32 replies to this topic

[FunkOdyssey]

I was looking at this product:

http://www.americand...-Kit/Detail.bok

Anyone know if those things are accurate? Have any product recommendations or feedback?

[scottl]

I"e played around with it. I use the one touch ultra and they are pretty accurate.

[tedsez]

You can often buy these monitors very cheaply at big chain drugstores.

That's because the strips are incredibly expensive... and you have to get the proprietary ones for each brand.

A couple of years ago I bought one with 10 sample strips to see if taking supplements (such as Longevinex) made any difference to my blood sugar. It didn't.

I did discover, though, that my fasting glucose went up a little when I gained some weight. (Which is something to think about....)

[Shepard]

I use the Accu-Check Aviva. Got it at Walgreens.

[syr_]

My cholesterol meter has also a reader for glucose, but I do that rarely. My glucose is always around 80

[caston]

I just measured mine using the Truetrack blood glucose monitor. http://secure.diabet...ducts/medibank/

I got 7.3 mmol/ L ( 131.4 mg/dl)

I had been eating grapes.

isn't that bit high?

http://www.medbio.in...e 5/sugar.3.gif

http://www.mgh.org/diabetes/about.html

I'll try to do a fasting test tomorrow.

Edited by caston, 13 January 2009 - 09:21 AM.

[Johan]

I experimented a bit with a blood glucose meter a while ago, and established a fasting glucose of 4.3 mmol/L (77.4 mg/dL). Unfortunately, I have run out of test strips, and they're sort of expensive.

[FunkOdyssey]

I just measured mine using the Truetrack blood glucose monitor. http://secure.diabet...ducts/medibank/

I got 7.3 mmol/ L ( 131.4 mg/dl)

I had been eating grapes.

isn't that bit high?

http://www.medbio.in...e 5/sugar.3.gif

http://www.mgh.org/diabetes/about.html

I'll try to do a fasting test tomorrow.

If you had just eaten a large amount of grapes an hour ago, that would be relatively normal (I think). Try a fasting test, and try eating the same amount of grapes but test again at the 2 hour mark to make sure you are returning to baseline effectively.

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 13 January 2009 - 04:08 PM.

[rwac]

It's not so much fun if you're borderline type II diabetic like me.
I just use the walgreens brand, but I can't vouch for it's accuracy.
You can probably get a discount on the meter, but the disposable strips are expensive ...

[StrangeAeons]

I was looking at this product:

http://www.americand...-Kit/Detail.bok

Anyone know if those things are accurate? Have any product recommendations or feedback?

I sure as hell hope those things work, that's the brand we use on the ambulance!!!

Granted every shift you're supposed to calibrate them with the blue stuff.

Also, a glucometer is only as good as the sample you give it. The method we're trained to use is you prep the finger with alcohol, stick, wipe off the first drop of blood because it's contaminated with alcohol, then take your sample.

[ajnast4r]

I got 7.3 mmol/ L ( 131.4 mg/dl)

I'll try to do a fasting test tomorrow.

i believe that is fairly high for a healthy person, regardless of what you ate... last time i checked my blood sugar it was 2 hours after a large jamba juice shake (150+g fructose), which produced 90 mg/dl and 84mg/dl in my girlfriend

you may want to look into having some fasting bloodwork done and having your hemoglobin 1ac checked.

wipe off the first drop of blood because it's contaminated with alcohol, then take your sample.

good advice

Edited by ajnast4r, 13 January 2009 - 06:19 PM.

[VampIyer]

Fasting: ~ 70 (always)

My 100g glucose tolerance test shows that I have a normal rise in glucose, but after ~1.5 hours, my glucose dips to ~55-60 and stays there for at least an hour before recovering to 65+

[caston]

I got 7.3 mmol/ L ( 131.4 mg/dl)

I'll try to do a fasting test tomorrow.

i believe that is fairly high for a healthy person, regardless of what you ate... last time i checked my blood sugar it was 2 hours after a large jamba juice shake (150+g fructose), which produced 90 mg/dl and 84mg/dl in my girlfriend

you may want to look into having some fasting bloodwork done and having your hemoglobin 1ac checked.

wipe off the first drop of blood because it's contaminated with alcohol, then take your sample.

good advice

I checked mine again today and got 8.6 mmol/L

I hadn't really been eating all that much high GI stuff... perhaps the problem is that I've been sitting around at home a lot during the day and i'm only going to the gym 1 day a week at the moment...

I forgot to do a fasting test today as I headed straight to the fridge and started eating grapes as soon as I came out of the shower. I've only got 1 testing strip left i'll try to use it on a fasting test tomorrow morning. I might buy a different glucose monitor instead of getting refill strips. That way I can compare the results between the two meters.

I think the strips cost about as much as buying a glucose meter unless you have a healthcare card (government issued concession) in which case the replacement strips only cost a few dollars.

edit: I did a blood glucose test again this time first thing in the morning before eating and I got 6.1 mmol/L ( 109.8mg/dl) I think need to dry a different testing meter but will try to do a lot more weight lifting and resistance training to burn up that glucose.

Edited by caston, 15 January 2009 - 12:47 AM.

[caston]

OK after my fasting test above I had a very light breakfast consisting of about 4 grapes and a few small chunks of leg ham. I then caught the bus into the city and went to the gym. I spent 2 hours doing weights and then ran 2k on treadmill. I then walked around the city a bit to get to the chemist where I original bought my blood glucose meter only to find that the people that staff it now aren't half as knowledgeable as the people that staffed it about 6 months ago and they also didn't sell the refill strips. I ended up go to a different chemist and getting 50 strips. I then caught the train and was going to get another bus after that but I missed it so ended up walking most of the way until I caught another bus then walked home after that.

I came in and checked my blood glucose again. This time I got 4.3mmol/L (77.4 mg/dl) which is a big improvement. Now I guess the question is what my reading is going to be after my next meal or my next high fructose juice or whatever to test my insulin resistance or sensitivity.

To keep it low I should consider eating low-GI foods.. avoid bread, milk, etc and also do a lot of exercise and weight training to make sure I am burning whatever glucose I do take in.

I'm considering cinnamon but I also hear that it can actually mess with your blood glucose metabolism so should do more research and get more information opinions first.

I know the brain requires glucose to function but I also hear that it can run on lactate (not to be confused with lactose). The concept is that animals that would run their brains on lactate where able to survive in competition with animals that couldn't because they were able to invest all their glucose in fighting or outrunning the other animal.

you may want to look into having some fasting bloodwork done and having your hemoglobin 1ac checked.

thanks ajnast4r,


I'm expecting the doctor to shake his head and mutter hypochondriac under his breath but it's a good idea

What's the hemoglobin 1ac check for?

Edited by caston, 15 January 2009 - 07:08 AM.

[rwac]

OK after my fasting test above I had a very light breakfast consisting of about 4 grapes and a few small chunks of leg ham. I then caught the bus into the city and went to the gym. I spent 2 hours doing weights and then ran 2k on treadmill. I then walked around the city a bit to get to the chemist where I original bought my blood glucose meter only to find that the people that staff it now aren't half as knowledgeable as the people that staffed it about 6 months ago and they also didn't sell the refill strips. I ended up go to a different chemist and getting 50 strips. I then caught the train and was going to get another bus after that but I missed it so ended up walking most of the way until I caught another bus then walked home after that.

I came in and checked my blood glucose again. This time I got 4.3mmol/L (77.4 mg/dl) which is a big improvement. Now I guess the question is what my reading is going to be after my next meal or my next high fructose juice or whatever to test my insulin resistance or sensitivity.

To keep it low I should consider eating low-GI foods.. avoid bread, milk, etc and also do a lot of exercise and weight training to make sure I am burning whatever glucose I do take in.

I'm considering cinnamon but I also hear that it can actually mess with your blood glucose metabolism so should do more research and get more information opinions first.

I know the brain requires glucose to function but I also hear that it can run on lactate (not to be confused with lactose). The concept is that animals that would run their brains on lactate where able to survive in competition with animals that couldn't because they were able to invest all their glucose in fighting or outrunning the other animal.

you may want to look into having some fasting bloodwork done and having your hemoglobin 1ac checked.

thanks ajnast4r,


I'm expecting the doctor to shake his head and mutter hypochondriac under his breath but it's a good idea

What's the hemoglobin 1ac check for?

It checks for glycation, which gives you an estimate of your blood glucose over time.
It's also an estimate of the damage done to your body from the glucose in your blood.

[ajnast4r]

I'm expecting the doctor to shake his head and mutter hypochondriac under his breath but it's a good idea

i've been hearing that a lot lately...doctors not respecting patience wishes & inquiries. my personal opinion is that if your doctor does not take everything you say seriously and treat your inquiries with respect then you should find a new doctor.

[caston]

Ahh yes, I remember now it's glycated hemoglobin ( http://en.wikipedia....ated_hemoglobin )

I did some blood tests last year but I'm not sure where my results are.. I'll have some a look for them. From memory everthing was fine but I can't remember if it checked for glycated hemoglobin or not.

Anyway if I decide to be a savvy and independent person what options are there for checking 1ac at home?

I noticed a lot of the tests on amazon seem to be "we send you the kit, you send the sample to our lab, we send you the results" if it's like that might as well just go to the doctor.

What about this one though?

http://www.amazon.co...ef=pd_sbs_hpc_5

I assume that funky device on the left wouldn't be included? The DCA 2000... I wonder what those things cost?...

http://www.gmi-inc.c...00 Analyzer.htm

Probably a lot... maybe I should go in and get a cholesterol test and ask to them to check for 1ac while i'm there.

edit: there's some listed on ebay... http://shop.ebay.com...fromZR40QQ_mdoZ
Perhaps the next generation will shrink these things down to a few chips.

IBBC: integrated blood barcode chip
http://www.proteomic...tics/21095.html

Edited by caston, 15 January 2009 - 01:06 PM.

[Prometheus]

OK after my fasting test above I had a very light breakfast consisting of about 4 grapes and a few small chunks of leg ham. I then caught the bus into the city and went to the gym. I spent 2 hours doing weights and then ran 2k on treadmill. I then walked around the city a bit to get to the chemist where I original bought my blood glucose meter only to find that the people that staff it now aren't half as knowledgeable as the people that staffed it about 6 months ago and they also didn't sell the refill strips. I ended up go to a different chemist and getting 50 strips. I then caught the train and was going to get another bus after that but I missed it so ended up walking most of the way until I caught another bus then walked home after that.

Caston.. why do you have to go into the whole gory detail about the bus and the walking and the train and the other bus and more walking? I feel hypoglycemic just reading it.

[caston]

Caston.. why do you have to go into the whole gory detail about the bus and the walking and the train and the other bus and more walking? I feel hypoglycemic just reading it.

LOL! Sorry mate.. I'll only post required information next time

[caston]

I'm expecting the doctor to shake his head and mutter hypochondriac under his breath but it's a good idea

i've been hearing that a lot lately...doctors not respecting patience wishes & inquiries. my personal opinion is that if your doctor does not take everything you say seriously and treat your inquiries with respect then you should find a new doctor.

Of course I need to make sure I am treating my doctor with respect. Sometimes I have trouble keeping a straight face myself when asking for all this stuff.
Also doctors like to feel like their professional opinion and experience is appreciated and that your not preempting them with what you dug up on the web.

I'll show the doctor my log of my personal glucose testing and ask her/his opinion about further testing. They'll probably be "oh.. those home testers cannot be trusted i'll refer you to the pathology lab" and i'll be 'ok can you check me for 1ac as well please?" and the Dr says: "sure thing my good patient"

Edited by caston, 15 January 2009 - 01:07 PM.

[fatboy]

I was looking at this product:

http://www.americand...-Kit/Detail.bok

Anyone know if those things are accurate? Have any product recommendations or feedback?

I am metabolic syndrome/pre-diabetic. I take my meter with me to my quarterly labs. I take my sample with my meter just before the phlebotomist takes theirs. I use a Freestlye meter. It has always been within 1-2 mg/d of my reported results. I will continue using it.

Edited by fatboy, 19 January 2009 - 02:09 AM.

[caston]

I found the following:

http://www.healthche....htm#cardiochek

There is a PA version Which can also measure
Total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol,Triglycerides, LDL Cholesterol, ketones

but the basic version only does cholesterol and glucose but I don't think it can descriminate as well between the different types of cholesterol.

I wonder what the difference between the Cardiocheck and PA version is. e.g. if the difference is only in software and modification could be made to get the functionality of the PA version in the cheaper cardiocheck...

either way it looks like u would be going back to them and spending a small fortune on test strips.

Here is another link that explains the differences between the devices a bit better. It may even be worthwhile just getting the basic version and it does say the PA version is only available to health care professionals but i'm willing to bet the shopping cart won't notice.

http://www.cardioche....au/indexA.html

It also says on their FAQ that you can calculate the LDL cholesterol yourself "use the following formula to calculate: LDL Cholesterol = Total Cholesterol - HDL - (Triglycerides/5)"
if you have the basic version.

Edited by caston, 25 January 2009 - 12:00 PM.

[caston]

I had pretty serious meal about 2 hours ago ... Japanese had miso soup then fish katsu with rice followed by a salad followed by 10 pieces of mixed sushi ... I totally stuffed myself forcing down the last 2 bits of suishi... then my bro came come with chocmilk and I start drinking that... now i'm feeling really thirsty... I checked my blood glucose and I've got 9.3 mmol/ L.. should I be concerned?

Edited by caston, 13 November 2009 - 02:43 PM.

[rwac]

I had pretty serious meal about 2 hours ago ... Japanese had miso soup then fish katsu with rice followed by a salad followed by 10 pieces of mixed sushi ... I totally stuffed myself forcing down the last 2 bits of suishi... then my bro came come with chocmilk and I start drinking that... now i'm feeling really thirsty... I checked my blood glucose and I've got 9.3 mmol/ L.. should I be concerned?

Yes, you should be slightly concerned. 9.3 mmol/L = 167 mg/dl
That's higher than the normal.

What you really need to do is check at half hour intervals after you eat a high carb meal, and see how high your glucose goes, and how quickly it falls back to normal. It should also never go above around 11 mmol/L (=200mg/dl)

What's your fasting glucose like ?

It's almost time to reduce carbs!

[pycnogenol]

Hi caston,

Do you have a history of diabetes in your family?

[caston]

rwac: I measured it first thing in the morning after sleeping off that meal and I got 5.0 mmol/L.

That's a good idea to check at 30 min intervals.

pycnogenol: No

Edited by caston, 14 November 2009 - 04:54 PM.

[JackChristopher]

My fasting glucose was 41mg/dl. That sounds abnormally low.

I hadn't eaten since 9:30pm last night. I did the test after 11AM today with this machine, which does ketones too (just found out). I tested the second blood drop. But 5 minutes before testing, I ate some incidentally carbs. I scraped the inside of two banana peels, and had a tablespoon of cream. That's maybe a gram or two.

Should I be worried? I can test postprandial glucose levels after a carby meal today also.

Quick stats: 23 years old. And 6'4" 230 or so lbs

Edited by JackChristopher, 29 November 2009 - 06:27 PM.

[tunt01]

i will tell you a funny story. those of you who are mild-hypochondriacs will appreciate this one. i have a home glucose monitor. i am not diabetic, but i got it at a convention several years ago for medical devices. And they give you a free packet of blood strips which have a certain date. for the first week i got it, it was like any other neat little electronic device. you play with it a bit. i would eat a meal and check my glucose level every 5-10 mins, watch the post prandial spike, and then subsequent drop. i would tweak a meal and try to get the spike down lower etc.

fast forward to a few years later, and i'm feeling really sick one afternoon. i took some aspirin earlier. didn't really help. for the hell of it, i pull out the glucose meter and check my levels. i got a reading of about 300. so naturally, i think wow.. i'm borderline comatose due to high glucose levels. i walk to the store, get some glucerna bars, and skip dinner. check my blood sugar level. again it's about 300, 296 this time. then i keep checking it every 20-30 mins, get readings of 288, 312, etc. by the time the next morning comes, i'm getting a little panicked.

ive run out of test strips, and i go to the local drug store to buy some more. i've barely gotten any sleep, ive lived on a couple glucerna bars and water for almost the last 24 hrs. test my blood w/ the new strip, i get a 74 reading. turns out, using the old 'expired' test strips gave a faulty reading on the glucometer. rather than just rejecting the test strips for being old or outputting a "N/A", the damn reader kept spitting out ~300 level glucose readings.

Edited by prophets, 29 November 2009 - 06:42 PM.

[Skötkonung]

Caston.. why do you have to go into the whole gory detail about the bus and the walking and the train and the other bus and more walking? I feel hypoglycemic just reading it.

LOL! Sorry mate.. I'll only post required information next time

Haha, I thought it was an interesting story.

[Gediminas Jesinas]

Is it useful for non diabetics? I was wondering maybe it could help monitor how well berberine or metformin works? What those devices are useful for more?

Edited by Gediminas Jesinas, 05 August 2020 - 01:48 PM.