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Glucose monitor

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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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Dawn3010

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi just got the Accu-chek mobile monitor and the reading tonight differs from my Abbot freestyle Optimum Neo. The freestyle glucose is lower ie 6.3 & 5.6 on the other. What should I do?
Dawn
 
Dawn3010 said:
Hi just got the Accu-chek mobile monitor and the reading tonight differs from my Abbot freestyle Optimum Neo. The freestyle glucose is lower ie 6.3 & 5.6 on the other. What should I do?
Dawn
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Hi Dawn. The problem with meters is that they give us this very accurate looking figure, but in reality, they are allowed to be up to 15% out. So your two readings are both well within the tolerance allowed. Also, if they were from two different drops of blood, and especially if they were from different fingers, it's strange to believe, but the blood in your veins isn't all the same all over your body, so tests even with the same meter will vary if you do them twice, but from a different finger.
 
Robin said:
Hi Dawn. The problem with meters is that they give us this very accurate looking figure, but in reality, they are allowed to be up to 15% out. So your two readings are both well within the tolerance allowed. Also, if they were from two different drops of blood, and especially if they were from different fingers, it's strange to believe, but the blood in your veins isn't all the same all over your body, so tests even with the same meter will vary if you do them twice, but from a different finger.
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Hi Robin thanks for replying. I have only been diagnosed 3 weeks, sugars getting under control but now having hypos. Adjusted insulin dose yesterday. Will the difference on the Accu-chek being higher cause me a problem as don't want to go too low?
 
Dawn3010 said:
Hi Robin thanks for replying. I have only been diagnosed 3 weeks, sugars getting under control but now having hypos. Adjusted insulin dose yesterday. Will the difference on the Accu-chek being higher cause me a problem as don't want to go too low?
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If you find one meter is consistently lower than the other, you just need to bear that in mind and err on the cautious side with your insulin doses if it's the one that reads lower that you're going to be using full time. ( for example, if your carb count doesn't work out exactly to a round number of insulin units, round it down, not up)
 
I conducted a simple exercise last month comparing an Accu-Chek against a Codefree.
The Accu-Check was consistantly lower by anything between 5 to 10% over the 1 month period. At 1 point it was 17% lower.
I conducted the test each morning using the same blood drop on each meter.
 
Ok thanks I'm not counting carbs yet and only on Humulini insulin as I am still producing a small amount of insulin myself. I am waiting to see specialist again in April and dietician. Once I see both they will have an action plan I'm sure. I will keep an eye on it.
 
Vince_UK said:
I conducted a simple exercise last month comparing an Accu-Chek against a Codefree.
The Accu-Check was consistantly lower by anything between 5 to 10% over the 1 month period. At 1 point it was 17% lower.
I conducted the test each morning using the same blood drop on each meter.
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Hi Vince mine is the other way round the Accu-chek is higher. It's only as I'm watching things due to having hypos in morning and lunchtime.
 
Dawn3010 said:
Hi Vince mine is the other way round the Accu-chek is higher. It's only as I'm watching things due to having hypos in morning and lunchtime.
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Understand Dawn, I was just shocked to be honest at the variability between the two meters. At\10-15% variation although an accepted norm I find unacceptable if someone, say such a yourself, is relying on those readings for medication doses.
 
Vince_UK said:
Understand Dawn, I was just shocked to be honest at the variability between the two meters. At\10-15% variation although an accepted norm I find unacceptable if someone, say such a yourself, is relying on those readings for medication doses.
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Well it can mean the difference of stopping a hypo and having one because of the difference. Maybe I should ask the dB nurse?
 
Vince_UK said:
Understand Dawn, I was just shocked to be honest at the variability between the two meters. At\10-15% variation although an accepted norm I find unacceptable if someone, say such a yourself, is relying on those readings for medication doses.
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We all rely on them for our medication doses, Vince. And there are so many other variables, that meter accuracy doesn't really concern me a lot. After a while, it becomes instinctive, to factor in how you're feeling, the weather, whether you've exercised, etc, etc, and we seem to bumble along quite nicely. Better than the days when boiling up pee on the stove and dipping a stick in it was the only way to test, and then it could only tell you if you were over 10.0 or not. Thank goodness I wasn't diagnosed then!
 
Dawn3010 said:
Well it can mean the difference of stopping a hypo and having one because of the difference. Maybe I should ask the dB nurse?
Click to expand...
Not really, because the percentage difference is smaller on lower numbers. You can’t stop a hypo as such, because you don’t know whether your BG is going up or coming down, but you will know that if less than 4, you need to eat a jelly baby or two (check the response) to put things right.

Those of us lucky enough to have flash monitoring get the additional info of which way our BG is going, up, down or level. That’s only if you have an arm or a leg to spare, or an unusually compliant CCG.
 
mikeyB said:
Not really, because the percentage difference is smaller on lower numbers. You can’t stop a hypo as such, because you don’t know whether your BG is going up or coming down, but you will know that if less than 4, you need to eat a jelly baby or two (check the response) to put things right.

Those of us lucky enough to have flash monitoring get the additional info of which way our BG is going, up, down or level. That’s only if you have an arm or a leg to spare, or an unusually compliant CCG.
Click to expand...
Thanks, this is all so new, still feeling a bit anxious about it all. I will get there.
 
Of course you will, Dawn. It takes a while, though and you will always have odd days that you can’t explain, that’s why we are all here. Because we’ve all been at your stage, and we know exactly what you’re going through. In a year or so, you will be advising newbies, and so it goes🙂
 
there is an old saying
man with one watch always knows the time
man with two watches is never sure
 
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