OMG - my BS was 14.5 last night

[Vanessa]

Odder and odder then - but may have been an iffy reading for some unknown cause. Your experiences though do make me wonder if you are someone who reacts particularly well to metformin given the correlation with missing doses and high readings and your lower normal ones

 

[sofaraway]

(PS even though my consultant says I cannot go low/have hyps on Metformin)

Anyone can have hypo's, my non-diabetic other half has tested at 2.6 recently. What they probably should say about metformin is that it doesn't stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin causing hypos.

 

[VBH]

so you are bleeding enough on the strip to get a reading first time then?

Hmm. I suggest getting a second meter for comparison. Its handy to have one at home and travel with the other anyway. Also recalibrating your current meter if you have the calibration fluid for it.

Alternatively, go have a blood test, ask them to do a plasma BG and compare it to your meter reading taken at the same time(I do this at every blood test).

Assuming your meter is set for capilliary(normal), rather than plasma converted, the plasma test should be 12% higher. Just don't expect it to be bang on accurate since meters are allowed to be up to 20% out. So long as its somewhere near it will be ok, since meters are usually reasonably consistent in themselves.

Finally, check the expiry date on the strips. If they are not individually foil-wrapped strips (Abbott and other manufacturers) then try another pack.

 

[VBH]

p.s. Your consultant is wrong. Met does not cause lows, but its perfectly possible to go low or hypo on met. My personal record is 2.6 and if he is still unconvinced I can demonstrate how possible it is given about 8 hours notice on demand. (or 3 hours if I torture myself with a baked potato and a cereal bar 😉 )

 

[kojack]

Hmm. I suggest getting a second meter for comparison. Its handy to have one at home and travel with the other anyway. Also recalibrating your current meter if you have the calibration fluid for it.

Alternatively, go have a blood test, ask them to do a plasma BG and compare it to your meter reading taken at the same time(I do this at every blood test).

Assuming your meter is set for capilliary(normal), rather than plasma converted, the plasma test should be 12% higher. Just don't expect it to be bang on accurate since meters are allowed to be up to 20% out. So long as its somewhere near it will be ok, since meters are usually reasonably consistent in themselves.

Finally, check the expiry date on the strips. If they are not individually foil-wrapped strips (Abbott and other manufacturers) then try another pack.

I had a high reading last night. Didn't think of a good reason for it.
Control solution seemed OK

Used a new tub of strips and cross checked on a second meter.
Both showed the same which was 3.2 mmol/L less than the rogue reading.
These meters are a guide and we have a tendency to forget to use control solutions and the fallability of both the strips and the electronics.