Is there something wrong with my girlfriends glucose meter ?? please help!!!?

Question

this is the story,... my gf is diabetic type 1, and she just got a new glucose meter ( ONE TOUCH ULTRA MINI ) she checked her glucose and its supposed to be under 140 because just ate 30 minutes ago but it was 207 !!! but she check it again just to make sure and that one was 183 !!! after that i decide to check my own glucose ( i am not a diabetic person and i just ate 30 minutes before too ) and mine was 99 when it was supposed to be at least 110 !!! then she try again on herself like 20 seconds after her second try and then it was 173 !!! IT WENT DOWN FROM OVER 200 TO 173 !!! IN JUST 3 MINUTES !!! she fells fine BUT is it she or the device is not working fine ???

it is supposed to work fine because we check everything .. please help asap !!! 10 points the best answer

Answer 1

did she make sure her hands where clean before testing I find if I have problems with my meter I tend to wipe my finger with an alcohol swab or wash my hands if swabs not available.  Here in Australia we test differently to you we use mml (eg low is less than 4.5mml high is anything greater than 8mml).

Answer 2

get the meter testing stuff its this liquid that u put in the strip like ur testing ur BG and u do 3 tests and if they r in the normal range then ur good but if they r out i would recommend getting a new meter

Answer 3

Your meter is probably correct. While home blood test meters are a great piece of equipment they are not a precision laboratory instrument and Government regulations only require them to be accurate within a certain range, somewhere between 15 and 25% IIRC, so looking at those results they are within the  range of accuracy expected. You can contact the manufacturer who will send you a test solution so you can test it to check  that it is within range. Check that it is calibrated to the batch of strips you are currently using and make sure hands are clean any trace of food that can distort the reading. Also readings taken at the same time from the same site with the same blood sample can be different. Unless the reading is totally out of expected range it's probably pretty close. If it's way out of line or extremely low or high retest to be sure. Just to check the calibration of your meter take it with you next time you have a laboratory blood test and test from the same draw with the same sample going to the lab, unless your meter is actually broken you will probably find it is range expected by the manufacturer. Don't panic it's probably ok.

  

Answer 4

Actually normal glucose should be 80-120.....

First of all what did she eat?  Some foods give an instant sugar.....some are a longer lasting....

Make sure you have her calibrate her meter...then try again...

Make sure she documents what her levels are and the time....It seems a little late for dinner...did you snack before or consume any alchol?

*** Potatos always sent me over the edge!!!

****A good way to help lower that level would be to take a walk after dinner

***Since you didn't mention insulin...I am going to asume that the dr is intending to attempt a diet control.....Make sure you write down everything she is eating and the time, the level before and after meals.....You will be able to tell what foods she needs to avoid...I wouldn't worry to much because the level is going down...therefore her body is processing the sugar...its a good sign

Answer 5

I am a diet controlled type 2 diabetic. when i was diagnosed I was told to test 2 hours AFTER the meal, because of the way Blood Glucose rises. Your reading sounds okay at 99 for a non-diabetic. You should check the meter with CONTROL SOLUTION to check accuracy. they recommend control solution once a week or when new strips are opened but I know lots of people don't because my Pharmacy doesn't carry it because it doesn't sell. they have to order it for me.

The blood sugar after eating does increase rapidly (depending on what was eaten) and the as the insulin works it steadily falls. Hopefully to within range within 2 hours, thats why you test after 2 hours. If its not in range in that  time you know you need to make a change. IE. less carbs for the meal,lower portion size. etc....

Answer 6

You first have to check that the coding on the strips correlates with the code that is entered  in the glucometer. The numbers have to match. I have 2 glucometers to check an abnormal readings   so that I can verify the numbers,. She also should of waited for at least 2 hours before she took her glucose level, Did both of you wash your  hands before you checked your glucose level? Any sugar on your fingers would of effected the result.When you eat your pancreas secrets insulin so it's normal for your BS to fall.And your girlfriend BS is supposed to fall,especially if  she took a "fast acting" dose of  insulin.

Answer 7

Does she need to calibrate it? Might have to ask a pharmacist.

Answer 8

She needs to take it to her doctor, diabetic counselor or pharmacist.  They can measure it against their meter to see if it is accurate.