Your tips for using a meter?

[sirjonathan]

Hey guys!

As part of a personal project of mine, I'm putting together a website about diabetes and, even more specifically, about glucose meters. I've been overwhelmed in my research with all the information there is available out there and I can't even begin to imagine what a challenge it must be for someone who doesn't have the extra time!

I've been inspired to create this site through friends of mine, a few of which have been dealing with diabetes since their early childhood. I have two goals with my site:

1. Share information about diabetes, monitoring, and testing, etc, with people completely unfamiliar with it (Like I once was!). These are the people who have diabetic friends and would like to learn more about diabetes without feeling like they're just asking questions all the time.

2. Share information about diabetes, monitoring, testing, etc, with diabetics. I want to focus on sharing information with those completely new to diabetes and, in my opinion, some of the best information is that which comes through experience.

And so! To make up for my lack of experience, I turn to you guys, my fellow community members :). As one of the special sections of the website I'm building, I'd like to have a 'tips' section, which is a collection of short, concise little tips from those with experience in dealing with diabetes.

Would you guys be up for sharing your tips? I would love to learn absolutely anything you're willing to share and, with your permission, I would love to share your tips, along with your name (or anonymous, your choice!) on my website once I've finished it up.

Because of my lack of experience, I'm not even sure what kind of tips I should be looking for! The first thing that came to mind, though, is that actually using a glucose meter has gotta be tricky so that's something I'd love to start with sharing.

And beyond that if there is ANYTHING you guys can think of that would be useful and important to share, I would love to have the honor of publishing it for the support and encouragement of others.

Thank you all so much for your time! I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you :).

-Jonathan

[spike]

Hey guys!

As part of a personal project of mine, I'm putting together a website about diabetes and, even more specifically, about glucose meters. I've been overwhelmed in my research with all the information there is available out there and I can't even begin to imagine what a challenge it must be for someone who doesn't have the extra time!

I've been inspired to create this site through friends of mine, a few of which have been dealing with diabetes since their early childhood. I have two goals with my site:

1. Share information about diabetes, monitoring, and testing, etc, with people completely unfamiliar with it (Like I once was!). These are the people who have diabetic friends and would like to learn more about diabetes without feeling like they're just asking questions all the time.

2. Share information about diabetes, monitoring, testing, etc, with diabetics. I want to focus on sharing information with those completely new to diabetes and, in my opinion, some of the best information is that which comes through experience.

And so! To make up for my lack of experience, I turn to you guys, my fellow community members :). As one of the special sections of the website I'm building, I'd like to have a 'tips' section, which is a collection of short, concise little tips from those with experience in dealing with diabetes.

Would you guys be up for sharing your tips? I would love to learn absolutely anything you're willing to share and, with your permission, I would love to share your tips, along with your name (or anonymous, your choice!) on my website once I've finished it up.

Because of my lack of experience, I'm not even sure what kind of tips I should be looking for! The first thing that came to mind, though, is that actually using a glucose meter has gotta be tricky so that's something I'd love to start with sharing.

And beyond that if there is ANYTHING you guys can think of that would be useful and important to share, I would love to have the honor of publishing it for the support and encouragement of others.

Thank you all so much for your time! I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you :).

-Jonathan

1. Use only a well respected meter model such as LifeScan meters, or a few others. Some meter brands give results all over the map.

2. Do NOT wipe skin with alcohol before testing! It dries the skin and has nearly zero value in reducing baterial count.

3. If a reading seems highly suspect; test again! I've only had a couple of bad readings per year with my meter, but when I get one, it can lead to serious problems such as injecting a large corrective bolus when none is warranted.

4. Do not use test strips outdated by more than a month or two and be wary of strips stored in adverse conditions.

5. Do not squeeze excessively to get a suitable sized drop of blood, as interstitial fluid will lower the reading, due to dilution.

6. Try not to smear the test strip with blood. Apply the testing area to the blood droplet w/o touching the skin, if possible. Some meters are more sensitive to poor techinique than others, so learn your meter's limitations, and above all, READ and FOLLOW the instructions.

7. Call the meter maker's hotline if you have any concerns or questions about the proper usage of your meter.

8. Consider owning several meters so that you'll always have one available. Two meters readings MAY never completely coincide with each other. Learn their differences and make allowances as needed.

9. Test often enough to keep your bg's in as good a range as you can. the number of tests required for each person will vary from just a few per day to more than a dozen.

10. Be careful not to get into a test-inject-retest-inject situation which can lead to severe hypoglycemia from "stacking" your insulin.


I hope these 10 tips will be of some value to someone.

[rzrbks]

1. Use only a well respected meter model such as LifeScan meters, or a few others. Some meter brands give results all over the map.

2. Do NOT wipe skin with alcohol before testing! It dries the skin and has nearly zero value in reducing baterial count.

3. If a reading seems highly suspect; test again! I've only had a couple of bad readings per year with my meter, but when I get one, it can lead to serious problems such as injecting a large corrective bolus when none is warranted.

4. Do not use test strips outdated by more than a month or two and be wary of strips stored in adverse conditions.

5. Do not squeeze excessively to get a suitable sized drop of blood, as interstitial fluid will lower the reading, due to dilution.

6. Try not to smear the test strip with blood. Apply the testing area to the blood droplet w/o touching the skin, if possible. Some meters are more sensitive to poor techinique than others, so learn your meter's limitations, and above all, READ and FOLLOW the instructions.

7. Call the meter maker's hotline if you have any concerns or questions about the proper usage of your meter.

8. Consider owning several meters so that you'll always have one available. Two meters readings MAY never completely coincide with each other. Learn their differences and make allowances as needed.

9. Test often enough to keep your bg's in as good a range as you can. the number of tests required for each person will vary from just a few per day to more than a dozen.

10. Be careful not to get into a test-inject-retest-inject situation which can lead to severe hypoglycemia from "stacking" your insulin.


I hope these 10 tips will be of some value to someone.

Excellent list, spike.

The only thing I would add is be sure that you are comfortable with the meter you use and that you are happy with it.

Since I'm an ex-lineman, I tend to be ham-handed so I Do Not like the teeny meters---Manly sized one for me, PLease.:thumbsup:

[spike]

Excellent list, spike.

The only thing I would add is be sure that you are comfortable with the meter you use and that you are happy with it.

Since I'm an ex-lineman, I tend to be ham-handed so I Do Not like the teeny meters---Manly sized one for me, PLease.:thumbsup:

Thanks! I find the Flash meter the hardest meter to read; I often use the backlight to make out the numbers. My BD Logic meter uses strips crammed into such a tiny vial that I can barely get one out without spilling all of them. I prefer my UltraSmart to all other meters. All it lacks for me is a light for the strip like the Flash. The Flash is handy at the movies.

[liz32]

I have girl hands and I find it hard to get the stips out of bd logics little bottle! I do love my freestyle mini though and like you say, the light is great! For me the biggest thing was finding a meter that I was really comfortable with and enjoyed (if that's even possible...:stupid: ) using.
Liz

[rzrbks]

http://www.diabetesforums.com/monitoring/3519-accu-check-compact.html

The InDuo I use, while both injector and B/G meter is the perfect size. It's about the same size as a cell phone. The ONLY thing I don't like is that it's not backlit. Other than that I love my machine.

[Ritehsedad]

Try to wash your hands with warm water (and soap) before testing. This will wash off any sugar residue that might be on your hands (no, I'm not accusing you of eating a jelly donut, however, the red stain and sugar granuals on your lips look suspicious :biggrin: ). I've had high readings, washed my hands and retested and had the results much lower (greater than the accuracy of the meter).

I test 4 times per day. I poke only one finger each day, twice on one side, then twice on the other. Each finger only gets poked one day in ten.

[koblenz]

11. Proper selection of your man-purse to hall all of your testing supplies around with you is CRUTIAL!

12. What ever battery type your meter uses, keep a few extra in the house/work/purse. It never fails... when you really need to test, you whip out your meter, insert the strip, and the battery dies!

13. What ever meter you use, call the manufacturer and you can get extra lancing devices for free if you grip enough (or tell them you broke yours so you can have a backup). Again, you really need to test, you go to whip out your lancing device, and you discover that your nephew decided to see what the tensile strength of the plastic was.

14. Lancets are cheap and reusable. OK, some will say you should never reuse a lancet, but I try to change it at least once a month.

15. Testing Strips are NOT cheap or reusable. Take some time when starting out to figure out what the best technique is for using your brand. Read the instructions. GUARANTEED you will waste a few strips in the beginning when you are learning. Now, I waste maybe one or two a month.

Hmmmm, what else????

[mwalt2]

2. Do NOT wipe skin with alcohol before testing! It dries the skin and has nearly zero value in reducing baterial count.
While I don't think you need to wipe your finger everytime you test, what you said is not true. An alcohol/water mix is pretty effective for killing bacteria. It is a pretty good way to sanitize a surface. Of course if your hands are that dirty, just use soap and water. Alcohol will dry out your skin with repeated use. I'm just trying to correct a little misinformation in an otherwise great post :thumbsup: .

[sirjonathan]

Wow guys, incredible tips! :).. Thankyou all so much for sharing! I've learned more about diabetes hanging out here in the past few days than I've learned throughout my entire lifetime!

I look forward to anything else you guys have to share!

-Jonathan

[spike]

While I don't think you need to wipe your finger everytime you test, what you said is not true. An alcohol/water mix is pretty effective for killing bacteria. It is a pretty good way to sanitize a surface. Of course if your hands are that dirty, just use soap and water. Alcohol will dry out your skin with repeated use. I'm just trying to correct a little misinformation in an otherwise great post :thumbsup: .

A brief swipe of alcohol is NOT effective at reducing the bateria count on one's skin. That wive's tale was debunked ages ago. You might want to do some research on that one! :)

[mwalt2]

I'm getting a PhD in molecular microbiology (in my 5th year and almost done). We use 70% EtOH solutions all of the time in lab to help sanitize (not sterilize) surfaces and it certainly does more than a "near zero value" in reducing the amounts of bacteria. You may be right if you just tap it on your skin, but the same can be said if you only run your hands under water when washing without actually scrubbing. I've done my research....

[RobH]

1. When I'm at home, prior to testing I wash my hands with antibacterial soap then let my hands dry naturally. (Never know what might be lurking on a towel that could bias your readings)!

2. If you use the Medisense Optium Xceed meter, you can get a free cable for connecting it to your PC, just go to the Abbott Laboratories website and ask for one! The Precision Link software is free too and can give you some really useful statistics (like time-of-day trend analysis).

3. The PC cable can be a little tricky to use. Don't push it all the way into the meter, just far enough so that the meter realizes it's connected to a PC.

[spike]

I'm getting a PhD in molecular microbiology (in my 5th year and almost done). We use 70% EtOH solutions all of the time in lab to help sanitize (not sterilize) surfaces and it certainly does more than a "near zero value" in reducing the amounts of bacteria. You may be right if you just tap it on your skin, but the same can be said if you only run your hands under water when washing without actually scrubbing. I've done my research....
LOL! Are you more knowledgeable than the collective knowledge of surgeons throughout the world? I'll take THEIR word over yours any day. It just so happens...never mind...I'm not going to get into the particulars but I can tell you that there is no benefit to swabbing one's fingertips with alcohol. AAMOF that practice has be roundly denounced for at LEAST the last 15 years, OR MORE.

Your PhD status does NOT change the facts of alcohol NOT being recommended for bg testing. Sorry, but's that been established long before you BEGAN your Phd studies. It's likely to continue after you get the sheepskin.

[mwalt2]

LOL! Are you more knowledgeable than the collective knowledge of surgeons throughout the world? I'll take THEIR word over yours any day. It just so happens...never mind...I'm not going to get into the particulars but I can tell you that there is no benefit to swabbing one's fingertips with alcohol. AAMOF that practice has be roundly denounced for at LEAST the last 15 years, OR MORE.

Your PhD status does NOT change the facts of alcohol NOT being recommended for bg testing. Sorry, but's that been established long before you BEGAN your Phd studies. It's likely to continue after you get the sheepskin.
Alright, I'm not trying to argue with you here. You don't have to try to berate me with your posts. I probably misinterpreted what you wrote. I took the "nearly zero" to mean that alcohol does not kill bacteria, ever in any setting. Now that I've read your replies, I think you are referencing specifically to testing on a finger. I agree that it is pointless to use an alcohol swab in that instance, I don't even wash my hands 99% of the time when testing. Alcohols do kill vegetative forms of bacteria, which is all I was trying to say and thought your "near zero" was in reference to alcohols ability to kill bacteria. Again, we are both in agreement that it is not needed when lancing a finger. You don't have to type in caps and tell me to do my research blah blah to get your point across.

[Harold]

You guys are funny, but not that funny and it's getting tedious for the rest of us.

In general alcohol is not recomended. As it was given to me by a nurse, "Because it kills skin cells." So using alcohol for cuts and other wounds into and through the skin has been discouraged for some time now. However when it's all you have it is better than nothing, as long as you do not use it on a regular basis.

[koblenz]

"Because it kills skin cells."
I can also confirm that it DOES kill brain cells... uh... when taken internally.... Oh and uh..... on a Friday or Saturday night .... oh never mind.

[spike]

Alright, I'm not trying to argue with you here. You don't have to try to berate me with your posts. I probably misinterpreted what you wrote. I took the "nearly zero" to mean that alcohol does not kill bacteria, ever in any setting. Now that I've read your replies, I think you are referencing specifically to testing on a finger. I agree that it is pointless to use an alcohol swab in that instance, I don't even wash my hands 99% of the time when testing. Alcohols do kill vegetative forms of bacteria, which is all I was trying to say and thought your "near zero" was in reference to alcohols ability to kill bacteria. Again, we are both in agreement that it is not needed when lancing a finger. You don't have to type in caps and tell me to do my research blah blah to get your point across.


I typed in caps?? A few words, here and there, maybe.

anyway, I guess we are in agreement that alcohol has no place in the testing of one's bg's as it does more overall harm than good.

To Harold: I'm sorry you were offended by our discussion!

[sydneya]

I was told that the reason for not using alcohol each time you do a test is because the alcohol dries out your skin. And, boy, I'll do anything to make my skin easier to lance. (It at least feels like it'll lance easier when it is softer.--Besides my husband likes me soft and cuddly :flute:) I do wash with soap and warm water to get any substance off and make the blood flow a little easier.

[Dewey]

I think what people need to realize here is that Alcohol is used by some, and not used by others. It must have some qualities if doctors and phlebotomists throughout America use it prior to pricking a patient's finger or poking a vein for blood. I'm not trying to argue with anyone, merely making an observation.