ReliOn Home A1c Kit @ Walmart

[Jimbo205]

$10 at Wal*Mart. (Good price whether you have insurance or not!)

Have you used it?

Do you like it?

Do you feel that it is relatively accurate?

I would make this a poll but don't know how.

[ramon]

Hey jimbo, not a bad deal at all though it should only be used like once every 120 days since the last test because that is the lifespan of the red blood cell. It measures the hemoglobin because that is where the sugar is coated too. It is however not really a replacement for meter testing cause the A1c can be artificially low if you have medical conditions that decrease the life of the red blood cells. Hey $10 is not that bad and worth a try to give you the general Idea of how you are doing.
One of the reasons to keep a log of all your meter readings is so you can average them every week then month then quarter and compare to the A1c. I say go for it.

[ramon]

Bountyman
Member
I am a: Type 1 Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: NorCal
Posts: 131

I've read as much information as I could find in regards to home HbA1c tests as I'm interested in purchasing a Bayer A1cNow kit myself.

The most common problem it seems with home A1c testing is user error. There are stringent rules as to how to perform the test and it's easy to ignore them thinking you know what you're doing. The reviews I've read put the A1cNow test as accurate as lab testing or at least within 1% to 3%. You may take a test with the A1cNow kit and then compare it to the lab test and the lab test be off.

I'd say that if you took the A1cNow test and it said 6.4, then you had the lab draw blood and do a test and that test said 5.4 I would find the A1cNow test suspect. I don't think you'll find that. You last lab being 5.1 and the A1cNow test being 5.0 I wouldn't give it a second thought. The difference in those two tests could be nothing more than the temperature difference between the lab test equipment and your test equipment. If your A1cNow test kit recommends that you do the test when the kit is at room temperature...that means 65 to 75 degrees...not 54 degrees while you're wearing a heavy sweater and the room feels comfortable to you.

For the difference between a single $190 dollar HbA1c lab test and 2 A1cNow home tests at $30 with only a 1% to 3% differential in the lower 5% range...I'll do the A1cNow test every time.

FWIW

Borrowed this for reference. Hope its not stealing. Ray

[someone]

I've used those mail in ones before. By the time you get your result back (at least with the one I used), the result is outdated. Might be worth just paying the $15 or so extra for the a1cnow instant test kit so you can get the result immediately.

[Jimbo205]

My A1c test results from my Endocrinologist's office today was 7.08 which my CDE said was roughly 157. (She told me over the phone.)
After my doctor's visit, I did the ReliOn Home A1c Kit in my car, let it dry 30 minutes like it said and mailed it in today. I will see how that compares when I get the results in the mail. I think it is nice how when they mail the results to you, they also let you know what your previous results were with them. I did not expect them to do that. I showed the printout to my doctor (Physicians Assistant) and he took a copy.
In June the ReliOn had said 7.6, my doctor's office said my result was 7.68 or 7.98 I can't remember.

User error. I read it more carefully this time. They tell you to wipe the alcohol on your finger, let your hands hang at your side, etc to get the blood flow going. Prick your finger, and wipe THE FIRST BLOOD DROP away with the alcohol wipe, AND THEN put down the blood in a good flow. The hardest part is when they tell you to fill the WHOLE CIRCLE (which is fairly large) WITHOUT putting one drop on top of another. Pretty hard to do without resisting temptation.

I prefer to get the results by mail. They do give you the option to get the results quicker by email.

Considering I feel like it is like getting a report card for myself, I am not sure if I would do anything different if I got the results instantaneous. It is almost like my doctor's office actually does more with the results than I do. Hmm, it would be nice if it was accurate or at least in the ballpark.

I just know I need a lot of work in measuring grams of food on a daily and hourly basis......

[ramon]

So we can learn from this let us know what you think of the results when they come back. I wonder if the cold weather effects it at all? For all we know this is exactly what the labs do when they test, but chrge more.

[Jay B]

I use the ReliOn test between the lab tests my insurance will pay for. I have found the accuracy to be very good, within 1/10th of a percent the time I did the test at the same time as the lab draw. As for difficulty performing the test, it really is not that difficult if you follow the instructions. Getting a single drop of blood to fill the circle at once is do-able. Waiting 4-5 days for results is pretty quick. I have had the Bayer test done twice before with results off by at least 1/2 of a percent compared to the lab. The nurse/tech said she has found the test seems to always read low.

[retired60]

I use the Reli-On and it has always been right on with the Doc's office. I have just used the Bayer but as of yet I cannot compare as I will see my Doc in Feb and will do one with Bayer then again.

[KatGirl]

I've used it once before and came out with a 4.9. When I had my A1c at the doctors office, it was 5.1. For me it's close enough for to get an idea of how I am doing. I will probably continue to get one between doctor visits.

[art]

I've never been able to find the test kit on my Wally shelves.

Art

[ShottleBop]

I have used the Bayer A1cNow. It gave a reading that was .5 higher than a lab test the same day (A1cNow gave me a 5.9; lab said 5.4). I have read that shipping conditions can affect the accuracy.

[ShottleBop]

I sprung for another A1cNow home tester. Tested this morning: 5.3
That's probably in line with what a lab test would have come up with:

At my last lab, my 3-mo. average BGs (testing 10+ times a day, including one or two middle-of-the night tests nearly every day) were 97: 96 for July, 98 for August, and 97 for September. I was expecting something close to a 5. Lab test came in at 5.4 (and, as noted above, the A1cNow came in at 5.9)

Today, my 3-mo. average BG is 93, and last-30-days average is 92. I should be a couple of points under where I was last time. Given tolerances for error, 5.3 is probably ballpark--and a LOT more in line with expectations than a 5.8 or 5.9--but I don't know whom I have to XXXX to get below 5! (I thought Avivas ran slightly high--and I used a WaveSense Presto for two weeks in there!)

Guess I'm just one of them-there high-glycators.

[foxl]

I got my results by email prompt to a website, within THREE DAYS of mailing it in.

Then again the lab is local to me ... but still, I thought it was prompt, and it appeared to be accurate, too!