Recommendations on accurate blood glucose kit?

nighthawk584

my A1C test last April gave me a number of 6.1, which is just at pre-diabetic. Since then, I have lost 65 lbs and see my Dr in a month for another A1C test. I would like to start monitoring my blood sugar at home too. Hopefully I am back in the normal range now! Thanks in advance.

concordancia

It depends how you want to use the information.

I bought the Contour Next One because it syncs with an app and let's me see trends. Turns out I don't use the app now that I am under control.

If you want detailed information about your blood sugar, look for a continuous monitoring system, like DexCom.

Be aware that test strips are the biggest expense, so check out the price of those if money is at all a concern. I really have to hunt around now to get mine at the old price. Even Walmart and Costco are suddenly over a dollar a strip.

Frankly, if you were pre diabetic and have lost a lot of weight, you probably aren't going to get much information from the blood glucose monitor, though.

collectingblues

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes, or are they simply monitoring you to see if it progresses? That makes a difference in terms of what your options and affordability are.

As someone who is "just" prediabetic, the Dexcom that concordancia recommends is not going to be an option for you, unless you've got ~$6,000 to toss around out of pocket -- they're available by prescription only, incredibly expensive, and insurance companies typically only cover them for type 1s, and *maybe* type 2s who are unusual and have hypounawareness.

Test strips are insanely expensive, so again, if you're just prediabetic, your insurance likely will not cover them unless your physician orders them. Maybe do it just once a week unless you have money to burn, but that's not going to give you that much data. You'd be better off getting one of those home A1c testers.

To actually answer your question: For a basic meter, I've always been a One Touch fan, but I now use Contour Next because it communicates electronically with my insulin pump. Doesn't take much blood, and gives you a chance to add more blood if you didn't get enough the first go around.

nighthawk584

well at this point, I have ZERO insurance, so it is all out of pocket anyway. I was pre-diabetic and just want a basic monitor to check blood sugar at home. Thanks for recommendations ...cheaper the better.

NovusDies

We use the Freestyle lite. She is pre-diabetic and I have reactive hypoglycemia so neither of us need to check very often. I like having one because I have had family 3 family members diagnosed diabetic after being in such bad shape they were taken to an emergency room.

Duck_Puddle

Since you are using this to monitor and not to make life saving insulin/glucose dose determinations, you can probably get what you need from using a One Touch meter with generic test strips. The test strips are where the cost is. There are generic test strips made for older one touch meters-and those strips are a fraction of the cost. I wouldn’t want to use them if my life depended on it, but for just monitoring it would be fine (and as close to a reasonable cost as can be had).

collectingblues

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

Since you are using this to monitor and not to make life saving insulin/glucose dose determinations, you can probably get what you need from using a One Touch meter with generic test strips. The test strips are where the cost is. There are generic test strips made for older one touch meters-and those strips are a fraction of the cost. I wouldn’t want to use them if my life depended on it, but for just monitoring it would be fine (and as close to a reasonable cost as can be had).

So true. When I accidentally left my meter at work last week, I had to stop and buy another Contour Next; it wouldn't communicate with my pump, but I had plenty of strips at home... I was *shocked* that it was only $20 -- until I remembered that well, they sell the strips for $72 for a box of 50. If I were paying OOP, that 50 would barely last me two weeks -- I'd be going through $150 a month, easily.

nighthawk584

Awesome info people! yeah, they always get you on the backend ...just like printers and replacing ink cartridges! another question...how often would I need to check it being pre-diabetic? would once a week be plenty?

NovusDies

nighthawk584 wrote: »

Awesome info people! yeah, they always get you on the backend ...just like printers and replacing ink cartridges! another question...how often would I need to check it being pre-diabetic? would once a week be plenty?

Once a month is probably fine unless you feel symptomatic.

puffbrat

concordancia wrote: »

It depends how you want to use the information.

I bought the Contour Next One because it syncs with an app and let's me see trends. Turns out I don't use the app now that I am under control.

If you want detailed information about your blood sugar, look for a continuous monitoring system, like DexCom.

Be aware that test strips are the biggest expense, so check out the price of those if money is at all a concern. I really have to hunt around now to get mine at the old price. Even Walmart and Costco are suddenly over a dollar a strip.

Frankly, if you were pre diabetic and have lost a lot of weight, you probably aren't going to get much information from the blood glucose monitor, though.

Just to add to this - I don't have personal experience but my FIL spent most of his career working for a company in manufacturing meters and test strips. He is adamant in saying to always buy the monitor with the cheapest test strips. The companies have a tiny to nonexistent profit margin from the monitors, they get it all from the strips.

PKM0515

Not a fan of the One Touch. I really liked the Accu-Chek Aviva Plus.

Keep in mind that diabetic supplies (meter, lancets, test strips) actually have expiration dates.

lorrpb

This seems like a good topic to talk to your doctor about next month. You need to understand what “makes sense “ to do for your condition and risk factors and how to interpret/ act on your daily findings. Otherwise you could easily create anxiety for yourself for no reason. It won’t hurt you, but there might be no point.

nighthawk584

thanks for all your input..I decided to get this one. My first reading was 107 within 2 hours after eating and did it again this morning after not eating for 12 hours and it was 97. All looks normal..just hope my A1C test is back to normal.

PKM0515

nighthawk584 wrote: »

thanks for all your input..I decided to get this one. My first reading was 107 within 2 hours after eating and did it again this morning after not eating for 12 hours and it was 97. All looks normal..just hope my A1C test is back to normal.

I would be THRILLED with those numbers! 😀

nighthawk584

SaraKim17 wrote: »

nighthawk584 wrote: »

thanks for all your input..I decided to get this one. My first reading was 107 within 2 hours after eating and did it again this morning after not eating for 12 hours and it was 97. All looks normal..just hope my A1C test is back to normal.

I would be THRILLED with those numbers! 😀

it definitely eased my mind!

collectingblues

nighthawk584 wrote: »

thanks for all your input..I decided to get this one. My first reading was 107 within 2 hours after eating and did it again this morning after not eating for 12 hours and it was 97. All looks normal..just hope my A1C test is back to normal.

Good meter choice! That’s the one I bought as my backup last weekend, and I really liked it.

nighthawk584

collectingblues wrote: »

nighthawk584 wrote: »

thanks for all your input..I decided to get this one. My first reading was 107 within 2 hours after eating and did it again this morning after not eating for 12 hours and it was 97. All looks normal..just hope my A1C test is back to normal.

Good meter choice! That’s the one I bought as my backup last weekend, and I really liked it.

I found 100 test strips for this meter and 100 lancets on Amazon for $50.00 ....this unit on Amazon was $14.00. Pretty good deal...I priced them at CVS and they wanted $150 just for the test strips!

Pricklypineapple422

What are you planning on doing with the information? Are you going to change something? You are already losing a significant amount of weight. If nothing you do is going to change then I would personally just wait and have your A1C checked again in a month like you said. No point in spending money and poking yourself if it isn't going to change anything.

earlnabby

nighthawk584 wrote: »

well at this point, I have ZERO insurance, so it is all out of pocket anyway. I was pre-diabetic and just want a basic monitor to check blood sugar at home. Thanks for recommendations ...cheaper the better.

Are you in the US? Walmart has their own brand of Relion blood glucose monitoring things. You can get the meter for about $20 and the strips are a box of 100 for $18.

I am diagnosed T2Dm so my insurance pays for a meter and 100 strips every 90 days (testing once in the morning). I like to test more frequently but insurance will only pay for it if I need insulin (which I don't). I have the One Touch Ultra for the morning fasting and a Relion for other tests. Occasionally I have used both on the same drop of blood and they are typically within 5-10 points of each other which is within the normal margin of error for all meters.

Pricklypineapple422 wrote: »

What are you planning on doing with the information? Are you going to change something? You are already losing a significant amount of weight. If nothing you do is going to change then I would personally just wait and have your A1C checked again in a month like you said. No point in spending money and poking yourself if it isn't going to change anything.

I agree with this too. Remember, a blood glucose meter only tells you what is happening at that one point in time and many things affect it. If I don't eat breakfast, my pre-lunch number is higher because the muscles are releasing glycogen into the bloodstream in order to fuel my activity. If I exercise for 15 minutes, my number goes down but more than that makes it spike, again a glucose dump from the muscles. The A1c is the important test, not the daily meter. It shows your average BG over a period of approximately 3 months so it averages out the highs and lows.

nighthawk584

Thanks, I understand the A1C is the "real" test. that is what started me losing the weight in the first place, getting a 6.1 number in April.... I just see no harm other than piece of mind averaging my blood sugar for a while and every so often, to see if it is in normal range or what. So far everything indicates normal. I wish I would have checked it at the start of my journey too but oh well. Yep, the A1C is my true test which is in a month....I guess the paranoia really hits home because both my parents had Diabetes Type 2, with my Dad being the worst losing both his legs, and the many years of hospital stays trying to save them too.

Pamela_Sue

@nighthawk584 Perhaps the glucose monitor wasn't technically necessary, but if it helps you in your wellness journey, then it was a wise choice for you. From what I have read, "for people without diabetes, the normal range for A1C level is between 4 and 5.6. A1C levels between 5.7 and 6.4 mean you have a higher chance of getting diabetes. Levels of 6.5 or higher mean you have diabetes." Your A1C of 6.1 was definitely creeping up there, especially considering your parental factors. Glad to see you taking steps now and not until having full-blown diabetes as I do.
On another note, when you do have your next A1C test, know that the test somehow looks at the recent 3-month period of time, with more emphasis on recent days and less emphasis on 90 days ago. So don't be discouraged if it hasn't dropped to your desired goal yet. The downward trend is what is important.

earlnabby

Pamela_Sue wrote: »

@nighthawk584 Perhaps the glucose monitor wasn't technically necessary, but if it helps you in your wellness journey, then it was a wise choice for you. From what I have read, "for people without diabetes, the normal range for A1C level is between 4 and 5.6. A1C levels between 5.7 and 6.4 mean you have a higher chance of getting diabetes. Levels of 6.5 or higher mean you have diabetes." Your A1C of 6.1 was definitely creeping up there, especially considering your parental factors. Glad to see you taking steps now and not until having full-blown diabetes as I do.
On another note, when you do have your next A1C test, know that the test somehow looks at the recent 3-month period of time, with more emphasis on recent days and less emphasis on 90 days ago. So don't be discouraged if it hasn't dropped to your desired goal yet. The downward trend is what is important.

Drastic action CAN have immediate results for some people, others take a while, and some do both. I was diagnosed with an A1c of 7.2. Four months later it was 5.6 but after that it dropped very slowly (like 1/10th each quarter) until I reached my lowest of 5.0. I have maintained between 5.0 and 5.3 ever since (5 years). The sudden drop after diagnosis was because of a drop of 35 lb. I wasn't following macros yet so I reduced my carbs as part of overall calorie reduction but was not counting them or staying below a recommended number.

lorrpb

A1c evaluates blood glucose over a 90 day period, so short term changes may not impact it as much.

rheddmobile

Just FYI what a1c is measuring is the percentage of glycated hemoglobin - red blood cells which have a sugar molecule stuck to them. This happens more often when your blood sugar is high, and these particular cells live about 90 days, so that’s how long it takes the old ones to die off and be replaced.

There are some issues with blood cells which can cause misleading a1c readings. For example some athletes have red blood cells with exceptionally long lifespans, which accumulate more sugar over time, and thus they have falsely high a1c readings. And some people (such as me!) have illnesses which can cause red blood cells to die off, which may give falsely low readings because many cells are younger than expected.

In general though it’s a good indication of the level of sugar in your blood for about the past 90 days.

I like the Bayer contour next myself, because it got the highest accuracy rating on consumer testing.

NovusDies

Pricklypineapple422 wrote: »

What are you planning on doing with the information? Are you going to change something? You are already losing a significant amount of weight. If nothing you do is going to change then I would personally just wait and have your A1C checked again in a month like you said. No point in spending money and poking yourself if it isn't going to change anything.

You could log the results. You could spot check yourself periodically to see if you need to see a doctor sooner. You could check yourself when you felt poorly to confirm or rule out low or high blood sugar. Any or all of these might be worth spending the money.