Meter Confusion

[AlisonM]

OK, I've been experimenting. I just tested and the Bayer Breeze 2 says 11.2, the Freestyle Lite says 9.8! Neither reading is all that great but which do I believe? I'm a bit suspicious of the BB2 anyway because it was such a bother to set up and I may have done it wrong, while the Freestyle didn't need any setting up at all.

My numbers seem to be running rather high at the moment anyway, not sure why, I'm being good and sticking to the diet, getting my exercise and all that.

But that's another thread, I'm just getting paranoid in case the Freestyle has been lying to me all these months. Have any of you tried testing twice with different meters? If you did, what was the result?

 

[Steff]

NOOO alison me and you are champions of our freelites please dont say your changing , i used a contour meter once and it was diffirent to my freestlye reading one said 7.5 other said 6.4 and of course i believed the lower which was my freestlye.

 

[AlisonM]

NOOO alison me and you are champions of our freelites please dont say your changing , i used a contour meter once and it was diffirent to my freestlye reading one said 7.5 other said 6.4 and of course i believed the lower which was my freestlye.

NO! I'm not changing, I love my Freestyle Lite*. I just got the BB2 as a freebie from Bayer as a 'spare' and thought I'd try it. I even had to read the manual to figure out how to work it (something IT types never do ). Now I'm worrying because the readings were so different.

*Well, love is probably too strong a word, how can you love lugging a bit of kit like this around all the time when it's the physical representation of your life sentence. But since I have to have one (still haven't convinced the doctor about that), at least I have one that's aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

 

[SweetGuy]

Finger prick Meters are supposed have a margin of error of about 15% either way so individual results should not be considered to be absolutely precise. So a reading of 7 could really be be 6 or 8.

 

[Peter C]

OK, I've been experimenting. I just tested and the Bayer Breeze 2 says 11.2, the Freestyle Lite says 9.8! Neither reading is all that great but which do I believe? I'm a bit suspicious of the BB2 anyway because it was such a bother to set up and I may have done it wrong, while the Freestyle didn't need any setting up at all.

My numbers seem to be running rather high at the moment anyway, not sure why, I'm being good and sticking to the diet, getting my exercise and all that.

But that's another thread, I'm just getting paranoid in case the Freestyle has been lying to me all these months. Have any of you tried testing twice with different meters? If you did, what was the result?

Some meters measure whole blood glucose and some measure plasma glucose.
There is a difference in those readings. One is preferred by the medics as a truer picture - can't remember which.Dunno which yours measure though.

 

[cazscot]

Just did a wee experiment on my hubbies One Touch Ultra Easy and I am 7.1 and on my freestyle freedom lite I am 6.2... So now I dont know which one to believe 😱 But I like my freestyle freedom lite so think I will stick with that reading

 

[Adrienne]

This same conversation rears its head on the children's email group lots and on the other email group with CHI (Jessica's main condition). The best thing to do is not worry and continue using the one you are used to using. None of them are mega accurate when low or high, prefer normal readings but don't we all.

 

[Peter C]

Just did a wee experiment on my hubbies One Touch Ultra Easy and I am 7.1 and on my freestyle freedom lite I am 6.2... So now I dont know which one to believe 😱 But I like my freestyle freedom lite so think I will stick with that reading

One Touch are still measuring the old Whole Blood glucose rather than Blood Plasma. Most meters switched a few years ago. Both readings are probably correct - they are measuring different things.
Blood Plasma is the generally accepted standard today.

 

[cazscot]

One Touch are still measuring the old Whole Blood glucose rather than Blood Plasma. Most meters switched a few years ago. Both readings are probably correct - they are measuring different things.
Blood Plasma is the generally accepted standard today.

That explaines it Peter, thanks.

 

[HelenM]

One Touch are still measuring the old Whole Blood glucose rather than Blood Plasma. Most meters switched a few years ago. Both readings are probably correct - they are measuring different things.
Blood Plasma is the generally accepted standard today.

sorry don't think thats the answer, one touch have been plasma calibrated for some time. In fact since the start of the year all meters (ie all strips because that's where the difference is and if you read the bumf with the strips it will mention it) in the UK have been plasma calibrated. Accchek have only just changed so it is possible that people might still be using older manufactured strips.


http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Treatment__your_health/Monitoring/Blood_glucose/Meters/

 

[AlisonM]

It occurs to me to wonder if the meters are calibrated before they get packaged for sale. If the answer is yes, I'd be willing to bet each company has it's own measure and they're all different.