Glucometers in Philippines

[Dave Hounddriver]

For those who are coming from a developed country and have any diabetes condition that requires checking your blood sugar, get a quality meter before you come and get plenty of strips.

I have had nothing but bad experiences with Philippine glucometers.  In addition, testing strips for a quality machine are very hard to come by (I haven't found any available strips for imported glucometers but there may be some).  The local testing strips for the local machines are expensive and inaccurate.

How inaccurate?  Well its hit and miss and even a stopped clock is right twice a day, but lets take this morning:  My glucose measurement was 125.  That seemed high and did not 'feel' right.  So I tested 30 seconds later, same machine with a new strip and it measured 110.  Which one was right?  I have no idea if either of them were but I need to take certain amounts of medication when my blood sugar climbs over 100 and knowing exactly what the measurement is indicates how much I should take.

Be aware of this.  My last machine was bought in Canada and I brought it here with enough strips to last a year but they are gone now.  I will get another one next trip..When I had that machine I tested and compared to tests from a Philippine glucometer.  The results were seldom similar.

[Mike S]

Hello fellow diabetic .... here is some info from the Diabetic Association I found for you as it used to drive me crazy till my Dr. said not to worry about it it will drive you crazy ..... many things can enter into it .... if you wash your hands (I don't) .... how well you dry them and if you washed them with soap and water .... (please don't tell J about this .... ) ... by the way I use the One Touch glucometer .... and manage to keep my readings about 120 - 100 .... your readings will also vary during the day as mine is always higher in the morning .... unless I cheat at lunch .....

suesmith wrote:

I was just diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago, so have been testing randomly to see how my food choices are affecting my glucose levels-I just checked my right index finger and got 145...I was curious if I would get the same reading from my left hand, so I tried that, and it was 106 (this was like 1 minute later)..then I tried my right ring finger and it was 91...did my left again, it was 106...Is my glucose meter goofed up? Can it vary that much in a few minutes time (I last had eaten string cheese about an hour before I did this)?  I am confused, and don't have any experience to base this on-I think I may just test my left hand, it seems to be more cooperative  

Any help is most appreciated

 

Sue

---

You will probably get a lot of responses reminding you that meters in the US have an allowable tolerance of +/- 15 to 20%. However, I don't think that is the case here.

In this case the other possibility is slight contamination of the test site on your right index finger. All of the other readings are tightly grouped: 106, 91, 106. Those are all within 10 % of the average of 101.

It only takes a tiny amount of food contamination on a finger to give a higher than actual reading.

Cheers, Alan, Type 2, d&e metformin 2000mg, Australia.

 

 

And what ever you do DON'T stick your finger in to the beer bottle to wash it before taking your blood sample.... not only makes your beer taste bad it will elevate your reading ..... JMHO .....

[Mike S]

Hey Dave and anyone else who is diabetic ..... here is a great article that may explain a lot about blood tests and glucometers ...

 

http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/why-meters-cant-tell-us-our-blood-sugar-levels#1

[intrepid]

3 hours ago, Mike S said:

Hey Dave and anyone else who is diabetic ..... here is a great article that may explain a lot about blood tests and glucometers ...

 

http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/why-meters-cant-tell-us-our-blood-sugar-levels#1

Thanks Dave, a very good and interesting article. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

19 hours ago, Mike S said:

And what ever you do DON'T stick your finger in to the beer bottle to wash it before taking your blood sample

Dang, should have read this part before washing my finger with alcohol . . . it said I am over .08   

 

Just kidding.  All good advice and information and my reading is back where I expected it to be this morning.