I have been using the omnipod as my meter along with freestyle strips that expire in 2012. Within the last few days I have been getting readings that are 260, 190, 175… then I test again with another strip and it says 90 or 105. Is this a test strip problem or a meter problem. I opened another vial of strips and its the same thing. WHAT THE HECK?
You can do some basic things to see if it is your meter (but you must use brand new strips…) Such as use control solution, or take a sample at the same time as you are going into a lab, for lab work.
Strips can, and do go bad… though not always automatically on an expiration date. They can go bad if they are exposed to a lot of extreme temperature changes… Or can give off readings if you don’t wash and dry your hands properly before testing. Handling any kinds of things can make our results off, no matter how innocent it seems, sometimes…
I have come to believe that there are two evil enemies of test strips, humidity and temperature. Either can ruin the strips. Do not bring them in the hot tub with you. It is possible that all strips have gone bad, but it is also possible that either of two things have gone wrong. First, as Lizmari notes, you can have stuff on your hands, but second, your battery may been to be replaced in your meter. I’ve had strange stuff happens when the batteries go.