Which meter

Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
costs are the refills.
Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next
week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll
get the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you
opinions are, and why.
Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.
TIA
Roy

Roy Starrin said...

> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
> meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
> printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
> costs are the refills.
> Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next
> week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll
> get the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you
> opinions are, and why.
> Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.
> TIA
> Roy


You're right, meters are cheap/free compared to the teststrips.

Visit:

http://www.diabetesstore.com/listite...tname=Glucose%
20Test%20Strips&page=2

http://tinyurl.com/4xrbg6

Scroll through four pages of test strips to get an idea. Then look up a
meter associated with the strips you think are priced right and see if you
like one. I chose my meters based on compactness/slimness since I carry the
kit everywhere.

I'm NOT suggesting you buy from that company (no affiliation), just to give
you an idea. Keep in mind store pharmacy prices will be higher.

I have two meters:

Free Bayer/Ascensia Contour meter. 100 strips are about $58.00
It has free computer software (cable sold separately) that lets you
download your readings and "see" your condition in a variety of ways.
Bayer's 1-800 assistance is excellent. And the promotions dept will
supplies me with $5.00 coupons (can only be used in stores) and free
batteries for life. It slim and the kit is compact and easily portable. My
preferred meter because of software.

Store bought Walgreens TrueTrack monitor. 100 strips are about $40.00
No software. A little larger than the Contour. But still compact and
portable.

There are pen style meters that are very compact!

Good luck,

Andy

On Apr 17, 8:18*am, Roy Starrin <star...@verizon.net> wrote:
> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
> meters equal. *Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
> printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
> costs are the refills.
> Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" *We will attend a 3-day school next
> week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. *I'm sure we'll
> get the clinician's opinion on this. *We just wondered what you
> opinions are, and why.
> Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.

I like the Accu-Chek Compact (now the Compact Plus), primarily because
with my previous meter I had to fiddle with individual test strips
(sometimes unwrapping them from foil, other times pulling from a
canister), and now I don't have to do that dorking around anymore.

I left a quarter-century of test strip packaging behind me. I can find
old boxes from my college days and still find chemstrip containers and
later test strip foil wrappers lingering from like 20 years ago!

If you have to pay for strips out of pocket, the solution is easy:
choose the meter that uses the cheapest strips. This will drive you to
the Wal-Mart or Walgreens or CVS house brands.

Tim.

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:18:44 +0000, Roy Starrin wrote:

> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
> meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
> printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
> costs are the refills.
> Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next week
> at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll get
> the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you opinions
> are, and why.
> Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this. TIA
> Roy

What I have done is to look at the cost of strips. There are only one or
two choices that are covered on the 'formulary' of our insurance. These
cost me significantly less than anything else. If you look a little, you
should be able to get nearly any meter you want for free or, at least,
very little cost - as you've noted, strips are where the profit is. I've
checked three or four meters - I see no significant difference. FDA
requires +-20%. If you look at the numbers on the 'test solution' include
with many meters, you'll see that what they're based on is +-15%. I have
no reason to believe that any of them are significantly better than that.

That said, there are some differences in the way meters operate. All but
one which I have tried suck the blood sample up very quickly via capillary
action - the one exception I've tried is Precision Xtra. It also has stips
individually wrapped in foil (most others come in cannisters of 25 or 100
- a bit like really heavy duty 35mm film cannisters) - I find them a
nuisance, but those are the only ones the VA offers up and they send me
200 free strips per year. I also find a subtle difference with lancing
devices. I really like the One Touch Ultra lancets (One Touch is on our
insurance company's formulary, so they are the ones I buy - $30/100).

Roy Starrin wrote:
> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
> meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
> printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
> costs are the refills.
> Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next
> week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll
> get the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you
> opinions are, and why.
> Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.
> TIA
> Roy

Local pharmacies are offering free Accu-Chek Avivas in Southern California.

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:18:44 GMT, Roy Starrin <starrin@verizon.net> wrote:

>Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
>meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
>printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
>costs are the refills.
>Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next
>week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll
>get the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you
>opinions are, and why.
>Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.

Yes, they make their money off of the supplies.

The first & most important question to ask yourself, generally, is what your
insurance will cover, if you have health insurance. If you don't have health
insurance, you're probably going to want one of the 2 or 3 more inexpensive
ones.

Then, you get into individual preferences. I like my Abbott product, their
Freestyle Flash. It is quick, needs little blood, and can be used on
alternative sites. So, I test on my outer thighs. Some people use it to test
on their arms. Some people always test on their fingers.

--
DonnaB shallotpeel : ^> USA <*> new WIN Vista user
06-07-06 Diagnosis T2 HbA1c 8.1, D&E & Metformin 500mg
Current ................... HbA1c 6.3

Tree Pollen: 04/08-2655; 04/09-2787; 04/10-2805; 04/11-3238; 04/14-3327

"You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching, and you will be a
disgrace to yourself and all your family." - Charles Darwin's father, to
Darwin

DonnaB shallotpeel said...

> Then, you get into individual preferences. I like my Abbott product,
> their Freestyle Flash. It is quick, needs little blood, and can be used
> on alternative sites. So, I test on my outer thighs. Some people use it
> to test on their arms. Some people always test on their fingers.


DonnaB,

I forgot that key point. The Bayer Contour does arm or finger but the
membership seemed to indicate that arm wasn't as good a reading as the
finger.

My biggest mistake when I first began testing was I lanced the tip of my
thumb in front of the fingernail and it created a blood "something" at the
base of the fingernail a day or so later and created a blood blister at the
stab point. It was very painful. New at it and anxious and stuff, I blew
it! That was back in November 2007 and the undernail bloodmark is finally
arriving enough to nail-clip off. Most astonishing thing I've seen MY human
body do, maybe.

Best,

Andy
Diabetics, ask your doctor to CHECK YOUR FEET!

Tim Shoppa wrote:
> On Apr 17, 8:18 am, Roy Starrin <star...@verizon.net> wrote:
>> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the

> I like the Accu-Chek Compact (now the Compact Plus), primarily because
> with my previous meter I had to fiddle with individual test strips
> (sometimes unwrapping them from foil, other times pulling from a
> canister), and now I don't have to do that dorking around anymore.
>
> I left a quarter-century of test strip packaging behind me. I can find
> old boxes from my college days and still find chemstrip containers and
> later test strip foil wrappers lingering from like 20 years ago!
>
> If you have to pay for strips out of pocket, the solution is easy:
> choose the meter that uses the cheapest strips. This will drive you to
> the Wal-Mart or Walgreens or CVS house brands.
>
> Tim.

I too switched to the Accu-Chek Compact Plus. No fiddling with strips,
hubby can test me no problem if I'm not able, the lancet is attached to
the meter and the lancet hurts a heck of a lot less than the OneTouch.

Vicki

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:23:11 -0700 (PDT), Tim Shoppa
<shoppa@trailing-edge.com> wrote:

>On Apr 17, 8:18*am, Roy Starrin <star...@verizon.net> wrote:
>> Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
>> meters equal. *Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
>> printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
>> costs are the refills.
>> Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" *We will attend a 3-day school next
>> week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. *I'm sure we'll
>> get the clinician's opinion on this. *We just wondered what you
>> opinions are, and why.
>> Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.
>
>I like the Accu-Chek Compact (now the Compact Plus), primarily because
>with my previous meter I had to fiddle with individual test strips
>(sometimes unwrapping them from foil, other times pulling from a
>canister), and now I don't have to do that dorking around anymore.

Yes I concur. The good point, every 17 tests you just slot in a new
drum.

The bad point, every so often it won't fire up and while you tap it,
then bang it, then open the battery compartment and fiddle with the
cells it's very easy to open the door and drop the drum out again.

Some prefer the Softclix stabber and the One Touch meters.

>I left a quarter-century of test strip packaging behind me. I can find
>old boxes from my college days and still find chemstrip containers and
>later test strip foil wrappers lingering from like 20 years ago!

I keep hoping one of the empty cans contains a new drum rather than
seeds or tiny screws which I keep in them

>If you have to pay for strips out of pocket, the solution is easy:
>choose the meter that uses the cheapest strips. This will drive you to
>the Wal-Mart or Walgreens or CVS house brands.

And if your insurance will only pay for one brand that's the one to
get

More than you ever wanted to know about meters (as well as everything
else) here

http://www.mendosa.com/

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:18:44 GMT, Roy Starrin posted:

>Don't want to start a "mine is better than yours" war, but are all the
>meters equal. Seems like the manufacturers operate on the ink-jet
>printer theory, the meters are low cost, or free (after rebates); what
>costs are the refills.
>Wife just diagnosed as a "pre" We will attend a 3-day school next
>week at local hospital, and testing is a part of this. I'm sure we'll
>get the clinician's opinion on this. We just wondered what you
>opinions are, and why.
>Or, perhaps there is a faq or www-site on this.

Perhaps there should be a FAQ about meters, but you are getting a lot
of good advice from the folks here.

I use the OneTouch Ultra2 and the Freestyle Freedom. Virtually every
meter is free with the purchase of 100 strips, here in Canada, so it's
mostly a matter of two things; cost of strips and features of the
meters. Since I only have direct experience with the two meters I
mentioned, I'll talk about them.

OneTouch Ultra2:
Works just fine. Lets you put in a flag for before and after meals.
Lets you put in 'canned' comments, like "too much food", "stress",
"mild exercise" etc. Software is adequate. You will require a special
(optional at extra cost) cable to transfer readings, but they can be
entered manually. Does a decent job of summarizing your averages,
peaks, etc. I like their lancet. I bought the cable, but I have
figured out how to make one. Allows you to clear out the meter's
memory; handy for when you let someone else test.

Freestyle Freedom:
Works just fine. Does not have the ability to enter flags or comments.
Don't particularly like their lancet, though I have heard others say
they like it fine. Requires a slightly smaller drop of blood than the
OneTouch. The strips have the openings on the sides of them, which I
find a little awkward. On the plus side, there are two capillaries,
and if you mess up a sample, you have about 60 seconds to get it
right, using either the same or the other side. This can happen, and
on the OneTouch, if an insufficient amount gets into the capillary,
the strip is ruined. Software is better than the OneTouch, but on the
downside, it does not allow you to set the date from the software. Nor
does it allow you to clear the meter's memory. I did not bother buying
the cable, but made one instead. I am also starting the design phase
of my own software.

As with anything, have a look at the features and see what is the most
important for you. Bear in mind that what I have said about these two
meters is my opinion, and only my opinion. There will be others who
disagree with it.

--
Larry, T2, Saskatchewan, Canada.
DX 24 Aug 07. D&E
Metformin 2000mg, Ramipril, Simvastatin
Dx A1c 8.1 : Latest 5.1 (4 Mar 08)