Bad Strips or Bad Reading

[Glucoweb]

Has anyone else noticed this sometimes when testing?
1) Place strip in BG meter.
2) Prick finger
3) Think you have enough blood and try to place it on meter. Meter indicates not enough blood yet.
4) Remove finger from strip and squeeze to get more blood
5) Return finger to strip and meter indicates it has enough blood
6) Returns a reading that seems a little high.

Repeat above steps using different finger, except you get enough blood on the strip the first time. And receive a lower reading that makes more sense.

I am using a Freestyle flash and have been using one for several years, so am not sure if this is meter specific or not.

[davef]

According to the instructions with my lancet/meter (Bayer Contour) you are not supposed to squeeze the finger to express blood as it can lead to skewed readings. That said, I seem to recall a thread a while ago where squeezing was discussed and it seems that pretty much all of us do it to some extent.

You can (and will) get different readings from different fingers. I have had similar problems with not getting enough blood on the strip, but as a general rulle I don't use a 2nd strip on the same site, I just prick another finger.

[art]

any time I get the insufficient error message I replace the strip and use a new one.
I always aqueeze my finger to get blood.

Art

[Glucoweb]

With the Flash you do not get an "insufficient sample" message. The pump is not supposed to even begin the testing until enough blood is on the strip. But thanks, I think the eratic readin I am seeing my be a defeciency in this intended functionality of the meter. (ie The no testing until sufficent sample feature is not 100% working as intended.)

[bryan42]

With the one step unit, if you dont get enough blood, you DONT get another chance, you just waste a strip. We are not suppose to squeeze? Thats the only way I seem to get blood?
how innacurate is it?:eek:

[milfordj]

My Contour meter gives me an Error Message any time there is insufficient blood to perform the test strip, and I always replace the strip at that point -- never considered the possibility of removing and replacing the same strip. But maybe I'll try that just to see how accurate the reading is after doing that. I ALWAYS squeeze my finger from base toward prick-spot to get enough blood. I read a long time ago that doing so, has No Effect on the Accuracy of the BG.

[morrisma]

With the meter you have, you can test on your forearm (my fav) and I rarely trash a trip for insufficient blood there.

I have had a few non-responding strips. I usually trash them but once in a while I use the other side just for fun. The freestyle strips have a left & right handed access. Anyway, when I do that, my readings are always high by a lot. I always do another strip.

I have used the flash meter for years and have noticed that some lots are not as quick to register as others. I am always suspicious of differences on this and worry that the accuracy isn't what it could be but every time I check it, things aren't too far off, just slower.

I love my flash but you should get a couple of the free offers that are out there and compare.
Mike

[Glucoweb]

-- never considered the possibility of removing and replacing the same strip...

I do not use the same strip.