Glucose meter readings

[hebe]

Hello everyone, I recently discovered i was at risk of developing Type2 Diabetes so I decided to purchase a glucose meter to see what my blood sugar was doing. Initially all seemed okay with fasting results usually somewhere between 4.6 to 5.1 However, this morning i had a fasting result of 3.8 which surprised me really and I wondered if it was due to having had difficulty getting enough blood. I immediately redid it using another finger and a larger drop of blood which gave a result of 5.1 which was quite a jump. I thought if there was insufficient blood the meter would not give a reading but perhaps i am wrong so I am hoping someone can shed some light on why this would happen. The meter I am using is a Kinetik.
Can I also say a huge thank you to everyone who posts on this forum. The hints and tips I have picked up over the past few months particularly around diet have been so helpful. Thanks to this forum I have recently read Prof Roy Taylor's book and have now passed it to my sibling who is in the same position as myself.
Many thanks for any advice anyone can give regarding this meter problem

 

[harbottle]

There are error margins with these meters - for example, a 5.1 reading could potentially be 5.8 or 4.3 as the error allowed by ISO standards can be as much as .8 The higher the reading, the more relaxed the rules are about the error margin.

Stuff on fingers can affect the results, as can room temperature and different fingers can give different results.

I have a 'Gluco Navii' which can give very different readings with two consecutive tests, pretty much varying by the error allowed, but my True Metrix and Contour One readers seem fairly consistent with consecutive tests. (I got the Contour one free, it's a very nice piece of kit, but the strips are very expensive.)

 

[Leadinglights]

The monitor will normally only take in the amount of blood it needs and if it is insufficient then would give an error massage.
Your fasting readings are pretty well in normal range of 4-7mmol/l for fasting or before meals.

 

[hebe]

There are error margins with these meters - for example, a 5.1 reading could potentially be 5.8 or 4.3 as the error allowed by ISO standards can be as much as .8 The higher the reading, the more relaxed the rules are about the error margin.

Stuff on fingers can affect the results, as can room temperature and different fingers can give different results.

I have a 'Gluco Navii' which can give very different readings with two consecutive tests, pretty much varying by the error allowed, but my True Metrix and Contour One readers seem fairly consistent with consecutive tests. (I got the Contour one free, it's a very nice piece of kit, but the strips are very expensive.)

I wasn't aware of the error margins or that different fingers or room temperature can give different results. I always wash my hands pre test so pretty confident there is nothing there to influence the result. Many thanks for the reply and explanations. Now I know, I can take all of that information into account when testing. Thank you.

 

[hebe]

The monitor will normally only take in the amount of blood it needs and if it is insufficient then would give an error massage.
Your fasting readings are pretty well in normal range of 4-7mmol/l for fasting or before meals.

Yes, I sort of thought that about the meter but wasn't certain. It was the difference in the two readings that threw me. As to my fasting readings, i think the fact they are so regularly in the normal range is down to the information available on this site and I am enormously grateful for that. Thank you

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @hebe

Hope you are reassured that your meter readings are within a healthy range, and that your outlier was probably just a rogue result.

We have this in the ‘useful links’ section which explains in more detail:

BG meter accuracy
It can be quite disconcerting for members new to self monitoring of blood glucose to get different results from BG readings taken close together, even when carefully following manufacturers guidance (washing hands etc). All meters for sale in the UK should comply with the following ISO standards 95% of the time, which allows a degree of variation (and 5% of results can read anything at all). If in any doubt, or if a reading doesn’t match how you are feeling, you should check again with a fresh strip.

 

[silentsquirrel]

The monitor will normally only take in the amount of blood it needs and if it is insufficient then would give an error massage.

It depends on the meter, my first ones gave an error message for too little blood, but then a different model gave me a reading in the low 2s for insufficient blood. Quite a shock the first time!

 

[hebe]

Welcome to the forum @hebe

Hope you are reassured that your meter readings are within a healthy range, and that your outlier was probably just a rogue result.

We have this in the ‘useful links’ section which explains in more detail:

BG meter accuracy
It can be quite disconcerting for members new to self monitoring of blood glucose to get different results from BG readings taken close together, even when carefully following manufacturers guidance (washing hands etc). All meters for sale in the UK should comply with the following ISO standards 95% of the time, which allows a degree of variation (and 5% of results can read anything at all). If in any doubt, or if a reading doesn’t match how you are feeling, you should check again with a fresh strip.

Thank you, that's very interesting and very helpful to me.

 

[hebe]

It depends on the meter, my first ones gave an error message for too little blood, but then a different model gave me a reading in the low 2s for insufficient blood. Quite a shock the first time!

Gosh, yes, low 2s, I would think that would be a shock right enough. I just didn't realise that some meters function a little differently. Now I know I can relax about it. Many thanks