MiniMed and test strips etc.

I just got a MiniMed pump after 36 years of injecting and when I opened one
of the ten boxes of test
strips they sent me the test strips container is the size of a shot glass.
The BD Lancet
is twice as long as my Soft Touch so I gave it to my health care provider
along with
many insulin supplies. The small vial to hold strips is no longer
available. (The one that came with the meter)

MiniMeds solution was to send an even bigger pouch to carry my meter in. I
told them that
I was transferring my strips to the small container they had sent me with
the meter. They said
not to do that as my readings might vary by as much as 100. I told the
spoksman that even
my healthcare provider went along with this because I carry my meter in my
cargo pants at all times.

I told her that if they don't know how to make a meter to look at Precision
Extra's compact
meter where the strips are individually wrapped and not near as flimsy as
MiniMeds. Fifty strips
can easily be carried the meter and your fingers never touch the strip. The
VA issued me an Accu-Check
meter and I refused to use it because of the big vial of strips. Bigger is
not better when it comes to
carrying supplies with you.

I forgot to mention that the reson for going to a bigger vial was to
accommodate older people.
I informed her that I "am older people and this sucks." What do you think
of this ? No, I haven't
been to the pumpers site yet.

Charlie in SC

Some of us do *not* like individually wrapped strips.
But I agree that the vials can be "too big".
bj

"Charles E. Owens" <charleseowens@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:tSDsi.3477$2v5.1426@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
> I told her that if they don't know how to make a meter to look at
> Precision Extra's compact
> meter where the strips are individually wrapped and not near as flimsy as
> MiniMeds. Fifty strips
> can easily be carried the meter and your fingers never touch the strip.
> The VA issued me an Accu-Check
> meter and I refused to use it because of the big vial of strips. Bigger is
> not better when it comes to
> carrying supplies with you.
>

On Aug 3, 6:57 am, "Charles E. Owens" <charleseow...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:
> I just got a MiniMed pump after 36 years of injecting and when I opened one
> of the ten boxes of test
> strips they sent me the test strips container is the size of a shot glass.
> The BD Lancet
> is twice as long as my Soft Touch so I gave it to my health care provider
> along with
> many insulin supplies. The small vial to hold strips is no longer
> available. (The one that came with the meter)
>
> MiniMeds solution was to send an even bigger pouch to carry my meter in. I
> told them that
> I was transferring my strips to the small container they had sent me with
> the meter. They said
> not to do that as my readings might vary by as much as 100. I told the
> spoksman that even
> my healthcare provider went along with this because I carry my meter in my
> cargo pants at all times.
>
> I told her that if they don't know how to make a meter to look at Precision
> Extra's compact
> meter where the strips are individually wrapped and not near as flimsy as
> MiniMeds. Fifty strips
> can easily be carried the meter and your fingers never touch the strip. The
> VA issued me an Accu-Check
> meter and I refused to use it because of the big vial of strips. Bigger is
> not better when it comes to
> carrying supplies with you.
>
> I forgot to mention that the reson for going to a bigger vial was to
> accommodate older people.
> I informed her that I "am older people and this sucks." What do you think
> of this ? No, I haven't
> been to the pumpers site yet.
>
> Charlie in SC

Charlie -
I am not "older people" either, but I disagree with you about what
sucks!

For many years I cut my Chemstrips into tiny little slivers to get
more tests per dollar. Remember that vial of Chemstrips? It's bigger
around and 5 times as long as the Accu-Chek Compact cylinder. And if
you kept a chemstrip out of it and anywhere humid, it was bad in a
matter of hours.

I've also had meters where every test strip comes in a little foil
wrapper. I last used such meters a couple years ago. Yep, they're
skinny little meters. But I hated those stupid wrappers. A real PITA.

And even though it's been years since I used them, I still can go to
sweep up a disused corner of the basement and still find years-old
foil wrappers. Heck, I still find used chemstrips in corners of boxes
and books!

For me, I like the Accu-Chek compact cylinders. No more littering
little foil wrappers (although I'm sure I leave used strips behind me
everywhere). No more zillions of little foil wrappers. And the meter
and vial do fit in my pocket without too much stress.

Tim.

"Tim Shoppa" <shoppa@trailing-edge.com> wrote in message
news:1186152893.203564.192660@l70g2000hse.googlegr oups.com...
> On Aug 3, 6:57 am, "Charles E. Owens" <charleseow...@bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
>> I just got a MiniMed pump after 36 years of injecting and when I opened
>> one
>> of the ten boxes of test
>> strips they sent me the test strips container is the size of a shot
>> glass.
>> The BD Lancet
>> is twice as long as my Soft Touch so I gave it to my health care provider
>> along with
>> many insulin supplies. The small vial to hold strips is no longer
>> available. (The one that came with the meter)
>>
>> MiniMeds solution was to send an even bigger pouch to carry my meter in.
>> I
>> told them that
>> I was transferring my strips to the small container they had sent me with
>> the meter. They said
>> not to do that as my readings might vary by as much as 100. I told the
>> spoksman that even
>> my healthcare provider went along with this because I carry my meter in
>> my
>> cargo pants at all times.
>>
>> I told her that if they don't know how to make a meter to look at
>> Precision
>> Extra's compact
>> meter where the strips are individually wrapped and not near as flimsy as
>> MiniMeds. Fifty strips
>> can easily be carried the meter and your fingers never touch the strip.
>> The
>> VA issued me an Accu-Check
>> meter and I refused to use it because of the big vial of strips. Bigger
>> is
>> not better when it comes to
>> carrying supplies with you.
>>
>> I forgot to mention that the reson for going to a bigger vial was to
>> accommodate older people.
>> I informed her that I "am older people and this sucks." What do you
>> think
>> of this ? No, I haven't
>> been to the pumpers site yet.
>>
>> Charlie in SC
>
> Charlie -
> I am not "older people" either, but I disagree with you about what
> sucks!
>
> For many years I cut my Chemstrips into tiny little slivers to get
> more tests per dollar. Remember that vial of Chemstrips? It's bigger
> around and 5 times as long as the Accu-Chek Compact cylinder. And if
> you kept a chemstrip out of it and anywhere humid, it was bad in a
> matter of hours.
>
> I've also had meters where every test strip comes in a little foil
> wrapper. I last used such meters a couple years ago. Yep, they're
> skinny little meters. But I hated those stupid wrappers. A real PITA.
>
> And even though it's been years since I used them, I still can go to
> sweep up a disused corner of the basement and still find years-old
> foil wrappers. Heck, I still find used chemstrips in corners of boxes
> and books!
>
> For me, I like the Accu-Chek compact cylinders. No more littering
> little foil wrappers (although I'm sure I leave used strips behind me
> everywhere). No more zillions of little foil wrappers. And the meter
> and vial do fit in my pocket without too much stress.
>
> Tim.

Tim, I am complaing specifically about this BD meter that talks to my pump.
I compared the cannister to an old One Touch container and it is much bigger
the size of a shot glass and we're talking about 25 miniture test strips.
It's like
the VA medicine containers, try taking 10 of these bottles on vacation with
you.

That baffles me that no one likes individually wraped strips and their
convenience
and ease of carrying. I use the foil pact to remove the strip from the
meter so I
never touch the strip with my fingers or get blood on me.

I do like the pump. It's certainly different after taking shots all these
years. I was
doing 5 shots a day.

Charlie
>

"Charles E. Owens" <charleseowens@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:tSDsi.3477$2v5.1426@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
>
> I forgot to mention that the reson for going to a bigger vial was to
> accommodate older people.
> I informed her that I "am older people and this sucks." What do you think
> of this ? No, I haven't
> been to the pumpers site yet.
>
> Charlie in SC

I don't use the BD meter that came with my pump but I did use the BD Logic
briefly when they sent me a free one with *50* strips! I also got sample
strips with the two BD Link meters for the pump. I really liked the tiny
vial that they came in even if it meant a little more work to fish one out.
I use Ultra meters and even the Mini, which really isn't so mini at all, is
impossible to carry if I go out for a walk. I need a bag to carry the
stupid case in, along with glucose tablets.

--
Liz
Type 1 dx 4/1987
Minimed Paradigm 715 5/2005

"Elizabeth Blake" <poodlebone@no.sp@m.optonline.net> wrote in message
news:v9Oti.279$aj1.94@newsfe12.lga...
>
> I use Ultra meters and even the Mini, which really isn't so mini at all,
> is impossible to carry if I go out for a walk. I need a bag to carry the
> stupid case in, along with glucose tablets.
>

I can fit the Ultra Mini, a small wallet/change purse, my cell phone, and a
wad of kleenex in my small fanny pack. And there's still a bit of room left
for an emergency chocolate or something. I don't find it cumbersome even on
long runs (& sometimes, maybe even often, I wear a larger pack especially
if I'm carrying water as well).
bj