Finding the right blood glucose meter depends on its ease of use, the amount of blood required, the least painful implementation and readable results. DiabetesBB.org recommends these five blood glucose meters: LifeScan OneTouch Ultra2 Blood Glucose Meter; LifeScan OneTouch Ultra Blood Glucose Meter Kit; Bayer Ascensia Breeze2 Blood Glucose Monitor; Control Blood Glucose Meter, also by Bayer; and Invacare TrackEase Blood Glucose Meter.
What You Need to Know
The Diabetes Blood Sugar Solutions website notes that a blood glucose meter should be convenient, uncomplicated and provide results within five to 45 seconds. The size of the meter, its accessories and the size of the required blood sample are important when purchasing a meter. The website also states that it may be helpful to test other areas of the body besides the fingertip. The size of the test strips should be large enough for people with arthritis to handle, and the strips should not expire too quickly. The size of the screen, its ability to provide audible readings as well as visual ones and the availability of testing strips in local pharmacies are also important in choosing the top blood glucose monitor. Cost, notes the website, is often a large barrier to consumers, so the site recommends checking to be certain that the monitor is covered by insurance.
LifeScan OneTouch Ultra Meters
The LifeScan OneTouch Ultra2 Blood Glucose Meter needs 1 micro liter of blood, with samples taken from the finger, palm or forearm. This meter provides readings within five seconds. The LifeScan meter also provides a backlit readout that stores 500 blood glucose readings. The OneTouch Ultra Blood Glucose Meter Kit requires small amounts of blood for testing as well and automatically draws the blood onto the test strip. The lancets in this kit have thin tips so testing is less painful, notes the DiabetesBB website, and testing can be done to the forearm, which has fewer sensitive nerve endings. The reading display is large and notes date and time with downloadable data results. The Consumer Reports Health website recommends purchasing a blood glucose meter based on ease of use since individuals with diabetes who measure their blood sugar levels at home appear to have less difficulty managing the disease.
Ascensia, Control and Invacare
The Ascensia Breeze2 Blood Glucose Monitor by Bayer has a 100-test memory with a 10-test cartridge element that eliminates individual test strips. The Ascensia has an autodisc that automatically calibrates the meter for all 10 of the tests. The results can be downloaded to a computer to monitor and chart blood glucose levels. It is small, light and convenient; however, it is important to check the cost of the 10-test cartridge element and to determine if local pharmacies carry it. The Bayer Control Blood Glucose Meter provides blood glucose results in five seconds with less than 1 micro liter of blood. Samples can be drawn from the forearm, palm, thigh, calf and fingertip. The Bayer Control meter provides 14-day level averages, with an approximate 250-test memory, and the battery life is good for 5,000 tests, according to DiabetesBB.org. The Invacare TrackEase Blood Glucose Meter has biosensor technology, providing sensor readings in 10 seconds. The Invacare meter, like the Control meter, can be used on the forearm or fingertip and requires 1 micro liter of blood for testing.
