Blood glucose meters strip
Common Questions and Answers about Blood glucose meters strip
blood-glucose
In your first thread I mentioned that the FDA set manufacturing guidelines for home glucose meters at ± [plus/minus] 20%. 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.
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.
As far as the different readings, not all blood cell samples are alike because not all red blood cells carry, if any, the same amount, if any, of excess glucose. Take one reading at the times mentioned previously in #1 above.
4. An A1c tester is the most accurate test as it measures glucose over the past 2-3 months. Why? Quite simple, red blood cells live on average 2-3 months, excess glucose attaches to new RBC's and the A1c captures this.
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!
You suggested I keep track of his fasting and two hour after meal blood sugars. However our meter broke right before I was going to start doing that. I am wondering if there is a certain type of meter that ped endos like in particular because I'm probably going to have to go buy another one. Any info you could provide would be great.
Hi guys.
I'm an 18 year old male and I think I may have diabetes.
First of all, let me just say that I had a full fasting blood test done about 5 months ago and it didn't show anything up, however I didn't have these 'symptoms' then so maybe I should request another blood test?
I know that there are some meters that use tinier drops of blood than others, and also that people can use sites other than fingertips with some meters (usually the ones that don't require a large blood drop). I have read, however, that sites other than fingertips can be less accurate. As to how different the glucose reading would be, it probably depends on the meter and perhaps on the size of blood drop.
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.
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.
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.
that little drop of blood is going to be used by your meter to give a reading that reflects the glucose/sugar in your body, so those test strips and meters are VERY sensitive to ANY presence of glucose... so, if you have ANY residual sugar on your skin, the reading might be inaccurately high... if you have ANY residual water or oil or lotion on your skin, the reading might be inaccurately low...
Regardless, more importantly... how have your morning readings been?
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.
And, 2-3 hours after eating [postprandial] when glucose [blood sugar] is at its highest point. The first is to get a baseline to work off, the second to see what foods you consumed does to your glucose level and what you can and should not eat.
"where do I need to be using his # "
Huh? Are you asking what numbers are considered normal ranges? These are:
prandial = 70-99 mg/dl or 3.8-5.5 mmol/l
postprandial = <180 mg/dl in most cases
<10.
Yes, there is a difference. The glucose meter measures blood sugar at that exact moment. The A1C, on the other hand, gives an average of blood sugars for about 2-3 months period. The A1C therefore, gives a lot more significant information but it can also be misleading. For example of someone has a lot of highs, but also a lot of lows, it might average out and look like the person is maintaining a good blood glucose level when they are, in fact, swinging wildly.
Nine years ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my second pregnancy. However, my 2-hour glucose testing numbers were borderline. I tested my blood 4 times per day and never once had an abnormal or even remotely high result the rest of my pregnancy. With my 3rd pregnancy I was not diagnosed with gestational diabetes. That was 4 years ago. Diabetes does not run in my family. No one in my family has it.
By reusing a glucose test strip they would not get an accurate read on your blood glucose because blood from the previous test would still be on the strip. That fact is common knowledge regardless of what country you are in so despite your suspicions I still do not think you have any cause for concern. If you consult with the hospital who perfomed the test I'm sure they will explain in detail why they cannot resuse test strips.
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