[kellyinkc]

I realized I have about 100 strips for my Accu Check Aviva that expire in about 6 days! Great! I discovered I can use a different code key from another set with the expired strips, but I wondered if the results will be skewed?

I did a quick test and with a matching code/strip I was 90 and with the non-matching I was 95. Does anyone know if I can just use a correction factor of -5 when I test with the non-matching??

Thanks!!

[Jan B]

Only my opinion . . . I would use those strips even if they are about to expire, as long as the bottle was unopened. I'm not fully understanding your coding comments . . .

But, using the incorrect code can make a HUGE difference in your reading. I had a horrible experience using the wrong code once. There was a 360 point difference! I corrected for a very high bg (which I didn't really have), and ended up lost and scared to death in my car in a neighborhood I knew well.

Also, there can be quite of bit of variation in the bg number with different meters & even with the same meter. We can get as much as a 10 point difference (or more), for example, testing with the same bottle of strips in the same meter just seconds apart. It's very aggravating to some people -- you just need to know that the number isn't necessarily going to be identical -- it rarely is.

In a roundabout way, I hope I answered!

[patricia52]

I think the strips are all right to use but you have to use the code on the bottle to get a correct reading. Did you try changing the date on your meter? You may have to remove the battery to make it accept the new date. I have not used the Aviva enough to know how it responds to expired strips.