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  #1   ^
Old Sun, Sep-27-15, 00:31
mike_d's Avatar
mike_d mike_d is offline
Grease is the word!
Posts: 8,475
 
Plan: PSMF/IF
Stats: 236/181/180 Male 72 inches
BF:disappearing!
Progress: 98%
Location: Alamo city, Texas
Lightbulb Why home meter readings can't tell blood sugar

In a shocking note just handed to me:

http://www.healthline.com/diabetesm...od-sugar-levels

IMExp: Too much blood in the wick? reading is High -- too little it's Low.

The best strips IMO? Are the ones where you can see right when it fills up completely with red blood -- no ambiguity. Example: the True2go [Walgreens] $9.95 or Free (with re-bate card)

Last edited by mike_d : Sun, Sep-27-15 at 00:47.
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, Sep-27-15, 09:48
Merpig's Avatar
Merpig Merpig is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,582
 
Plan: EF/Fung IDM/keto
Stats: 375/225.4/175 Female 66.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: NE Florida
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Yeah, I've had different meters, and testing side by side often yielded different results from same drop of blood and not even consistently. One time meterA would read 40 points higher that meterB, and the next time meterB would read 40 points higher than meterA.

But unless you require insulin, where accuracy is more critical, I'm less concerned as long as the overall numbers are looking better. I mean if a reading of 100 actually means 60-140 that's clearly better than a reading of 300 meaning 260-340. Any of these are better than being utterly in the dark about your numbers as we were in the Dark Ages before any meters at all were available.

Nevertheless clearly I support the idea of creating meters that are as accurate as technology can make them.
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Sep-29-15, 09:56
Mycie14's Avatar
Mycie14 Mycie14 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 877
 
Plan: Dr. Bernstein, low carb
Stats: 200/178/155 Female 68
BF:
Progress: 49%
Location: Southern California
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This is where Dr. Bernstein's law of small numbers comes in handy, especially for Type II's. If you are eating low carb, your blood sugar is generally not going to have huge swings, so the meter is going to give you a good idea of how you are doing and what foods are no-no's.

When I get a reading that seems out of whack for what I have eaten, sometimes I retest and get a number closer to what I was expecting. Sometimes I just ignore the number figure it is an error.

I have found that the average from my meter, One Touch Ulta Mini, tracks fairly well with my lab A1c results.
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Sep-29-15, 10:45
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
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Interesting, I experience the same thing. I use two meters, one for BG and ketones, the Precision Xtra, and one for BG, the Freestyle Freedom Lite. The Freedom Lite is recommended by Dr. Bernstein. I find that the Freedom Lite consistently reads high, and the Precision Xtra is very accurate with any lab readings I receive. It may be that the strips for the Freedom are the key for accurate BG readings, but due to their cost, I'll likely not use this meter any longer. The Precision Xtra is dependable and consistent, but the ketone strips are very expensive. Since I'm in ketosis most of the time, I'm using it mostly for BG and will keep doing so due to the high readings of the Freedom. Live and learn.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jan-22-16, 20:11
CallmeAnn's Avatar
CallmeAnn CallmeAnn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,728
 
Plan: HFLC/IF
Stats: 218/176/140 Female 5'4"
BF:27%
Progress: 54%
Location: Houston area
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From the article:
As for testing twice on the same meter a minute apart and getting a different number (yes, I tried that too!), I learned that the first drop of blood you squeeze out of your finger is not the same as the very next drop of blood. It may contain more interstitial fluid (the solution that surrounds our cells), which can give a lower reading.

Does this mean the second drop is more true to our actual bg levels?
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Jan-26-16, 20:27
Merpig's Avatar
Merpig Merpig is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,582
 
Plan: EF/Fung IDM/keto
Stats: 375/225.4/175 Female 66.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: NE Florida
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CallmeAnn
Does this mean the second drop is more true to our actual bg levels?
I don't know, but the directions for the monitor I have say to squeeze out a drop, wipe it away, then squeeze out a second drop. and do the test on that one.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Jan-26-16, 20:47
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Merpig
I don't know, but the directions for the monitor I have say to squeeze out a drop, wipe it away, then squeeze out a second drop. and do the test on that one.

That sounds like a good practice just to make sure you're getting the most uncontaminated test sample.
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Jan-26-16, 22:05
CallmeAnn's Avatar
CallmeAnn CallmeAnn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,728
 
Plan: HFLC/IF
Stats: 218/176/140 Female 5'4"
BF:27%
Progress: 54%
Location: Houston area
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I have started doing it. I remember my pharmacist showing me to do that when I bought my first meter.
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  #9   ^
Old Fri, Feb-05-16, 20:13
Justin Jor Justin Jor is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 184
 
Plan: Bernsteinish
Stats: 314/231/199 Male 6'1
BF:
Progress: 72%
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Incidentally, I do a test with my One Touch Ultra right before blood draws at the Doctor, and back check the results against the lab and it's consistently very close.
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  #10   ^
Old Sat, Feb-06-16, 16:52
Amylaze's Avatar
Amylaze Amylaze is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 41
 
Plan: LC Mediteranian, Dr. Fung
Stats: 210/175/155 Male 69
BF:
Progress: 64%
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I record my readings in excel and have an offset (based on my last lab) to a gluco meter and strip package. My Freedom lite was 9.5 high (offset -9.5) , Walmart was 8 low (offset +8). At the blood draw I did multiple samples of each strip and they were consistent.

When I run low on the strip package, I open a 2nd to compare results between strip lots and, if needed make a correction to the offset for the new package. The Walmart offset went from +8 to +2. I use fewer of the Freedom lites because of the expense: $1.51 each versus $0.21 each. Originally because of the FL accolades, I'd hoped to use the FL as a reference standard for a cheaper meter but, alas, it has to be accurate first.

From the numbers above the Freedom lite accuracy is closer to 10% versus the touted 5%. I've noticed a +/- 10% variation or more between lots and have wondered if the vendor is controlling the temperature during shipping and warehouse storage. It seems freshly opened strips are off at first but begin to correlate better after a few days. This might be because of humidity affecting the glucose enzyme.

As for drops, I use the FL lancet because it makes a bigger hole and lots more blood comes out. This reduces the interstellar fluid . I believe the second and successive drops are the same blood, although I have read of doing 10 windmills while working the hand and fingers to push in newer system blood through the capillaries. I don't measure the same drop twice, I squeeze another one and always slurp it off the top not near the skin. Meter strips uptake blood best in different positions; the window must be full too.

My biggest problem is the strips seem to have too much variation. Very low confidence. My background with measuring devices and accuracy has taught me to be skeptical, to look for problems, and question everything.
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