Sunday, October 11, 2009

Test Strip rant

I don't know how it works with other brands of test strips, but with the One Touch strips we use, we have to test EACH new bottle of strips to make sure they are "in range".

This drives me absolutely bananas, because to me, if the test strips are not "in range" then they are faulty and should not even be put out there for us to purchase.

Never mind that we have to waste at least one strip per bottle testing them. I did the math, and if we didn't have to do this stupid test, then that would save us one whole bottle of strips a year. And if you added that up over Elise's lifetime... well, I'm just not going to do that math because my head just might explode.

Another thing that makes me want to knee someone in the groin (yeah, I know... anger issues blah blah blah), is that when one strip tests out of range, the brilliant people at One Touch want you to go ahead and test another strip. Yes, this was the advice given when we called up to complain that three out of four bottles in the box we just opened were testing high.

"Well did you just test one strip? Because sometimes you need to check more than one" was the enlightened council that we received. Yeah, I think my head DID just explode a little.

So if one strips test in range, and one out of range, then how-in-the-name-of-all-things-good-and-pure are we supposed to be confident that every other strip is okay? And what does this mean for Elise's numbers?

Not to mention that we're flushing more of our money down the toilet testing more than one strip per bottle.

Last night when I was testing a new bottle that had a range of 122-148 (or something like that), the first strip came in at 149. Now what the bleepity-bleep do I do with that? The next strip tested okay, but still... ARRRRGGGGGGHHHH!

Do ya see why I'm a little wound up?

Here's my idea, One Touch should put an extra strip (at no extra charge) in each bottle. Call it a goodwill gesture for those of us who basically have to open up our wallet to the pharmacy companies and go, "here, take it... you can have it all." I think it would be rather nice of them.

In fact, maybe they too could win a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

6 comments:

  1. You are brilliant. We should start a campaign!

    But if I'm being honest, and I'm always honest here, I don't do it anymore. (OH, I feel awful just writing it!) If you check enough of them, one is always in range. Like you, YEARS AGO, it got to be too emotionally draining on me, all the wasting strips AND second guessing the number that flashed on my childs monitor. I had to let it go to save my sanity. (I was pretty emotionally fragile back in the day...)

    BUT! If they put an extra strip in...that is just...well genius!

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  2. Oh Joanne I like that idea you should write to One touch and mention of this to them and then maybe just maybe they would pay you for your idea . Please mention this to them I also have a one touch and it ticks my butt off too or when you get someone on there who has no idea what they are talking about . Yes I am with you and apprently so is Meri .

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  3. I don't test the strips either...I just assume it will stress me out even more and we don't need that do we?? :)
    However-if they put in a free strip- I just might be more prone to do that if I knew it was going to make a difference in her numbers!

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  4. Ummm...control solution? Oh yeah, I think I vaguely remember learning something about that in the hospital...or was it from the Pink Panther Book...or maybe it was nursing school...where do you get that stuff anyway?

    Hmmm....no matter. I can't remember the last time we tested the strips!!!!!!!

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  5. I really do like that idea about the extra strip... course, there's no way in hell I'm wasting a free strip on some stupid control solution!!! ;-) Haha. JK

    on the other hand, I see what you mean about needing peace of mind, especially for a child. I would want that more. I think it would be important to me to get it right.

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  6. Umm... Yeah... As others have said before, with the general un-reliability of test strips & glucometers I don't bother either... (I have, in the past off & on again, especially when trying out new meters...) My experience has been that no matter how wonky the meter/test strip seem to be with a *REAL* drop of blood, the control solution test *ALWAYS* comes back within range... I would be glad to get an extra free strip, but I wouldn't waste it on control solution... They're *WAY* too expensive for that...

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