I have recently started on my Medtronic 723 pump. It came with the One Touch Ultra Link Glucometer. I had previously been using theFreestyle Freedom Lite. I have been checking periodically the readings from both machines from the same blood stick and note that Freestyle is consistently about 30 points lower.
Has anyone had this type of experience or has any idea what might be happening here. I need to adjust my bolus and basal rates and am concerned I will either over dose or under dose.
That's very strange, I have been using the One Touch 2 and was forced by insurance company to start using the FreeStyle lite I find the One Touch is consistently lower than the Freestyle by about 30 points, so I have no idea
My suggestion? Pick a meter and stick with it; don't keep comparing it to another one or you'll drive yourself nuts. Bottom line is you will adjust your bolus and basal rates based on that meter and they will be correct based on the results you are seeing.
The best thing you can do is park the Freestyle in a drawer and forget about it...JMHO
FYI...I would check the new meter when my next blood sample is drawn at the lab or have your Doc order a meter test/check , you need to know how close it is to your actual BG...I have three Ultra Links and they all test a little lower than my actual BG and I do not expect them to be perfect but I will not use a meter that tests higher than my actual BG.
Anytime you test you should use a fresh finger stick ...the first drop will be diffrent than the second but there are some people who where thought to discard the first drop and go with the second drop each time.
the shame is my insurance company has gotten in to bed with Abbott so I am forced to use the Freestyle meter against my best judgement. It totally sucks.
I also recently switched from Freestyle lite to One Touch, and started using the Link meter w/MM 523. I liked Freestyle, but changed due to insurance.
I compared FS to One Touch and found them comparable (within 5-10 pts) when under 150, but larger differences with higher BGs.
At about the same time, I switched from Humalog to Novolog (also due to insurance), and had to reduce my basal and bolus doses. But it was based on my ability to 'feel' low when < 70-80 (Freestyle), and I found the One Touch was about the same. So I think my changes in dosage were more related to the switch to Novolog.
It's been 4 months now, and recent A1C was about the same as before the switch, and BG averages from both FS and OT were about the same. But if you have higher BGs, you may find different results.
I had also compared FS to Accuchek Aviva, and found 20-30 pt difference in the range 70-140, so chose NOT to switch to that. But OT and FS were pretty equal for me. But I do miss having a smaller sample size !
I use the One Touch Ultra Link and do a comparison check each time I have blood drawn. It is always within a few points.
I found a better meter by comparing different devices with a calibrated lab device. The differences between the 5 devices were often significant and it seems that our individual blood chemistry is also responsible for this - and this in addition to the technical deviation the metering prozess has. Maybe your endo has a calibrated lab device for comparison.
Well, it depnds what your reading is; in other words 30 points lower than what?
The home meters are required to be accurate only to 20%, so it is probably within that tolerance.