It is never a good thing when your glucose meter goes crazy. My glucose meter is my security blanket and if it isn't working correctly, it is like driving blind. I swear the my meter is doing just that. For the past 2 weeks, it has been giving me odd--very odd--readings. Sometimes it works fine, but other times I would test myself and think "that can't be right" so I would retest right away and get a completely different reading. One time, I was feeling low, so i tested--199 it read. Just to be sure, I tested a second later--60. Last week, I was feeling low and I tested--32! I thought it had to be wrong so yet again, I retested and it said I was 55. This has happened quite a few times and it really began to worry me. I called the company and they said they would send me some control solution. Until then, I was completely unsure if I could even trust me meter anymore. It was like a friend who was lying to me and then a second later saying "nah just kiddin man, you're right." What a shame.
While I waited for my solution to come, I decided to check it my own way--to take an innocent Non-diabetic victim and stab their finger and see what my meter read. This victim was of course my boyfriend, Troy. It would have worked in theory, I suppose, but things did not go well. At all. Why, you ask? Because Troy is, yes I will say it, a baby! He was all for it until I had his finger in my hand with my torture device (you would think, at least) and I swear he almost cried. Wait, I think he may have. I was like "I have to do this at least 4 times a day. Man up!" I guess that didn't work. Needless to say, he didn't go through with it. All I did was laugh at him. I asked him how he acted at the doctor's and he said something stupid about getting a lollipop. Boys. Did I say boys? I meant men, I swear.
Anyway, I got the solution in the mail today and finally tested my meter. Wouldn't you know? It was spot on. I was so disappointed because I knew it was messed up. What I think I am going to do is, next time it starts acting up again, I will get out the control solution and test it then. That'll show them! Or else I will call them up and tell them their solution is defective. Either way.
Has this ever happened to anyone? Do you have any ideas of what may be happening? Please, let me know! I want to know that I am doing things correctly. Thanks so much for reading and thanks for the comments!
Hi there. I've had the same thing happen to me a few times with no good explanation that I can find. My endo says it can be a matter of not enough blood, too much blood, etc. So who knows? I hope the meter behaves better for you though!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing drives me crazy and the manufacturers have got it all wrong. How can one be expected to manage diabetes when strips/meters are allowed a 20% variance? Would it be ok if a surgeon had such a variance? "Ooops, I'll get it right the next time." I'm also not sure what the control solution was supposed to prove when it's such a hit and miss kind of issue. If only mfrs would "man up" and admit there's a problem and create an r&d program to fix this we'd all be better off.
ReplyDeleteMeters are ALWAYS off. Everyone has issues with their meters. Most companies give away meters for free, so just contact them! I keep lots of meters around JUST IN CASE you never know! The place these co's make their $ is through the test strips. But the free ones usually come with 10 anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt happens from time to time...definitely have at least one extra meter. I have multiple meters and about once a week I test 2 of them against each other. In my experience (like yours) the control solution is a crock. The company wasn't helpful when I tried to tell them about it, either.
ReplyDelete