Please note there are only 10 Accu-chek Aviva Test strips'.

Can each lancet be used only once? And each strip presumably also only once? So it's best to get in say, another 50 strips?

I don't mind paying for these things if they are going to be helpful. I'm type 2 so have been discouraged from self-testing but think that now it's probably a good idea.

Any advice/recommendations gratefully received!

 

[pav]

Most starter kits come with 10 test strips to get you going, the exception being the contour next usb which come with 25 strips, and the Accu Chek mobile which comes with a cassette of 50 tests. only come with 2 cassettes of lancets (12 lancets).

Both these meters are good, have known the mobile to give an error not enough blood applied when one has applied enough.

Meters you can normally get for free by ringing the manufactures, the problem is the strips. A pot of strips can be ?25 + for a pot of 50. Abbott from reports sell direct for around ?15 for 50.

There are other meters such as the SD code free which have strips around ?7 per 50.

Some people use lancets more than once, or until they become blunt 😱. I use them only once in the main, test strips are a once only use.

You can also buy the Abbott meters and test strips a lot cheaper than some places here https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/store/shop-by-brand/abbott.

The Abbot insulix @?15-50 from the above link has a big display and touch screen (though its aimed at those on insulin) can be customised via a PC to add notes to test results.

Meters all have different features and the three I have shown would be my preference. I use the Contour next usb as my main meter and the Accu Chek mobile as and when out and about meter as its a all in one device. I do get my strips on prescription at the moment, though if paying for strips the Abbott meters would be at the top of my list. Though the SD code free strips at under half the price of Abbots direct supply price makes for a good economical choice.

 

[Northerner]

All meters have to conform to the same accuracy standards, so there should not be much difference between them. Some need slightly less blood than others, some meters have different software on them. The main thing to bear in mind is the ongoing costs, chiefly the test strips. The Accuchek you mention is a good meter, but the strips will cost up to ?30 for 50 retail. You might be able to get them cheaper from ebay. As pav suggests the cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around ?7 for 50. Strips can only be used once, and some meters will reject a strip if you don't get enough blood on it first go. Some will allow you a second chance.

Lancets can be used many times - after 5 years since diagnosis I am still on my first box of 200! The joke is that you change your lancet on St. Swithin's Day i.e. once a year, but in practice I think most people will change more regularly as they would be getting a bit blunt by then! 😱

Testing will most definitely benefit you! If you don't know what is going on, how do you know what to change? Have a look at Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S for an example of how testing can help. If you record your results and then go back to your GP and show them how testing is helping you understand and improve your blood sugar levels they may be more inclined to prescribe some strips for you.

Let us know if you have any questions! 🙂

 

[AlisonM]

Yes, you can only use a strip once but can reuse lancets and most do. I'm not good at changing the lancets, only swapping them once a month when I remember. I should do it more often really.

I have the Abbott's Freestyle Insulinx and the Bayer Contour Next USB, both of which I find very reliable and would happily recommend. Both have decent software and can transfer data to your PC easily. There are also apps out there that you can use to keep records and plot trends, my favourite being an Android app called OnTrack, but you can use a spreadsheet too*. Strips cost from ?25-?30 on the high street but Abbotts sell theirs direct much cheaper. Bayer's strips cost ?25.99 from their site and around ?27 on the high street.

Both can be used by non-insulin users but have the functionality if you get that far. Most modern meters do.

If you're going to test anyway, it's important to know what to do with the information. When I started out, I kept records of food eaten, exercise taken and how I was feeling. Testing for food meant before a meal, and then 1, 2 and 3 hours afterwards in order to establish what effect the meal had on me. I also tested before and after exercise and on waking/before bed. As a general aim I was advised to try to get my bloods to stay between 5 and 9 mmol/l and to regards anything less than 4 as a hypo and anything over 10 as high. This is a lot of testing and your fingers will hate you but I found it very useful.

If you follow a process like this for three months or so you'll have a very clear picture of how your diabetes is behaving and an understanding of the effects of certain foods on your system. Good luck.

 

[Pine Marten]

That's great, Northerner and pav, many thanks! I see that the SD Codefree meter and strips are from Amazon - I confess that I'm an Amazon junkie <blush>... you can never have too many books or dvds!

I'm off out this afternoon but I'll be back and let you know if I have any other questions, and I'll check out the Abbott meters etc.

 

[Pine Marten]

Thanks, AlisonM, that's helpful. I do exercise a lot more now, and write it in my diary as well as blood pressure and weight, so I could easily add food eaten too. I'm not very good with software and apps so I might, er, leave those alone... (I usually have to ask my kids when I have a techy problem..!)

My next blood test is in November so I look forward to a chat with my doctor!

 

[AlisonM]

I'm not very good with software and apps so I might, er, leave those alone... (I usually have to ask my kids when I have a techy problem..!)

Well if that's the case, there's a couple of very useful tools you might have handy. I believe they're called a pen and paper? I've been known to use them myself sometimes.

 

[Northerner]

My next blood test is in November so I look forward to a chat with my doctor!

In that case it would be the ideal opportunity to discuss your readings 🙂 Some GPs are completely opposed to testing unless you are on insulin (some are, even if you are on insulin 😱), so be prepared to stand your ground. We've had people here who have been told that testing is obsessive, unnecessary and will make you depressed, but if it is giving you the information you need to manage your diabetes, and you act on the information, then it is none of those things. Some people get depressed because if they can't test then they feel they do not have any control and are in the dark, which can be much more stressful (and stress can raise levels!).

 

[AlisonM]

That's exactly how I felt Northe. I'm a bit of a control freak (yes, really!) and not knowing the what and whys drove me nuts. Ignorance is our worst enemy, I reckon.

Testing not only allowed me to find out what was going on, but gave me some of the ammunition I needed to get the tests that changed my diagnosis from 2 to 1.5 because things were happening with the numbers that shouldn't for a T2. From a treatment point of view that was vital.

 

[Joules]

My advice has got to be to stay clear of testers that bleep. I personally find them annoying as everyone can hear it's testing time, LOL! I use OneTouch Ultra as they take 4 seconds and are silent 😎

 

[Vicsetter]

I use the Accu-chek Fastclix with a 6 lancet drum and when you get used to it it's quite good, it's just that the lancet is offset from the centre so sometimes you don't pcik where you expect to, or miss altogether!
One of the lancets seems to do me a couple of weeks or more, I just change it when it is starting to fail to get blood.
Most of the meter manufacturers will only supply a meter to people on insulin, but they aren't very expensive to buy anyway.
Although meters are supposed to conform to an accuracy standard the cheaper ones do seem to be very variable in their accuracy, you get what you pay for. I also see that the meter is ?11.60 direct from Home Health (UK) (http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medica...or_testing.htm?qerror=&flasher=&nc=1382825480) or ?12.99 from Amazon.
Th Zurich Hospital research on 20 meters compared then against a known sample at 6.5 mmol/L and found it in the top 3. However 'real' patients have a variety of BG levels and reports that the SD Codefree reports 1mmol/L above the level reported by the more expensive ones (like the Freestyle).

 

[happydog]

I have a Bayer Contour Next as I like to have the reports and graphs that it produces. Contact them and they will probably supply one free. The strips are expensive. I tested a lot in the beginning when I was first diagnosed but now only do so about three days a week. I have had nonsense about prescribing the strips and now am in a situation where it is a lottery whether or not I get them, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Testing has certainly helped me. Good luck with your choice 🙂

 

[Joules]

Happydog, thanks for the advice on the "Bayer Contour Next". Just spoke to Bayer and they are sending one free to me (saving ?25). The strips are cheaper than what I currently use so should not be an issue on prescription.

 

[Northerner]

Happydog, thanks for the advice on the "Bayer Contour Next". Just spoke to Bayer and they are sending one free to me (saving ?25). The strips are cheaper than what I currently use so should not be an issue on prescription.

After 5 years of using an Accuchek I switched to the Contour Next about 6 months ago and am very happy with it. Much more practical being able to just plug and play rather than messing about with the infrared download thingy on the Accuchek. Also the Next works on my W7 laptop, whereas the Accuchek software only works on my XP desktop which I hardly ever use these days 🙂

 

[vickih]

I have a Bayer Contour Next as I like to have the reports and graphs that it produces. Contact them and they will probably supply one free. The strips are expensive. I tested a lot in the beginning when I was first diagnosed but now only do so about three days a week. I have had nonsense about prescribing the strips and now am in a situation where it is a lottery whether or not I get them, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Testing has certainly helped me. Good luck with your choice 🙂

After 5 years of using an Accuchek I switched to the Contour Next about 6 months ago and am very happy with it. )

Hi happydog and Northerner,

I've just been having a quick look at this on the net and it does seem very good and it would be excellant to get all the information on the computer so i can look at it properly - Currently using a Optium Xceed (had for at least 5 years) and a OneTouch for when i'm at my boyfriends but seriously contemplating giving up the Xceed for this - hadn't realised how much meters had changed! I can put all the information I usually put in my Dafne diary in here.

What do you guys use for your finger-pricking device - these have always come as part of the meter in the past?

 

[Northerner]

Hi happydog and Northerner,

I've just been having a quick look at this on the net and it does seem very good and it would be excellant to get all the information on the computer so i can look at it properly - Currently using a Optium Xceed (had for at least 5 years) and a OneTouch for when i'm at my boyfriends but seriously contemplating giving up the Xceed for this - hadn't realised how much meters had changed! I can put all the information I usually put in my Dafne diary in here.

What do you guys use for your finger-pricking device - these have always come as part of the meter in the past?

I've got an Optium Xceed also, that I use as my spare meter, and also because it takes blood ketone strips (the Next doesn't). The vast majority of my tests are on the Next.

I use an Accuchek Multiclix for my fingerpricking device - I think many people here have agreed it's the best available, with lots of depth settings and 6 lancets in a little drum so you don't have to change every time. 🙂

 

[jalapino]

[QUOTE Yes, you can only use a strip once

Just gave me an idea!!! 😱

Why do they not invent some sort of strip that could be reused?..rather than the strip taking blood to read which then obviously is no good afterwards...but some sort of strip that can be reused in a manner that it does not need to actually take the blood to read?...or am I talking pooo!!!??.....lol...nice thought either way!! 🙄

 

[Northerner]

Yes, you can only use a strip once

Just gave me an idea!!! 😱

Why do they not invent some sort of strip that could be reused?..rather than the strip taking blood to read which then obviously is no good afterwards...but some sort of strip that can be reused in a manner that it does not need to actually take the blood to read?...or am I talking pooo!!!??.....lol...nice thought either way!! 🙄

Simple answer is that they'd lose billions in profit! 😱

 

[jalapino]

Simple answer is that they'd lose billions in profit! 😱

But a good idea regardless 😉

 

[Northerner]

But a good idea regardless 😉

I've often thought the NHS should have it's own manufacturing facility for things like strips, although you wouldn't get advances like you do from large companies in competition with each other. I'd love to know the actual unit cost of a strip, they cost the NHS about 30p each. They can only be used once because they work on a chemical that has an electrical current passed through it - once that has happened it can't be done again, it would be a bit like un-burning toast! 🙂

There are some companies looking to make stripless meters that work on light.