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Using home tests

J

jacky cartwright

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
I was advised that I am pre diabetic. I bought a Contour Blue test box from Boots with all the correct test strips. I have had real problems getting a result. The meter has come back with E2 twice error so I changed the test strips each time then E8 twice but the correct strips were bought to match the product. Finally managed to squeeze enough blood out onto the strip - another new one from the little tub - and again the E8 result showed up on the screen. Am I being totally stupid or is there something wrong with the system?
 
maybe google ithe codes or are they in the booklet that came with the monitor? the test strips can be quite sensitive so need to be scrupulously clean. I have had plenty issues some days I just cant seem to get it right! does get better with practice though. good luck
 
jacky cartwright said:
I was advised that I am pre diabetic. I bought a Contour Blue test box from Boots with all the correct test strips. I have had real problems getting a result. The meter has come back with E2 twice error so I changed the test strips each time then E8 twice but the correct strips were bought to match the product. Finally managed to squeeze enough blood out onto the strip - another new one from the little tub - and again the E8 result showed up on the screen. Am I being totally stupid or is there something wrong with the system?
Click to expand...
The blood needs to be sucked into the end of the strip not put on top, so touch the end of the strip on the drop of blood, and you only need a small drop, size of a pin head it is sucked in by capillary action.
There is usually a YouTube video on how to use your particular monitor.
 
Sorry to hear you’ve been having a bit of a tricky time with your Contour Blue.

It’s one of the BG meters that gets pretty good reviews on the forum. Affordable strips, and what seem to be reliable results.

There was a thread recently with another member who compared different meters they were using (one of which was the Contour Blue) - I’ll see if I can find it.
 
Found it!

It was this reply by @PerSpinasAdAstra

Maybe he could offer some hints and tips or simple experiences of using the Contour Blue (and perhaps getting error codes in the past)
 
Haven't seen any error codes with the Contour Plus Blue yet but I have seen error codes sometimes with other meters when an insufficient amount of blood reaches the top of the channel in the test strip in 'one go', as in quickly enough. A shaky hand with the meter has produced error codes for me several times when I moved the strip away from the blood droplet before it had finished sipping. As @Leadinglights suggested - are you touching the end of the strip down onto the droplet of blood and letting the strip sip up the amount of blood it needs into the test channel? Or are you touching the droplet to the channel - to the top, flat surface of the strip?
 
Thank you for your advice re blood on to the test strip. In the end I came to understand that the strips will go out of date and that was the problem. New ones arrived yesterday and work as they should so all is well.
 
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