I'm in the market for a new glucose meter. Does anyone know of a site with in-depth reviews? Or, what is your experience with one that was purchased in the last year?
My strongest recommendation is to stay with a whole blood, meter. The plasma meters read from 25 to 40 mg/dsl off from the true blood sugar readings. This has been my experience in the past year. If they have changed recently then the newest plasma might be ok. But my profile from lifescan is the most accurate meter I have found on the market. If you are looking for accuracy, this would be the better meter.
Don
I also use the One Touch Ultra, and like its speed and the small amount of blood you need. I don't bother using it on my arm. One caveat: if you suspect that your blood glucose is low, DO NOT test in the arm, because it takes longer for the glucose levels in the arm to come down (compared to the fingertips), so you could test okay, but actually be low. If you're getting symptoms of low blood glucose, use a fingertip instead. Also, if your test in the arm reads anything below 80, you should double check with a finger-stick.
If you currently have a meter that is no longer working, try calling the manufacturer and discussing this with them. I had an older model Accu-Check and it was giving me VERY low readings (not correct) and when I discussed that with them, they sent me out a brand new monitor for free.
Good luck!
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Jennifer
1st child - Tyler
c-section 1/12/04
Does that mean that if I called the manufacture of my plasma meter makers that they will give me new ones to replace the ones that I have which give me incorrect readings? I would be glad to go to a faster meter and smaller one if it can be more accurate. I have never had a plasma meter read anywhere near correct compared to my whole blood meters. Thisis why I am skeptical. They all say they are within 40mg/dsl correct. This is far too inaccurate for my tight control methods. At 100, 40mg/dsl lower would mean I would need to eat. If it were higher I would take insulin.
Don thanks for the input
Hi Don, I'm not sure if all manufacturers are like that or not. I had originally called Accu-Check because I had a One Touch monitor and I was trying to get information from them as to how to reset it or something because even with changing the code and doing the sample test, everything was coming out "correct". When I'd go to take my blood sugar, it showed that my level was 29!!!! The representative told me that the machine was older and that they'd replace it for me at no charge. When she sent the new machine out, I also received (at no charge) 3 baggies full of lancets, 3 bottles of test strips, the storage bag, etc. etc. It was great!
I totally agree that 40mg/dl is too much to be off. That's just not good! Good luck to you!
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Jennifer
1st child - Tyler
c-section 1/12/04
The best check on a meter is to take it with you when
you have blood drawn and compare the reading with the
lab results, results should be similar and won't be exact.
I've tested a lot of meters and you have to check them at several points in their range. The meter isn't much good if it is off on the low end and high on the
higher end.
I settled on an ACCU-CHEK Advantage, it's a year old
and another series has superceded it, but their test
strips are very good 50 thru 500 mg/dl. Memory is not a big thing with me, paper and pencil work well
and most doctors will tell you that they wont fool around cycling the meter through it's memory, too time
consuming. Accucheck has a very good support service
and you can call them around the clock. (No, I don't
work for the company!) About 70 cents a test is a
bit much, but we're a captive audience.
Hello
I like the Accu-check Meters as well. I started with one of those. I changed to the Profile because of the computer software it has. I transfer my readings into my computer and print out a complete ledger as well as comparative graphs and other comparative reports. My Endo loves the reports. She hates graphs though. We also had a discussion on meters. This past week, She also says that whole blood measure more accurately than the plasma meters. But I agree it is best to do comparative tests with lab work tests. This is the better way to check them out. Hope everyone’s meter operates the way you like. I still promote whole blood meters for now. I'm sure something will change in the future.
Don http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/blob_fire.gif
Glucose Meter Reviews - Need a New Meter 
