Just curious... I will need to make this decision soon and I want all the feedback I can get. What BG monitor system do you use? I want to know about lancet devices AND the actual testing device. If you do or have used more than one which do you prefer and why? Do you test on finger, arm, or other?

Hi Jill,

I told you about my machine on another thread, but I'll tell you again. I use the FreeStyle Flash and I love it! You can test on your finger, arm, leg. I usually use my arm which hurts a lot less than the finger. I just switched from the regular FreeStyle to the Flash in December. I wanted a new gadget. It's a little smaller than the original and there's a backlight if you want to use it. You can also get a cable to connect the machine to your computer and print out graphs of your results. I'm still waiting for that to come in the mail :). Can't wait to play with that! Anyway, I like both of those machines. Good luck with your decision.

Sharon :)

I use the One Touch Ultra. It takes 5 seconds to get a reading, has vacuum test strips so it uses less blood, comes with a lancet pen that adjusts for depth, is a plasma monitor so I know it will give me the same results as the lab, has alot of other features that I can't think of nor do I use but I am glad to have them for some reason :jester:

They also have great customer service as I have 4 little ones and have used them more than once. I got a free meter when one little one, still dont know who as I never got a confession, threw my meter in the toilet.

I use a One Touch Ultra. Every professional I talked to recommended it and I am very happy with it. I have always tested on a finger. I bought the download cable and use the software to create a lot of interesting reports which I can show to my doctor.

I use a One Touch Ultra. Every professional I talked to recommended it and I am very happy with it. I have always tested on a finger. I bought the download cable and use the software to create a lot of interesting reports which I can show to my doctor.


I am on the computer quite a bit... Does pr*cking your finger interfere with your ability to type on a keyboard?

Actually no... There are things you can do to get around callouses. Pricking the sides of your fingers helps keep the skin on the pads from getting rough. Also alternating fingers helps. If you get a lancet pen with an adjustable depth, you can decide to only go as deep as needed. Going too deep only leads to more trauma and scarring of the tissue

And I can't believe you used that word!!! :D

Hi Jill,

I told you about my machine on another thread, but I'll tell you again. I use the FreeStyle Flash and I love it! You can test on your finger, arm, leg. I usually use my arm which hurts a lot less than the finger. I just switched from the regular FreeStyle to the Flash in December. I wanted a new gadget. It's a little smaller than the original and there's a backlight if you want to use it. You can also get a cable to connect the machine to your computer and print out graphs of your results. I'm still waiting for that to come in the mail :). Can't wait to play with that! Anyway, I like both of those machines. Good luck with your decision.

Sharon :)

Sharon, I was quite intrigued with the Freestyle - is the only difference with the Flash its size and the backlight? I noticed that the Flash comes in a nice case... I like the fact that the blood sample can be so tiny with this line. Is it a pain having to carry and handle the test strips separately. I was intrigued with the Accu-check monitor because the test strips are self-contained.

Jill

A few more questions...

What is the importance of plasma-calibrated results versus some other type? I don't even understand this, but some monitors don't match the lab results (or something like that)??? Can someone explain?

Also, what is this "Control Solution"? Some monitors need it and others don't? This is all so confusing!

And my final (and seemingly dumb) question - how do you use a lancet device? I just can't even imagine stabbling myself with a needle to draw blood... Do these devices make it easy? I keep picturing in my head having to press my finger onto a thumbtack - I don't know if I could do that! But then I see these pen-style devices and its not clear how they work. Do you have to leave the needle in for several seconds? Or is it a quick jab?

Sorry for the dumb questions - but these things are stressing me out!

Jill

Sorry Jill... I am still waiting to hear the dumb questions ;)

Here we go... Plasma vs. Whole blood machines. Whole blood contains red and white blood cells, plasma and platelets. Plasma is the liquid part of your blood. So the plasma meters were originally used mainly in hospital settings. Because labs and Dr's use plasma meters, they are becoming the market standard. Plasma meters can give you a difference of about 12% higher than a whole blood meter. This can give you a more accurate picture of what your diabetes is doing since any meter has a 10-15% range of error anyway. Meters give you a range of your blood sugar. They can not tell you what the actual number is. This is why you can test your blood back to back and the numbers you get will be different. In the whole grand scheme of things, it really doesnt matter what kind you get as long as it is accurate.

Conrtol Solutions are included with the meter when you buy it. It is usually a brightly colored liquid. It tests the monitor to make sure that it is giving an accurate range for your blood sugar. On the One Touch Ultra that I use, you have a control number on the bottle of stips. You put the control solution on a strip and let the machine read it. It SHOULD fall between the range on the bottle. If it does, all is well and the meter is considered accurate. It is good to do a control solution anytime you get a number that is way out there and doest correlate to what you think it actually is.

You can take your blood sugar a lot of ways. Hospitals are notorious for having little lancets that hurt like heck. They dont use lancet pens. A lancet pen, which is pretty much standard with any glucometer is easy to use. You open it up and put the small lancet in. Then you put the cap back on and cock the pen. You set the depth, thin skin and thick skin would require different depths, and then press a button. This make it fast and less painful. They are very simple to use and ease the anxiety quite a bit.

HTH

I use the ACCU-CHEK Advantage monitor. Pricking should not interfer with typing, that is, if you do not ***** the fingerprint area of fingers. Try pricking over to the side and use a new lancet each time. You can use lancets more than once but they do get dull and tear up the fingers.

Hi Jill,

You guys are too funny with "that word." :) Those are the only differences I can think of between the Flash and the original one. I had one other monitor before I started with the FreeStyle (it might have been a One Touch--not sure). I think they pretty much all come with cases. Both FreeStyles I've had also came with the lancing device so you don't have to worry about getting one. As Mindy said, you can choose how deep you want the lancet to go--numbers on the device that comes with the Flash go between 1 and 5. I think I'm using a 2 and that's been fine. I don't think it's a pain to put the strips in every time I test, but then again, that's all I know. I've had diabetes for 21 years and back then, I didn't have a monitor at all and had to take my blood and match up the color of the strip with the color on the bottle to estimate what my sugar was. THAT was a pain and not very scientific or exact either. If I remember correctly, the colors were there for 80, 120, 180, 240, 360, 400 and 800 or something like that. That was a pain in the neck! Good luck and any more questions, let us know.

Sharon :)

Sharon, I can't even imagine having to test the old fashion way... OMG I don't think I could do it. Silly as it sounds, I guess its nice to be sick with all this technology to help us :)

Also an observation... suddenly on TV I am seeing (or should I say noticing) all these BG Monitor commercials. Has there been a sudden onset of these commercials or am I just paying attention now?

The freestyle flash actually seems most appealing to me - The lancet device appears to be really easy to use and I like the small size.

Hi Jill,

I think it's a little of both...I think there are more commercials on than I've ever noticed before, but you're probably noticing them a lot more now too. I also liked the small size of the Flash and that's what attracted me to it. I just got the cable today so that I can make graphs of my records. I sent away for it after buying the machine. I'd say it took about two months to get. I'm still waiting for the rebate. They had (don't know if they still do) a $40 rebate so it ends up costing $35.00. I bought it from their web site and it came to my house within two days. I'll let you know how the whole downloading of my results goes as soon as I can download their software. Bye.

Sharon :)

I use a optima

Hi Jill,

One other thing I forgot to tell you...one big difference between the Flash and the regular FreeStyle is the batteries. The batteries for the Flash are those round, coin-like watch batteries. For me, they've been very easy to find. The ones for the original FreeStyle are AAAA (quad A) batteries which weren't so easy to find. My drug store had to order them for me. Just another consideration I thought you might want to know about. Good luck.

Sharon :)

I use Relion because it is so cheap and I use 2 meters. Also I test every half hour when I'm testing a new food or new volume. The strips are the cheapest. Lots of data and better control. Also I use 3 standards. I have managed to go from A1c 8.7 to 6.0 in 6 months and loose 60 #(approx.) without medication. Feel a lot better!!! After 15-20 years finally figured out what was wrong!! (I THINK I'm fixed...but catiously watching!)