Hi. I'm Tracey, and I'm a carer for my husband Sid, who has just spent 9 weeks in hospital after having his pancreas removed. He is now type 1 diabetic. I am having trouble with our Glucomen blood sugar reader, it keeps giving showing ER3. I'm doing everything the same as before when it worked fine. Would love any suggestions please. I've just ordered more strips and lancets from amazon in a panic.
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Hi, im Tracey
- Thread starter TJLloyd
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Hi Tracey
ER3 means that you did not provide enough blood to the test strip.
This could be because his blood is not flowing well enough. Are his hands warm.
Another common problem is the place,ent of blood. It needs to be placed at the bottom of the strip and rises up via capillary action.
I am not familiar with the Glucomen but I got more errors when my meter battery was getting low so make sure it is charged.
As a Type 1, your husband should be getting strips and lancets on prescription and you should not need to buy your own,
ER3 means that you did not provide enough blood to the test strip.
This could be because his blood is not flowing well enough. Are his hands warm.
Another common problem is the place,ent of blood. It needs to be placed at the bottom of the strip and rises up via capillary action.
I am not familiar with the Glucomen but I got more errors when my meter battery was getting low so make sure it is charged.
As a Type 1, your husband should be getting strips and lancets on prescription and you should not need to buy your own,
Thank you. Yes his hands were warm. Just seems to be the same amount of blood that we done in hospital. I'll have another go in a minute. Yes I have to contact our doctor tomorrow for more strips and lancets, but I didn't want to run out in the meantime.
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Welcome to the forum @TJLloyd
Glad you have found us! It can be really helpful to have the ‘hive mind’ of the forum to consult with any questions and conundrums which arise.
I’m going to tag-in @eggyg who also had a diagnosis after pancreatic surgery, and has had to introduce several healthcare professionals to Type 3c, which I believe is the more modern classification for diabetes after surgery or pancreatic injury.
I’ll also tag-in one of our moderators @Docb who may be able to offer some suggestions for carer support?
Glad you have found us! It can be really helpful to have the ‘hive mind’ of the forum to consult with any questions and conundrums which arise.
I’m going to tag-in @eggyg who also had a diagnosis after pancreatic surgery, and has had to introduce several healthcare professionals to Type 3c, which I believe is the more modern classification for diabetes after surgery or pancreatic injury.
I’ll also tag-in one of our moderators @Docb who may be able to offer some suggestions for carer support?
Hi - and welcome - I wish you and you husband all the best on this journey.
The thing that gives me the most confidence in my journey is my Libre 2 - this is a Flash Glucose Nonitor (FlashGM) - it is important to note that there are plenty of other options, most of which are continuous glucose monitors(CGM) … which don’t need to be scanned - so perhaps they’re even better? I don’t know - what I do know is that the tech is there to help manage T1D so It’s definitely worth doing your research, working out what is possible, and talking to your specialist.
That said, the libre 2 (whilst in no way perfect) has (assuming you are using your phone to scan) the added advantage of allowing a loved one/ parent / guardian to be notified with your sugar level whenever you scan and, perhaps more importantly, whenever you trip an alarm. This can produce huge peace of mind. The libre ,like all these devices, also diminishes the need to finger prick! Most importantly it’s widely available on the NHS (for those that qualify) and reasonably affordable even if you have to self fund - it has provided huge peace of mind for for my wife and I. So, not an advert - just a huge fan!
That said, you and your husband need to find your own balance, your own pace and your own tools to deal with his diabetes. Best of luck!
The thing that gives me the most confidence in my journey is my Libre 2 - this is a Flash Glucose Nonitor (FlashGM) - it is important to note that there are plenty of other options, most of which are continuous glucose monitors(CGM) … which don’t need to be scanned - so perhaps they’re even better? I don’t know - what I do know is that the tech is there to help manage T1D so It’s definitely worth doing your research, working out what is possible, and talking to your specialist.
That said, the libre 2 (whilst in no way perfect) has (assuming you are using your phone to scan) the added advantage of allowing a loved one/ parent / guardian to be notified with your sugar level whenever you scan and, perhaps more importantly, whenever you trip an alarm. This can produce huge peace of mind. The libre ,like all these devices, also diminishes the need to finger prick! Most importantly it’s widely available on the NHS (for those that qualify) and reasonably affordable even if you have to self fund - it has provided huge peace of mind for for my wife and I. So, not an advert - just a huge fan!
That said, you and your husband need to find your own balance, your own pace and your own tools to deal with his diabetes. Best of luck!
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Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
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- Type 1
I must admit I had the same sort of error when moving from an Accu-Chek to FreeStyle meter (the FreeStyle Optium strips seem to need 2 or 3 times as much blood). It just took a bit of practice, holding my finger against the strip until there was enough.
eggyg
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- Type 3c
Hi @TJLloyd. Sorry to hear your husband has had to have his pancreas removed. I had a partial pancreatectomy in 2007, although the bit that was left is now completely atrophied ( dead). Type 3c isn’t the easiest type of diabetes to control, mostly because our digestive enzymes are now non existent. Is your hubby taking Creon ( replacement enzymes) If not, that needs to put in place as soon as possible. Because of the difficult of digesting our food, we don’t know whether it’s still hanging about or not, it makes it more difficult to know how much insulin to inject. If you know all this I do apologise. Firstly though, your husband needs to get over his op, it’s a big op and the recovery can be tough. Take everyday as it comes, get him back on his feet and the rest will come soon after. Please let us know if you need other answers to anything. Always here to help. Elaine.
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