[Larry H.]

I have been getting a wide range of readings of late that has led me to wonder about my meter. So today I called customer service at One Touch. I was pleased to be told they would replace my meter with a new model since it was reading over 20% different than the hospital lab recently..
On that point I ask her what the suggested timing should be on after meal reading. The hospital had done it at 2 hours after eating was completed. Not the "first bite" I had long been doing after reading on this site that it was the proper way.. She agreed with the hospital that it should be from the time you finish your meal.. She agreed that a higher reading might be observed at the earlier time, but that what your looking for is where you system is after it levels off some from eating. She said all diabetic persons will show a elevated reading after eating but its the long term range to which your body is adjusting that is important. Be curious to know what others think about that..

[Kubilee]

I am happy that worked out for you and they were cool with you about it.

I have been having the same problems with my Breeze 2 and I pulled out two other meters....... one of which also belongs to Bayer, the Breeze is reading anywhere from 40-60 pts, and worse at times, difference, but they seem to think it is how I am testing.... although I use the EXACT same blood poke and test on the other two meters and it does this. I was sick for nearly a month because of this..... it was reading like 160ish and I was trying to adjust my diet accordingly and ended up having it way too low..... all because of this meter. And they refused to believe it was the meter even though the other backup I was using was THEIRS and they refused to even consider it was a meter or strip problem, so I told them exactly where they could put their products.. and hung up.

THREE times I called them and ALL three times was met with "it's you, it isn't our perfect product"

And I was nice about it up until the third call and was so sick I felt like I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

[MJB]

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) defines the 2-hour PPG as: a measurement of glucose 2 hours after the start of the meal.

[Kubilee]

Originally Posted by MJB

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) defines the 2-hour PPG as: a measurement of glucose 2 hours after the start of the meal.

That's what I was told... but have had a few say to wait until two hours after the last bite of food. lol

[Larry H.]

I must say that the lady was excellent and very pleasant to deal with. She offered me a choice of two new meters, the mini and the more standard type. I choose the later because it gives the averages which the mini didn't. She ran me though all the how do you use your meter questions but never made me feel like I was doing anything wrong. I have had the One touch about a year now, but I did notice that the rebate in the carton had expired over a year previous to the time I purchased it. It could be they felt it might be in need of replacing?

[ladytaz]

My personal opinion of the Breeze .... it SUX! My sis got this meter first, and it was WAY off of my OneTouch meters. It was also difficult to use, and wasted quite a few strips! When you're only alotted so many strips per month, this can become a problem, yanno!! I didn't like it!

She had a friend send her an unused Contour, and it is MUCH closer to the OneTouch in it's readings, and MUCH easier to use than the Breeze! She now uses the Contour. I also have a Contour that I use as backup! Both my parents also use the Contour.

I'm still a OneTouch fan though!

As to the time frame. Over 20 years ago, when I had GD, I had to go to the hospital to have my BG checked. They checked my blood immediately before I ate, and then again, two hours later. Not two hours after I finished my meal, but two hours after I STARTED my meal. This is how I've always known it to be, and this is how I continue to test.

Though, readings can be swayed by how long it takes a person to eat! I believe the average meal eating time is like 15 minutes. But, some people eat faster, and some eat slower. So, in those cases, I suppose 15 or 30 minutes can make a difference! Unless there is some scientific proof of which time to test is better, it will probably be a debate that goes on forever!

[Gangrel]

In my mind, as long as you are consistent, your adjustments will all work out in the wash anyway.....

[Kubilee]

Originally Posted by Gangrel

In my mind, as long as you are consistent, your adjustments will all work out in the wash anyway.....

That was my problem, I WAS being so consistant in my diet and excercise and everything, that's why when I opened this last box of strips and everything started reading all screwed up, it made me wonder what in the world was going on. I was so frustrated thinking I MUST be doing something wrong to have it just start going thru the roof for what seemed to be no reason. So I'd start eating less and less and doing so much more to get the numbers back down, only to have them go TOO far down. what a mess that was. lol

ladytaz... the Breeze is what my Doctor gave me when he told me I had Diabetes in May, so I really didn't have much to compare it to until I started picking up a freebie here and there, thanks to THIS place... so I was just working with that one. It worked fine, or so I thought, until it was time to buy new strips..... and that's when this whole nightmare started.

I just found out all of this like last week, so I am still not back to normal on anything just yet, and it is a horrible feeling, as I am sure you can attest to.

Lifescan blows Bayer away, hands down and no comparison here.

[Gangrel]

Originally Posted by Kubilee

That was my problem, I WAS being so consistant in my diet and excercise and everything, that's why when I opened this last box of strips and everything started reading all screwed up, it made me wonder what in the world was going on.

I was referring more to the choosing of a "post 2 hour" debate of first bite vs. finish meal, lol.

If a person can prove their metre is wonky, that's a good thing. I've had numbers and readings change for no reason based on the full moon or something else (lol) so you also have to learn to shrug things off and realize it's "just because".

[Larry H.]

I can relate.. After having settled into a rather usual pattern of what I could expect to see I started seeing those high ends ones sometimes even after eating nearly the exact same meal. It is unsettling when your not sure of why? When it keeps giving odd readings it becomes irritating. After many mornings recently over 100 into the 127 range one day, and this morning to get a 69 was just not reasonable, at least it doesn't seem so. And in light of the fact that I had eaten quite a number of carb laden snacks the night before with company.. I would have guessed exactly the opposite effect.. After breakfast was a 78, which most days would be at least pushing into the low one hundreds somewhere. It does make one wonder if the tester could be not working correctly.. thus the call to One Touch.

[Kubilee]

Originally Posted by Gangrel

I was referring more to the choosing of a "post 2 hour" debate of first bite vs. finish meal, lol.

If a person can prove their metre is wonky, that's a good thing. I've had numbers and readings change for no reason based on the full moon or something else (lol) so you also have to learn to shrug things off and realize it's "just because".

Oh lord, so do I. Mine sometimes for no apparent reason will be all crazy. This morning I woke up to a 167 after only taking my last pill last night with a small glass of 1% milk when I usually eat a bowl of cereal or something healthy like.

I do mine two hours after I am finished eating, that seems to be my best, but I have been told both ways. and when they tell me, they absolutely swear that's most accurate.... if they believe it is after the first bite, they are passionate about it, likewise for those that think it is after you are finished. lol

I actually checked it both ways one night just to see what would be the difference and it was only about 20 pt difference, so I stick with my 2 hours after my LAST bite. At least I feel better that way. lmao

[Larry H.]

[
I do mine two hours after I am finished eating, that seems to be my best, but I have been told both ways. and when they tell me, they absolutely swear that's most accurate.... if they believe it is after the first bite, they are passionate about it, likewise for those that think it is after you are finished. lol

I actually checked it both ways one night just to see what would be the difference and it was only about 20 pt difference, so I stick with my 2 hours after my LAST bite. At least I feel better that way. lmao[/quote]

I guess I am repeating here, but from what the woman told me it did make a bit of sense. If your testing earlier you may indeed see a higher number. But her point was that everyone that is having an intolerance to glucose is going to show short term spikes after eating. In her view it was where the person settled down to that was more important since that is the level your body is dealing with most of the time. As you say though no doubt both sides have a point.

[JasonJayhawk]

In the "old days," it was easy to get a meter replacement for a defect (such as eronious readings).

But now, meter companies are required by the FDA to report each "defect", including the action taken to correct the defect (such as "meter replacement.") They must report issues like if someone was injured by the issue, or what the circumstances were surrounding the error of the meter (or strips), as well as the corrective action taken. Sometimes it is simply "patient education."

These are entered into a database which is publically viewable by everyone (including us) on the FDA website.

Because these failures must be listed, I imagine there is paperwork involved, so the companies are reluctant to provide a replacement -- because that means they made an error, and the public (including stock investors) will see these replacements and might overreact to them.

Lesson here: We will find it getting more difficult to get a replacement in the USA. We are better off calling to report that we "dropped the meter in the toilet, and would like a free replacement." Then we'd be most likely to get a replacement, because their product was not designed to be dropped in toilets.

[Funnygrl]

When I was in high school some jerk decided to empty his water bottle into my backpack as a nice joke. My OneTouch Ultra was in there (the retro style one!) and got soaked. I called them, told them what happened, and they willingly sent me a new one.