i am so excited to share the good news that with my new work out routine (a 6 mile walk and some very good stretching) i have been able to achieve great numbers over the past few weeks! some days i am able to keep myself between 80 and 100 all day. I use to the freestyle lite meter. Recently i have started up on the pump, although the pump comes with a one-touch meter i decided to stick to my freestyle lite because i like that it is very small and familiar to me. yesterday i decided to test on the one touch just for kicks, the code was right and my hands were washed, but my reading read 156 while my regular freestyle meter told me i was 118. Now i am worried because i dont know which one to follow! i fear that my numbers have not really been as good as i thought, but i do not want to cover for the one touch readings because i am scared i will over correct. has anyone been in this position?
When I get a high and retest, a lot of times, the second one is lower? I think that it helps to get some blood, wipe it off and use the second drop of blood to test but I dunno if that might've figured into your results? The washing hand is good. I don't recall using the code for those any more as all the strips are "25". Do you feel more 118 or more 156? Sometimes after I run, my BG sort of runs up but those "adrenaline" (?) highs seem to be very ephemeral and, when I get rid of them, the lower #s are pretty solid.
Meter accuracy is a disgrace. I imagine if you would of tested on each meter one more time, you would of seen the numbers come into line either in the 118 range or the 156 range.
From my own experience I feel like I test lower on my left hand than my right hand. Usually 5-15 points lower. Not sure what that is all about.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone who posts this issue: Pick a meter and put the other one in a drawer! You are going to drive yourself nuts otherwise!
Did you get a Ping? If you do, then you are really missing out on the benefits of the meter/remote if you don't use the one touch. Once you get used to it (I had to switch from Aviva) you will love the convenience of being able to do all your bolusing without pulling out your pump and without having to input the blood sugar number to get your doses. Give it a chance.
But whatever meter you decide to use, don't keep comparing!
Yes, meter accuracy is a disgrace. You did well by washing your hands before testing. Settling on one meter is probably a good idea but I've had instances where for some reason I did two tests in a row on the same meter and the numbers were split like you cited. In that case, I test a third time. If the third test confirms one of the initial two readings then I use that number to treat. If it lands somewhere in between, I just average all the readings and use that number to add insulin, carbs, or go for a walk.
It amazes me that we still have to use woefully inaccurate meters to dose insulin, a hormone that can and does kill. Type 1 diabetics, with inability to produce any native insulin, are ill-served by the status quo for meter accuracy. That being said, I'm thrilled that we at least have a way to see where our approximate BG is at any given moment.
I feel like this is the story of my life! My insurance covers my Accu Check meter and test strips but I don't get nearly enough supplies as I need so I've been using the Target Up & Up meter and test strips. When I first began using it I was worried about its accuracy (the test strips are so cheap compared to others, I wondered if something was wrong with it). I just got my Accu Check supplies and now my feelings are reversed- I don't trust its accuracy! The Target brand definitely reflects how I feel while the other is always higher, sometimes as much as 80 pts. So I definitely can relate- it's frustrating having to go back and forth and wonder what it really is.
