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What is the best kit to buy?

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Nixxy

Nixxy

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
What is the best blood testing kit to by for the sugar levels? My friend has been given a Nexus Mini Ultra by the Doctor which if you do a few readings within minutes you get a drastically different read each time!! We were wondering if there are better kits out there... All this does is give you your reading by the way, nothing fancy.
 
Many of our members use the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50, which are much cheaper than the strips sold by most other brands. They are all supposed to conform to the same standards of accuracy, and members here appear to find the Codefree fine 🙂

All meters will show some variations - even from the same blood drop, as blood is not homogenous. They should always be within 10% above or below though 🙂
 
As Alan says those that self fund tend to use the SD code free as it's cheap to feed. These days when a meter is provided by the doctors they will only support the meters they provide with test strips on prescription as they have done a deal with the meter providers to supply strips at a more reasonable price. If you were to get a meter from the big names in meters you can be looking at £25 + for a pot of 50 strips.
 
Thanks for the information 🙂
I'll have a look at the codefree meters. He does get a kit free its just its so basic he thought there might be something better out there.
 
Hi Nixxy. How much different are the readings out.
 
Ljc said:
Hi Nixxy. How much different are the readings out.
Click to expand...

Hi they are going from say 33 to 24 when done multiple times (when we got the 33 reading it was retaken for the first time 3 times and got 3 very different readings).
 
Nixxy said:
Hi they are going from say 33 to 24 when done multiple times (when we got the 33 reading it was retaken for the first time 3 times and got 3 very different readings).
Click to expand...
That seems well out to me. Their will usually be some variation even if the same blood is used on another strip
The meter could be faulty or their could be a problem with the strips, a contaminated finger.
Did you friend wash her hands first
Are the strips within the use by date
If their is a small bottle of control solution in the kit you can use that to check if all is well.
Or get the meter replaced by gp practice .
 
Ljc said:
Did you friend wash her hands first
Are the strips within the use by date
If their is a small bottle of control solution in the kit you can use that to check if all is well.
Or get the meter replaced by gp practice
Click to expand...

Yes he washes his hands. The strips are all new. I'll tell him to use the solution and if that fails to get a replacement. It does get very confusing although no reading has been below 13 so still not wonderful!! I'll have a word with him tonight. Thanks 🙂
 
Most meters show greater variation at the higher levels. It may be that you get better performance as BG becomes more normalised?
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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