one touch ultra glucose monitor

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tasha108 Posted: Fri, Feb 27 2009 1:11 AM

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hi,

i use one-touch ultra glucose monitor and i usually measure before meals.  is it possible that these monitors can be faulty?  i decided to check my level a few times at a moment and found the readings all different, first it was 127, then 120, then 117, all within the span of 10 seconds.  i don't think this is normal.  it also doesn't coincide with how i feel.  i've noticed that if my sugar is supposedly high, its more difficult for the blood to come out and it's light and thin.  but if it is below 90 it gushes out and is darker.  lately i will feel like it should be low, and it will say something around 125 or 120.  and when i feel like it wouldn't be low, it will say something below 90.  i want to know if this means the machine is faulty and what's the battery life of it.

thanks.

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donw replied on Fri, Feb 27 2009 8:31 AM

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Tasha, did your monitor come with a bottle of testing solution?  If, you need to use it to see if your monitor is calibrated properly.  Also, both heat and cold will make the monitor differently.  There is also about a +/- 20 varaince on any meter so readings all within that range aren't far off target.

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Ron AKA replied on Fri, Feb 27 2009 10:32 AM

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tasha108:

hi,

i use one-touch ultra glucose monitor and i usually measure before meals.  is it possible that these monitors can be faulty?  i decided to check my level a few times at a moment and found the readings all different, first it was 127, then 120, then 117, all within the span of 10 seconds.  i don't think this is normal.  it also doesn't coincide with how i feel.  i've noticed that if my sugar is supposedly high, its more difficult for the blood to come out and it's light and thin.  but if it is below 90 it gushes out and is darker.  lately i will feel like it should be low, and it will say something around 125 or 120.  and when i feel like it wouldn't be low, it will say something below 90.  i want to know if this means the machine is faulty and what's the battery life of it.

thanks.

Tasha, as Don says that variation in readings is normal. I would just average them to conclude the BG is 120. Have you set the code number in the meter to match the number on the strip bottle? That would be the most common way to get readings that are off. Yes, also as Don says you should use the test solution (if it is not out of date) to verify once you have confirmed the code is set right.

I find the One Touch very reliable and I almost never use the test solution. The meter will tell you if the battery is low.

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bernfarr replied on Tue, Nov 17 2009 7:29 AM

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I agree with Don, that variation is normal. Any blood glucose monitor only has to be within 20% of the real BG value to be approved by the FDA. So if your meter says your BG is 100, then it could be anywhere between 80 mg/dL and 120 mg/dL. Shocking huh?

In my opinion, there are more accurate meters that the OneTouch series. I've had a lot of success with the WaveSense Jazz. Recently I started playing with the Bayer Contour USB and both seem to match each other very well (and report higher readings than the OneTouch). The trouble is that the OneTouch strips usually have a lower copay than others.

I prefer to pay for the accuracy, so I've used the Jazz strips for almost a year now.

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Madman replied on Tue, Nov 17 2009 8:31 AM

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another good thing to do with your monitor is take a reading at the doctors office and note it in your journal. When the doctor gives you the lab test results, you can compare it to your monitor's reading to see how much variance there is.  As noted above +/- 20% is considered acceptable.

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John4716 replied on Tue, Nov 17 2009 9:17 AM

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I have used the One-touch for at least 3 years.  Here in Canada the meters are free it you purchase 100 strips.  I have got four meters and I rotate them when I get new strips.  If I think one is reading high or low I pull out another meter and run a test and so far they all agree.  We use the decimal system here which gives a reading similar to an A1c test.  A normal is 5.7 and I have had readings from 10.3 to 4.9, still I think that this is an excellent meter to monitor my diabetes.  I have been type 1 since November 1960.  That is 49 years of do's and don'ts, and I am a survivor.

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Jorgie replied on Tue, Nov 17 2009 9:57 AM

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I also use a One_Touch meter, and am very happy with it. If you are concerned you can also call the company and discuss it with them. If I've had a problem they have called they have been very helpful.

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Ron AKA replied on Tue, Nov 17 2009 11:17 AM

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One touch used to have a page on their site where they compared the BG home meter results to the lab test. The Ultra's do read low especially at the lower end of the range. I believe they do that on purpose so they can avoid any liability associated with not detecting a low, and the person getting into trouble -- car accident for example.

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tylersydney replied on Fri, Nov 20 2009 12:14 AM

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I have two as one was free.

Today I noticed that the test strips on the kitchen one were out of date by two months....so tossed them and got new ones..

they are often 10 +-off of one another...

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Simi_Papa replied on Fri, Nov 20 2009 2:17 AM

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I've been using strips as much as a year out-of-date and I have not seen any problems.  I was in a business making a product that had a 20 year shelf life but the government wouldn't let us sell the product with an expiration date of more than 5 years from the date-of-manufacture.  So I look at the use-by-date with skepticism for many products.

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JoyceL replied on Fri, Nov 20 2009 8:29 AM

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Making sure that your hands are clean is the first step.  If you are repeating the test, do another finger stick, sometimes squeezing your finger too much can change the results.

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Jorgie replied on Fri, Nov 20 2009 11:18 AM

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I still don't understand the reason for the multiple testing.

Can anyone explain???