2 Meters, Different Results

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Max@20

Member Since 2017
I've been using a borrowed One Touch Ultra Mini which I need to return. It's accurate because twice in the last two weeks I've taken it with me to the vet and we've tested Max's blood side-by-side and get almost the same results: less than 6-8 points difference.

I bought the ReliOn Confirm today because it was recommended and the test strips are a fraction of the price of the Ultra strips. I just tested using both and the Ultra read 161 and the ReliOn was 110, a big difference. I did a second test with the ReliOn and it was 111. (Of course, these numbers are fantastic given all of the the ugly red and black on Max's spreadsheet over the past week and a half since I started home testing!)

I set up the ReliOn and checked the code. It matched. I didn't have any Control solution.

Any experience with seeing differences like this?
 
Meter variance can be 20%. You will dry yourself crazy comparing meters even using the same drop of blood. We look for trends. We test to keep them safe. If one was 20% high and the other 20% low they would be about the same.
 
Meter variance can be 20%. You will dry yourself crazy comparing meters even using the same drop of blood. We look for trends. We test to keep them safe. If one was 20% high and the other 20% low they would be about the same.
And I don't need to be any crazier than I am already! It just seemed that a 50-point difference was a lot; that's 31%. I only have one more test strip for the borrowed one so I can check one more time and see if the spread between the two is at least somewhat consistent.
 
You may find there is a greater difference in higher numbers, and they are closer in lower numbers, where it matters most.
 
The last time I had Lily at the vet, I had checked her sugar before we left the house for the vet's office. My Relion Prime meter had almost the same reading as what they got at the vet's office. If I remember correctly, it was only off by 7.
 
I used the One Touch and often tested with the vet and got the same or very close to the same numbers as his vet meter, and also any blood glucose test results that came back from the lab. I would buy my One Touch test strips off of EBay and set a limit of $33 for 100. It was tough and I had to be very patient and plan far ahead, but I found some very good deals, and would often buy many boxes of 100 at a time. Eventually, I went to the cheaper test strips and bought the Arkray Vital meter, because it was just easier to order the test strips and know they were coming and not have to deal with EBay.

How is Max doing today?
 
The last time I had Lily at the vet, I had checked her sugar before we left the house for the vet's office. My Relion Prime meter had almost the same reading as what they got at the vet's office. If I remember correctly, it was only off by 7.
It might happen occasionally but you'd have to get numerous comparisons like that to be certain they read almost the same.
 
I agree with testing the same drop of blood with two different meters can make you nutty. When you factor in the 20% variance + 0r - which meter do you trust?? Pick one ( I vote for the one that the strips are cheaper) and stick with it. It is nice to know the differential in the event you need to use another meter if your chosen one has broke or battery died. Otherwise, just pick one and stay with that. It is as someone else mentioned : We are looking for trends not an isolated number.
 
I am guilty of the insane side by sides.... after a while of using alpha track and spending a fortune I switched Dre to relion micro (thank you Elise:)
I do keep the alpha track for when Dre is running low as he like to jump off the high dive:eek:
 
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