I have the Bayer contour, for the most part I love it. My biggest issue is if you don’t get enough blood on there right away it gives you an error signal and the strip is wasted. It just ticks me off to no end, its like taking a dollar and lighting it on fire! Anyone else have this problem and a similar reaction?
Same problem with One Touch strips. Doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I just see a dollar bill flying in front of my eyes.
And how about waiting for the one-touch to be ready? If I don’t get a big enough sample the first time, I have a tendency to be too quick to apply it on the second strip, so wind up using 3 for a single test.
Has anyone else noticed that the time it takes the One Touch to get ready has increased from the One Touch Ultra to the One Touch Ultra Link? It’s like years of habit with the Ultra now result in more strips being wasted. Perhaps this is their way of increasing sales. Or perhaps I’m just too cynical.
It DOES take the Utra Link Meter longer to get ready. I’ve wasted a few dollars, er, strips, by applying a sample before the Meter wanted it. It’s annoying as hell.
This is especially true when you’re trying to take a sample in the middle of the night while driving on the Interstate without your glasses and you have to go to the bathroom. I hate it when that happens.
Terry
Not noticed that issue. I usually insert the strip before I use my lancet, though, so it is usually ready for me before I am ready for it. The UltraSmart does that automatically, so 1 less button to push too, as long as I don’t have to change the code for the strips.
It’s the same thing with the Onetouch Ultramini! I was so excited to get it and switched from the Freestyle Flash to use it, because I love how it looks and I like it for the most part. But with the Freestyle you can load up the test strip for 60 seconds, and with the OneTouch, if you interrupt the vacuum before enough blood gets sucked up, you wasted the strip. I found my strips for roughly .50 apiece so it’s not as bad, but still makes me mad!
I loved the freestyle for this reason, a little drop will do
I use One Touch and it really p-sses me off - happened just this morning. Sometimes I get so furious that I waste another one because I’m not concentrating!!
Those are the ones that really get me!!! The dreaded double wammy!
Yeah, I use a FreeStyle too, and I think in my 9 months, I have only flubbed two test strips. But I get all my gear ready before I do the prick, then I am ready to go right after.
I’m amazed at how little blood is actually needed for the FreeStyle to get a read.
I do this sometimes and it makes me so mad, but I’m still on the the plain old Ultra. I can’t believe the new one takes even longer to “warm up”, it’s probably more complicated software or something.
Yeah I have the ultra one jab,LOL and once in a while I waste 1 and I hate that money gone…
I prick,load and test that way Im ready and don’t waste as much??
there must be a better way but Im sure the companies that have that patent have that sold…
it’s like a dbl edge sword i want to test regular but also want to save some money…
thnaks everyone hang in there im trying
I’ve been doing some tests with my Freestyle Flash, a new Freestyle Lite, an Aviva, an Advocate Duo, an Agamatrix/Wavesense Keynote, and One Touch Ultra2, Ultra Mini, and Ultra Smart. Six different strips.
The Freestyle strips give you 30 seconds to load blood, but if it doesn’t suck up enough blood right away, the sample is so small that it starts to clot and gives you an off reading.
The One Touch technology gives you a maximum of 5 seconds to fill the strip. Unless you have one humongous pool of blood to draw from (blood that has NOT begun to try up), you have a wasted strip.
I’ve had similar issues with the Aviva and the Advocate, but not nearly as frequently as with the One Touch. By and large, the Keynote has not had these issues.
I don’t see the wastage as dollars or dollar signs, but as wasted supplies, which is just as annoying.
Good thing that it rarely happens to me now. (But if it does, I do say “damn” a lot…)
The first time I got around to testing myself, I wasted 4 strips before I got it right.
For a while, I was really good about getting a big enough drop of blood, but recently (within the past two weeks) I’ve wasted at least 6… Which is even worse because I was at the end of my supply…
Wasting strips–arrrgh! Putting sample on too early, not having enough blood to register–been there. Just two days ago, I opened the strip container too strongly & they went flying all over the floor. Wanted to cry. I don’t even use the control solution for every container because I hate wasting them.
It doesnt matter what meter you use if you dont bleed it wont test -_- Ive run into those problems all the time. You just need to pick the right spot and hold it really. I dont use my fingers to test anymore but my thigh instead. There is a diffrent type of head peice you can swap out to thats clear that allows you to draw blood from other places other than the finger tips. Have you thought about moving your test sites? I use the PDM for omni ( freestyle ) to test my sugars. Ive been through accu check, one touch ( from the original to ultra 2), free style and another one that at the moment flee’s my mind. Im very picky with my meters…freestyle and one touch I found out is great for needing less blood to check your sugars. Maybe looking into a new meter might be a better idea as well.
Do you always test in the bathroom? Or do you not wear pants? The thigh seems like it would be the hardest place to test logistically!
It happens to me when I am low and am tricked out on the adrenalin rush from it. Or trying to sneak in a quick test when stopped at a traffic light (funny how those red lights are always the shortest).
Been there, done that with the strips. Of course I just picked them up and put them back in the container, not gonna waste those precious little pieces.