So I've been asking myself this question for a long time. I use the One Touch Ultra Minis basically because I've gotten them for free from my doc and if I do have to buy one they're only like $20 and I've seen as low as like $14 on clearance at Walmart. However I've thought about making an investment into a nicer meter if I really knew the benefits. I don't particularly care about having one that stores and maps and graphs my patterns because in the famous words of AT&T "There's an app for that." However, I do feel like sometimes I get random readings and so if they are more accurate I feel like that could be worth my money. So if you know the differences (pros & cons) please enlighten me! :)
Just wondering if you can ask your endo about a different meter, seams like my daughter office has tons of them laying around. Just ask at your next appointment if they could give you a few different brands to try out and see if you like them better :D
Hi Matt, I don't know the answer to that but there is on one meter I want to buy.It is on the home page on dLife.-under Diabetes Gardgets and gizmos.....Bayer Contour USB meter.Test and Plugs right into the computer and you can download your info. It will show trends and such...It looks slim and small too. :)
I know that my endo had several meters and he gives them away willingly for free. As has been mentioned before (at least in other threads), the test strips are how the companies make their $, not the meters. Without an Rx, 1 bottle of Freestyle Flash strips costs $50! That's $1 / strip for you folks playing along at home.
Get an Rx and you can pay the same $50 for 600 strips! Or at least that's what mine is. They're still making $ off the test strips, but it's with Aetna's money, not mine O:-)
I hate to rub this in, but I don't pay a dime for my test strips! I have an Rx and my medical insurance through work pays 100%! Again, Pat, if you're playing along, that works out to $0 per strip! LOL
I hate to rub this in, but I don't pay a dime for my test strips! I have an Rx and my medical insurance through work pays 100%! Again, Pat, if you're playing along, that works out to $0 per strip! LOL
Good thing, at the rate I go through them!
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I wish that I didn't have to pay for strips but it's not bad. It's along the same lines as Pat but I only get 100 at a time and it's $10. They gave me 150 one time and I was hoping it would be like that from now on so that I didn't have to get it filled quite as often but I think they made a mistake so they started giving me 100 again. I'll ask my doc about other kits on my next apt.
I play with the one touch brand of meter's. I have the Ping Meter, I still have the meter from my MM pump, and also the one touch mini. Later today when i can gather the three of them all in one place I will run a test to see what happens number wise. I mean the cost of the meter should not matter, it is all the same basic components. It is not like the mini tests different than the ultra smart or ping. I will see what happens though with 3 meters, using the same sample of blood. I will move on to another sample and try again. I will do it three times and see what the difference is. Plus after that I will also use the control to ensure accuracy. I will get to the bottom of this for you.
So as promised I tested with three different One Touch meters today, doing a few different options. I used a One touch Ultra Link, One Touch Ping, and One Touch Ultra Mini:
Meter: Ultra Link Ping Mini
140 142 149 Right Middle Post Exercise
143 155 153 Left Middle Post Exercise
152 162 146 Left Pink Post Excercise
120 121 126 Control Test 1
122 120 124 Control Test 2
51 52 59 Low 1
51 51 49 Low 2
My conclusion to the test is that really they all are relatively close in the end. The numbers I got with the mini were the most erratic, not that the ping meter were much better. The meter that seemed to show the least change in the few minutes I tested off and on was that of the Ultra Link, which is supposed to be the same as the Ping remote and I think the Ultra Smart Meter. All different prices though. So all in all the cost did not seem to matter, however I felt the Ultra meter which was more costly was slightly better.
Brian, you're my hero! I've often wondered if there was much difference between my ultra-link and my mini but never took the time to carry out a scientific test. Thanks for the info!
No problem. I had an overflow of strips right now. So it was well worth my trying them out. Not to mention when I was using the mini strictly I had my doubts at times. I would sometimes test and get a 77 and go to myself. "Self, I feel worse than this 77." So I would test again and get a 54, and say to self, "Self that seems much better, but I wonder why I got a 77 the first time. Let me check one more time." So the third time I would get a 62. Very frustrating.
Starting to worry you??? Man I am not doing my job right if it has taken me so long to get you. And my conversations when I talk to self are on the inside. I would be more worried when the conversations to self are on the outside.
Thanks for making me smile on this Monday morning, as they are jackhammering the street right outside my (home) office! Besides the noise, the whole house is shaking! This stress is surely going to make my BGs rise - can I hold the city accountable for that???