The perfect blood tester? (Glucose)

Alanstrainor

Hello all, this is really a question for the diabetics among us!

So, have you found the perfect blood tester for you? Personally i think that they are all the same these days, offering very little in the way of innovation.

I just ordered one of these to see if it's any use (I'm a techy and like gadgets)



But i know it's not what i want, all i really want in a blood tester is a device that has everything in one, that's tester, strips, and finger pricker. I know there are some models out there, but the ones i've tried are ****e! Like this one:



It was bulky, unreliable, and just not nice to use.

So, to recap, have you found a blood tester you really like? If so what is it? And if not, what are you looking for?

robinph

Don't really see much difference between them all either. Latest one they gave me because it takes ketone test strips as well, never used them though.

Until they come up with some implanted thing that I never need to replace or prick my finger for again and set my phone beeping at me when the numbers are a bit the wrong way I'll not be happy.

CathyMoran

I still use my one touch ultrasmart, it gives me details of my bloods over the day/week/month/3 months (including as graphs). I must admit I love the machine considering...the only bad thing is that I am worried that my baby son will try and eat the test strips!

http://www.onetouchdiabetes.com/ultrasmart/

Alanstrainor

CathyMoran wrote: »

I still use my one touch ultrasmart, it gives me details of my bloods over the day/week/month/3 months (including as graphs). I must admit I love the machine considering...the only bad thing is that I am worried that my baby son will try and eat the test strips!

http://www.onetouchdiabetes.com/ultrasmart/

Yup, that's the one i'm using currently, it's probably the best one i've ever had, nice big screen and it gives lots of detail. I go through quite a lot of testers!

CathyMoran

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Yup, that's the one i'm using currently, it's probably the best one i've ever had, nice big screen and it gives lots of detail. I go through quite a lot of testers!

I do a fair bit of testing myself - try and keep my bloods between 4-5 and down to 7 an hour after eating (the joys of trying for another baby) and I would be lost without this machine, I just wish that it used a drum instead of the individual test strips.

CathyMoran

I want this! http://www.bayerdidget.co.uk/

robinph

...are the games actually any good though?

I would be liable to break something if I found one of those plugged into my Xbox preventing me from playing Halo until I did a test.

CathyMoran

robinph wrote: »

...are the games actually any good though?

I would be liable to break something if I found one of those plugged into my Xbox preventing me from playing Halo until I did a test.

It reminds me of their walking "game", certainly it should help kids to do their testing, remember when I was young the machine was the size of a book and it took 2-3 minutes to get the result.

Zaph

When I was in the States recently there were ads for a health insurance company who were supposedly giving away monitors where you don't have to prick your fingers. From what I've found from a bit of digging around it seems that they just mean the monitor can be used for samples from other parts of the body. How disappointing.

What's the story with getting a new monitor? If I wanted one of those fancy ones like Alanstrainor ordered, can I ask for one on my LTI card or would I have to pay for it myself? And what about testing strips, will my local pharmacy get me the ones I need even if they're different to the ones they give out free?

I have a Freestyle Freedom Lite btw. Seems grand, but seeing as I'm only using it a few months I don't know any better. I use an Excel spreadsheet to track my glucose levels.

robinph

You shouldn't have any problem getting the test strips for any kind of meter you happen to have. I have managed to get pharmacists to change the type I got before without them needing the prescription actually to be changed, but you may have to get you LTI book refilled out.

I've never paid for a meter as the hospital just gives out the latest one that the last rep to visit them left them a supply of, I doubt if that Ultra smart one is being given away though.

Alanstrainor

I think i got my ultra smart one for free, through the hospital, i could be wrong about that, but i have 2 of them...and i know i wouldn't have bought 2! I've never had any issues with test strips, i just bring the sample test strips you get with most meters to the pharmacy and they order them!

I got a couple of these today for free, after ringing the companies number 01-6204000

They seem like a handy small one to throw in my bag as a backup. The meter clips onto the top of the test strip drum. Clever. Although it doesn't do anything other than give a reading...but still.

My Mum's a diabetic also, so i'm not some crazed blood tester addict! One is for her!

kowloon

Have any of you had a meter robbed? I had my first one snatched off a table, presumably because it was in a wallet style pouch. Was very worried I wouldn't get a replacement or that they would be very expensive. As it turned out the pharmacy just handed one over with no fuss.

Zaph

Seems like just about anyone could go in and ask for one and it would be handed over. When i got my meter it came with a small pack of 10 test strips. I went to the chemist to get some more but they had none in stock, so they gave me another full kit, complete with monitor, so I could use the 10 in that pack to tide me over. No wonder we're costing the country so much!

Alanstrainor

kowloon wrote: »

Have any of you had a meter robbed? I had my first one snatched off a table, presumably because it was in a wallet style pouch. Was very worried I wouldn't get a replacement or that they would be very expensive. As it turned out the pharmacy just handed one over with no fuss.

Blood testers are generally free or very cheap just because the test strips themselves are so expensive. They cost 20 euro or more for 50! I'm just glad we don't have to buy them! I stock up on about 200 or more at a time, that'd be a serious dent in the wallet if we did have to pay.

CathyMoran

I paid for my monitors always but the strips were free.

5live

I dream of one i wear around my wrist like a watch that beeps when i hit 4 or 10 and doesnt involve me pricking my finger 4 times a day. I would gladly pay for that. Surely it cannot be that difficult to shine a light of some description at the skin and get a fairly reliable reading. I am farming so i have lots of issues with cleanliness of cutsUseing ye olde Onetouch Ultraeasy. Not ultra easy. Same as all the rest as far as i can tell

graflynn

In 17 years I have only ever paid for one glucose meter and that was my very first one, my parents were suppose to claim back the money but didn't.

Otherwise, meters have to thrown on by my Diabetes Nurse Specialist who would have a steady supply of them from the reps. Or when I go to Diabetes Federatoin Of Ireland events where sales reps are present.

Because all of these companies make their profits from the strips (which are covered through the Long Term Illness Scheme) they are very eager to give meters away for free.

graflynn

For those into the gadgets, here's another new one but it will be a while before we have it in Ireland

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/09/newsflash-sanofi-aventis-launches-ibgstar-plug-in-glucose-meter-for-the-iphone.html

robinph

Well not being an Apple fan it doesn't answer any of my dreams as they claim.

Bit of a flaw in the design once you put it in their case though is that you'll not be able to charge the phone as they really should be replicating the phones port on the other side of the meter. Do an Android one, with the micro USB port on it for charging and so that you don't need to remove the meter and I may actually be interested.

CathyMoran

It is nice but I do not like touch screen phones, plus I only use Sony Ericsson phones ever, I learned the hard way.

5live

So if you lose your phone you lose your meter too? Not sure i want that risk. And as i am a farmer i am not so sure i want my meter around the cattle. Methinks i may be operating it a bit outside design perameters:rolleyes:. I am not a technophobe but most of the 'innovations' seem to be just more of the same but a little bit smaller and more money for the company that makes it. Very little benefit for the end user. Oh god i sound like my father!!!!

robinph

Smaller is good, I like the size of the USB stick one linked earlier in the thread, but it isn't actually that small once your also carrying around the pouch with the finger pricker and more pins and test strips as well. The extra paraphernalia makes them bigger, but the testing gadgetry actually being part of the phone does reduce items to carry around a bit..

Alanstrainor

Just got the USB one i mentioned in my original post. It's pretty cool actually, it has a nice bright colour screen, and menus are easy to navigate on the device. The software looks handy, it took a bit of messing to get it to work correctly with the machine i was testing it on(Vista). But the program it has in built is pretty cool, it shows you all your results and trends etc.

It has 512mb of storage, nothing by todays standards, but you could use it as a normal usb stick for documents etc. Pretty cool.

It's actually quite small, but as said, it doesn't matter how small they make them, you still have a stupid big pouch to carry around everything that goes with it:rolleyes:.

It's so dumb, i just can't understand the logic. "Let's make blood testers smaller...but still require you to carry around all the strips and pricker".

Ugh...so frustrating.

CramCycle

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Just got the USB one i mentioned in my original post. It's pretty cool actually, it has a nice bright colour screen, and menus are easy to navigate on the device. The software looks handy, it took a bit of messing to get it to work correctly with the machine i was testing it on(Vista). But the program it has in built is pretty cool, it shows you all your results and trends etc.

It has 512mb of storage, nothing by todays standards, but you could use it as a normal usb stick for documents etc. Pretty cool.

It's actually quite small, but as said, it doesn't matter how small they make them, you still have a stupid big pouch to carry around everything that goes with it:rolleyes:.

It's so dumb, i just can't understand the logic. "Let's make blood testers smaller...but still require you to carry around all the strips and pricker".

Ugh...so frustrating.

I just got one as well, pretty much ordered after reading your original post, think I'll muck about tonight and compare it results wise to my other glucometers, looks pretty sweet so far though.

Alanstrainor

CramCycle wrote: »

I just got one as well, pretty much ordered after reading your original post, think I'll muck about tonight and compare it results wise to my other glucometers, looks pretty sweet so far though.

Yeah it's nice. I threw away the case and i just have the bits separate.