Test strip out of date

[steve_D]

I'm told I am pre-diebetic HbA1c 45 so today dug out my tester but the strips are 2017.
got a reading of 11.3.
So does anyone know how critical the expiry date is and should I ignore this reading.
I've just ordered some new strips.
Thanks
Steve

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So does anyone know how critical the expiry date is and should I ignore this reading.

That seems quite old so I think I'd ignore the reading. (It probably depends on the specific branch of test strip (what chemicals it uses) and the conditions they've been in over the last 6 years. Regardless, doesn't seem like something I'd trust particularly!)

 

[steve_D]

Thanks. I'll not panic yet until I get my new strips

 

[rebrascora]

Had the pot been opened and some used previously or was it a sealed pot? If opened then definitely not reliable, if still sealed then may be more reliable and I would compare a few with your new test strip results before discarding them.
If you were on medication which made your readings critical then it would be a different matter and not worth the risk, but as a rough guide..... if the old strips give results which roughly tie in with the new ones when you test the same blood spot (be aware, even 2 new test strips are unlikely to give exactly the same reading), then I would go ahead and use them up.

Hopefully they are rogue and your levels are not actually that high, unless that test was an hour or so after a meal, in which case 11 would not be unreasonable, but ideally you would want to work on adjusting your diet to bring it down a bit.

 

[steve_D]

Thanks all for replies.
There were only 3 strips left so I will await the new ones.
Thanks
Steve