Need some help for A1c test kit

Hello !

( my english is not better no… )

I was so proud last month : even i’m in Montreal, I bought the " A1C Now selfcheck " from Bayer. Someone who live in U.S send me the machine by post. ( Because we can’t have it in Canada )
But im in trouble now. How can I have the " test kit " now ? Hum. I send email to this person but not respond ( ! )

You’re lucky in U.S.A to have this machine !

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayer-A1CNow-SelfCheck-At-Home-A1C-System-2-Test-Kit/11332213

Amazon sells them, it doesn’t say anything about shipping restrictions on the product page. Might be worth a try.

As far as I know, you need a new A1cNow for every new test kit, and they come together in a box.
If you don’t have a test kit, you can’t use your… let’s just call it “meter”.

Coincidently, I watched a video about it yesterday. I remember that they had test kits with either 2, 10 or 20 tests. After using it for the last test, you’ll have to throw away the meter, too, because it won’t work with a new test kit. All of the things have numbers on them and only those with the same numbers work together.
Correct me, if I’'m mistaken but that’s how I got it…

Before buying a new kit, you should consider if it’s really worth it.
If you get a test every 3 months anyway, and if you don’t have a reason to test more often (e.g. as athlete or during a pregnancy) you may not need it.

I wanted one of these but I now know that it would be a wast of money simply to feed my curiosity.

I presume that you are a native French speaker. Unfortunately, the product information is not yet available in French online. There is a video on how to use the meter. You can however translate the material using google. The link below will translate some of the the Bayer A1cNow document into French.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=fr&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.a1cnow.com%2Fasset%2Fdocument%2FA1CNow-HCP-Product-Insert-Clinical-Laboratory-Stan.aspx

Riz, the link Jackie provided http://www.bayerdiabetes.ca/en/products/a1c/ also provides the French translation , top right hand side . It’s the law in Canada to provide the 2 official languages .
Bayers A1C test is available in our country ; I have visited Pharmacies , who provided the free test , one usually needs to register . And I had the free test done ,when I attended the CDA’s Annual General meeting in Edmonton , Oct. 2010 at the Bayer’s booth .
I am too frugal to purchase the test kit( the Dutch genes at work :slight_smile: …I go to the Lab prior to my Doctor’s visit …be well .

Darn, I have Dutch genes as well but somehow missed the frugality part…

Great ! I’m gonna try this ! Thank you Amazon !

I’m afraid Jackie ! My oral english is like a smash potatoe… ! hihihi
Gonna try to call monday and maybe they’re gonna understand me… !

Ok ! I have the new A1cNow but I take the 2 tests. So if I understand, the test kits won’t work with the my first meter ?

Thank you Bsc !

I WAS a big fan of the Bayer test until just recently. I supplemented my 4-6 month office tests so I wouldn’t go more than say 6 weeks without a test (I was diagnosed a year ago). So the tests matched up the first few times, but my last test, I got a reading 0.7 higher than I had been. Pretty significant change in 5 weeks, but figured that maybe i slipped a bit.

5 weeks later, I tried to test again, and got a dead meter in my kit. Called the help line, and they asked for the lot number and said they might want me to send the meter in. After a brief hold to check with if the lot was suspect, they said, don’t worry about sending it in, just throw it out and we will send you a coupon for a new box. I hung up thinking, “did they already know this was a bad lot?” and what type of quality control do they have? Also a bit miffed that I am on the hook for a trip to the store, and about $2.50 in sales tax, when they screwed up my testing schedule with what they seemed to accept was a defective product. I could have bought a new one that day and used the coupon for later, but I read so much about their questionable accuracy, that I wasn’t sure that I would use them going forward.

So coupon comes, get my test, and I go from a hightest ever 6.4 to a lowest ever 5.4 in six weeks. Since I was not experiencing hypos, I am highly suspect of the number. I had normally hovered at 5.6 when I was more focused. The tests materials state that their version of accuracy is within +/- 0.5 points. So is it likely that I was around 6.9 and these two test were on the extreme ends of the acceptable testing levels – possibly – but then what is their usefulness. I don’t believe the last one because it was sooooo low, and the high one left me feeling that I fell off the wagon for a month.

So as of now, I am done with these tests. Maybe if I my A1c was much higher, flucuated alot, and only got labs done once, maybe twice, a year, I would supplement with the the Bayer. I think you would do better to review your testing logs to look for trends than to base any decision on these tests. The tests are about $10 to $15 a piece, but i think it is only $20-40 to get a lab to give an accurate reading that can actually be acted upon. If you are thinking that you might be either a 6 or a 10, then maybe knowing you are around 7ish is helpful. Just not for me.

Indicateur A1CNow+®
Rapide, simple, précis.

Obtenez les résultats du taux de l’HbA1c en seulement 5 minutes. Le nouvel indicateur de poche A1CNow+® est simple à utiliser. Les résultats des épreuves sont précis à 99 % par rapport à ceux obtenus en laboratoire.1

L’indicateur A1CNow+® vous permet d’obtenir rapidement les résultats du taux de l’HbA1c pendant que le patient est dans votre cabinet, et ainsi de prendre des décisions thérapeutiques sur-le-champ pour vos patients atteints de diabète.

Caractéristiques de l’indicateur A1CNow+® :

Rapidité

Analyse au cabinet. Plus besoin d’attendre les résultats du laboratoire
Résultats en seulement 5 minutes
Procédure d’analyse prenant moins d’une minute
Possibilité de donner des conseils directement aux patients
Facilité

Procédure simple en 3 étapes
Dispense en vertu des CLIA
Ne requiert que 5 µL de sang, prélevé au bout du doigt
Aucun étalonnage, aucun contrôle quotidien, aucun entretien
Aucune réfrigération nécessaire lorsque le produit est utilisé dans les quatre mois
Aucun appareillage majeur requis
Dosage de l’HbA1c possible dans toute salle d’examen
Exactitude

Taux d’exactitude de 99 % démontré par rapport aux analyses de laboratoire
Certification du NGSP
Pour en savoir plus sur l’achat de l’indicateur A1CNow+® en vue d’une utilisation en cabinet, veuillez communiquer avec votre représentant, Gestion du diabète de Bayer, ou avec notre Service d’assistance téléphonique au 1-800-268-7200.

Pour de plus amples renseignements, cliquez ici.

  1. Données internes, Bayer HealthCare 2009

http://www.bayerdiabetes.ca/fr/professionals/products/A1C_PRO/