recommendations for a good blood tester

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sue63

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Hi

Just wondered what everybody uses to test. Joel finds his tester fiddly with the strips etc particularly when out.

I have seen blood testers in the diabetic magazine with strips that are inside the machine if that makes sense! Don't have to keep fiddling around 🙂

Are these available on the NHS or do I have had to purchase them. I think one was the Accu meter and I another one was Pura something!

Sorry if I am not making much sense..have moved house and I am in chaos can't find my magazine!
 
It makes perfect sense Sue! I use an Accu Chek Aviva, which is a bit fiddly with strips, so maybe he has something similar? I think the one with the strips inside you are thinking of is the Accu Chek Mobile. I don't think Roche are giving those away yet and so they are about ?40 to buy. Most other meters can be obtained free from the nurse of by ringing the meter companies and asking for one - they make money from the strips. It's only the newly released models that they tend to charge for during their first few months on the market. The Contour USB has had some very good reviews by people here and it is a very attractive meter - again, quite new on the market so you might have to pay the ?25 cost for it.
 
I had an accu check (will check which one it was) & it was brilliant! the strips are in a little round tube a bit smaller than the tube the strips come in when they are separate. you just pop the tube into the meter and it pushes a strip through when asked. i loved it. only swapped when I got sent a free one and fancied a change =) x
 
i got the accu chek compact the drum holds 17 strips at a time i got mine free from the dsn but accu chek will prob give the meter for free if you ask
i got one for my mum and there are about ?10 -?15 from loydds chemist hope this helps vickie
 
twinnie said:
i got the accu chek compact the drum holds 17 strips at a time i got mine free from the dsn but accu chek will prob give the meter for free if you ask
i got one for my mum and there are about ?10 -?15 from loydds chemist hope this helps vickie
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Ah yes, that's the other Accu check that holds strips! 🙂
 
I'd like to add that the layout of the case can make a big difference to ease of use. I have an Optium Exceed, which I find very good. Case supplied has plastic sleeve for meter with holes for button and inserting strips, elastic and rigid plastic backing for pricker, cloth pocket to hold up to 50 strips, small net pocket for lancets, plastic pocket for calibration stick, pocket on back cover, where I keep my own made conversion table between UK / US blood glucose units. Optium Exceed will also check blood ketones, but I've never bothered - if my blood glucose is high, I'll act anyway.
Some companies give away meters, some directly, some via DSNs, others sell very cheaply, as they know they'll make their money with subsequent prescriptions of strips. YOU don't have to buy them - Joel will sort it out, depending on his requirements.
 
I have just bought a USB contour and am atm getting through reading the instructions etc but it looks like it will be a pretty good meter especially as you can just easily stick it into your computer to see how you're managing your diabetes 🙂 i bought it online with a 5 pound discount so altogether with P&P it cost me 23 pounds.
 
I have an accu-chek mobile, it has 50 tests on a cassette, so there are no strips to dispose of each time you test. The finger pricker that comes with it is fastened on to the side, and holds 6 lancets in a small drum, so again, don't need to keep disposing of used lancets after each use.

It looks a bit like a mobile phone, so generally people don't notice the blood :D . It has good memory and reminder features. Lucky enough to be offered it back in February when it had just come out, my dsn gave it to me :D
 
There's also the Breeze 2. This has 10 tests in a disc and is quite easy to use (although quite big when compared to the accu-check mobile!)
 
I've got a Accu-chek Compact Plus you can have. And some strips and lancets.

Used briefly. The lancing device has been sterilised. It was my backup but now don't have a use for it.

PM me if interested.
 
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