since my dexcom cgm readings seemed rather out of the 20% range, i decided to re-retest my BG on a different meter w/ a different finger stick. on the Verio One Touch i got a reading of 148, but on my One Touch Ultra i got a reading of 124. thats a pretty significant difference in range, especially while programing a cgm and trying to negotiate basal settings and I:C ratios.
so, i called my endo with the question of how to handle the situation. his reply was to do a finger stick w/ each meter and then divide and concur. but that’s 2 finger sticks before each meal (for me, anyway) an then morning and bedtime.
has anyone experienced this problem? i know that the meters themselves can be off a percentage of the time as well. how do you suggest i handle this dilemma? all replies welcome.
I encountered this A LOT with onetouch, which is why I switched to something else even though onetouch is the only brand covered by my insurance… They are just horribly inconsistent for me. With the meter I use now I don’t see variations more than a few points (provided my hands are clean) at reasonable bg ranges… If your bg is significantly elevated all meters become less precise…
Like Sam19 I quit using One Touch meters. When I started using Dexcom with the two start-up BG readings, I was very frustrated with how rarely my two One Touch readings matched up. I don’t expect the exact same reading, but with my One Touch Ping and then also the Verio, they were often 120/100, 94/85, 150/132. Of course occasionally they were close.
Based on this study shared at Diabetes Daily, I switched to Freestyle Lite and have been using that for several years. The two readings are usually quite close, if not the same number. Occasionally it shows a gap like the One Touch readings, but it is rare. I believe that the performance of my Dexcom G4 improved when I started using the Freestyle meter.
I think that the Verio is a beautiful meter and I like how it works. However, from the very beginning I did not see any increased accuracy from the older One Touch meters as advertised. I would try many other meters before I would go back to the Verio.
thank you so much. i have had the worst time w/ the One Touch meters. i just assumed that b/c this meter was brand new it would be as accurate as possible. next week i see my endo and i will request a prescription for test strips for the Freestyle Meter and if they have a sample meter there, i will take that home with me. they are always giving out samples, so i hope i don’t have to POP.
I have had pretty nice results with FreestyleLite also.
What is to keep in mind as well, is that some meters tend to give readings on the higher, some on the lower ends. That’s why they usually tell you only to use one meter. i would never go with the advice from your doctor and take the average of the two meters, i would just find the meter that fits you best and you like the most and stay with that one. what you can also do, is at your next labwork to compare your meters to the lab and go from there.
unfortunately, meter inaccuracy is still a big problem out there, with producers of meters being allowed to have a 20% range from the actual result, which really is A LOT!!
I use trustest strips and either a true2go or trueresult meter. A lot of drug stores etc sell them under their store brand name as generics. They’re dirt cheap but work very well for me. I buy them online and don’t even mess around with insurance for strips anymore.
so, of all the complaining and questioning i have done, i found in my closet an unopened box for a One Touch Ultra 2 meter. i tested it several times against my cgm readings and found it to be the closest in BG #s. i think i will stick w/ it as it has many very nice functions. since i started using it just yesterday, i will continue to monitor it and see how it does. i’m certain it will work out well. its just a feeling, but my cgm is flatlining all week, so i think i’m doing something right.
Ultimately your CGM is going to be the closest to whatever meter you use to calibrate it. But over time it is my opinion that the more consistent your meter is, the more accurate your CGM will be.
I hope the Ultra 2 works well for you. I would hate to go back to the blue strips because they require such a large blood drop. But if it meant more accuracy, I could probably get used to them again.
