Accuracy of blood glucose meters
Common Questions and Answers about Accuracy of blood glucose meters
blood-glucose
s interesting that you question the accuracy of your glucose meter for I was reading the September 2008 issues of Consumer Reports that rated both blood-pressure monitors and blood-glucose meters. Only one blood-glucose meter scored excellent overall and also scored the highest for consistency- the Johnson & Johnson Lifescan OneTouch Ultra Mini. The Ultra Mini was followed by Ascensia Contour, ReliOn Ultima (WalMart), and Accu-check Compact Plus.
Excess glucose rides around the exterior of new red blood cells, never getting absorbed to be used for energy or burnt off. The A1c captures this. Your results are returned in % [percentile] where <5% is considered normal. To remove all doubt go see your doctor and ask for the A1c. No fasting is required so you can take it anytime of the day.
t tell a doctor what is going with your glucose levels at all times of the day. Home glucose meters are good to see how well one is managing their glucose levels. Having scaled results (high to low, or normal to near high or above) calls for an A1c test to see the entire picture.
An A1c test measures your glucose going back three months. Why three months? On the average, new red blood cells live three months before dieing off and getting turned into Bilirubin.
Hi!
Some meters come with a control solution or a control solution can be ordered for some meters. I personally know that the Freestyle Lite and Bayer Contour Next have a control solution for calibration. You would probably need to ask your Pharmacist about ordering the solution. Another reason why you might be strange readings is that the battery in the meter needs to be changed. I would recommend that you keep extra batteries on hand for your meter and change the battery every 6 months.
A good way to see if yours is within normal variance is to bring along your meter when you go for a blood draw (from a vein). Within 5-10 minutes of them drawing blood, do your own blood test and save the results. Compare them with what the doc tells you your number was. Your result should be within 15% of the doc's result.
What's important here is to know how you feel & how you function when your BG is at different numbers.
Before leaving her doctors office your mother should have gotten a wealth of printed information on how to control and manage her diabetes. A list of recommended home glucose test meters should have been part of that package.
my husband was 2yrs post liver transplant, that is the one reason why he is also now suffering from monitor blood sugar problem. my question now is about fluctition of his blood glucose, we have a kit monitoring it before and after meal, but there was time when we check it is high then after just a minute it drop down, we are really worried why is this happening? hoping that anyone could help!
I really appreciate your input. Can glucose shoot up out of the blue at times? I did the glucose tolerance last Friday morning and read till they called me in 15 min. after I arrived. - went in for the "Y" infection the Wednesday prior and was nervous. (I don't like getting my parts checked and was stressed and ate very little and that's when the high sugar was caught.
Home glucose checking is designed to only give a ballpark snapshot of what our blood glucose is at that moment of time. Blood flow through the body is dynamic and the chemistry, including glucose, at any given point will very from one moment to the next. That said unless you took a blood sample and tested it many times (not taking a new sample for each test, thus a different blood chemistry) the variance in readings you recorded are normal.
This means your 70 mg/dl reading could be 70 mg/dl or it could be as low as 56 mg/dl or as high as 84 mg/dl. Home meters give an approximation not a true reading of glucose levels. Since your 100 mg/dl reading two minutes later falls out of this range, the questions remaining are:
1. How old is your father's meter?
2. Do the test strips have an expiration date?
3. Does the meter require calibration with the test strip?
4. Were your hands clean - no soap or alcohol residue?
5.
That would be considered AFTER a meal, or postprandial, as WR stated. I think you're getting hung up on the fact that 2-3 hours AFTER one meal may be BEFORE the next meal. Only concentrate on one meal at a time.
How often are you checking your blood sugar at home? Be sure to closely follow the instructions of your doc, don't just choose your own times. Also, be sure to keep a journal of your results. Most glucose meters come with a log book.
Your numbers indicated glucose out of control and you need to pay attention to what your doctor says to you. Go back and consult with your doctor so you can understand what you need to do in order to control and manage your glucose levels before they get way of hand. If you Google "diabetes complications", I guarantee you will not like what you read.
Your home meter [test kit] could also be whacked giving you inaccurate test results.
Your daily average level of 10 mmo/l is dangerously high and maximum of 14 mmol/l is suicidal. Sadly to say your blood glucose levels are out of control.
Testing once a day, in your case, will not provide you with adequate data to learn what is causing your blood glucose to elevate. This is the testing regimen first time users must perform before they step down to once a day or even once a week testing. The latter takes months and in some case years to get to.
Hi. So, a glucose meter using a finger tip prick or a continuous glucose monitor is best for checking blood sugar. Of course, that's after you are diagnosed with diabetes. Prior to that, blood work ordered by your doctor will reveal your sugar levels. https://diabetes.
There is a diference both in the hbA1c and the readings on the glucose meters depending upon the hematcrit, or the number of erythrocytes per unit volume. The meters are calibrated to a specific number of cells per unit volume, which is a compromise between the readings of the male and the female.
Males have a hematcrit of around 46 and females, because of menstrual bleeding, often end up between 36 and 38.
Also, ask your doc about the A1C test. It is a blood test that gives a picture of your glucose over a period of time, rather than in the moment. It's very helpful in determining how well (or not) your sugar is controlled.
Based on that result, and your blood glucose levels from home, your doctor may want to discuss possibly starting you on a medication.
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