I’ve also found the readings from my OneTouch Verio Flex to be a source of frustration.
The general 20% allowance by FDA is bad enough (a reading of say 120 could mean you are anywhere from 96 to 144)! However, even within the meters themselves there seems to be a discrepancy:
Earlier this year, I did a blood test, but I did it as a control test. It was my first test of the morning and I if my BSL was high I didn’t want it to record since my provider can see my results (but not the results when using the control setting, since it’s typically reserved for the testing solution).
I was happy when I saw it was in the “Green” so I immediately took another test the correct way (using a new pin prick), but this time the result was ±30 points higher. I’m in the “Red”!
I understand that you can get two different readings (it was two separate pin-pricks about 30 seconds apart) but this seemed like a big difference.
I’ve repeated this test several times now over a few months (this time using the same pinprick and drop of blood, in the hope of making it more accurate) and the results when using the meter set to ‘Control’ is ALWAYS different by somewhere between ±15-±30 points.
Once again, the difference is annoying but I can understand it’s possible. However, EVERY TIME when the control setting is selected, it is ALWAYS lower, if it were a simple case of two samples being slightly off, then there should be times when the “Control” test on my blood is higher, but that has never happened, It’s as though the meter is designed to show a lower number when using the Control setting.
I’ve done this test also using the test solution bottle and again it is off by ±15-30 points each time and when the control test is selected, the number is ALWAYS lower.
I also found my old OneTouch Verio Flex (that I had previously misplaced), and there are the same discrepancies with that one: the numbers are ALWAYS lower when selecting ‘Control’ by almost the same margin!
To add more complication when I test my sugar level (again same pin-prick) with both meters the older one shows a lower reading than the newer one (somewhere between ±12-±26 points) EVERY time!
So which meter should I trust to be accurate and which to be wrong!? They both pass the control solution test! Is my sugar low when my old meter shows that I am 65 (using control seting) or am I fine because the newer meter (that is the same model) says that I am 110 (without control)!?
I did another test today (22-DEC-2021) using my new meter only:
- Using control solution:
With Control set, it was 121. Using the exact same drop on a new strip AND not selecting a Control and it was 137! A 16% difference.
- Using the same drop of my blood:
With Control set, it was 63, but without Control set it was 75! A 12% difference.
Like I said, frustrating.