For Accuracy's Sake
The night hour was late. I suspect it must have been bedtime.
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A 457 mg/dL flashed across the screen of my One Touch UltraLink.
All food calculations had been right, enough time had passed, no extra stress, no tea or coffee, etc...
My mind flashed to the recent debate about Blood Glucose Meter Accuracy and the existing error margin rate of 20%+/-, and how "patient error" is so often blamed for the inaccurate results rather than some device inadequacy. This must be a more inaccurate reading, I concluded.
Convinced, I became determined to get an accurate reading. Enough blood. Correct coding from test strips. Hands washed and dry.
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Well. Crap. Fine.
Got over the frustration and corrected, then went to bed to get some sleep for the next workday.
But over the coming days, my mind couldn't get past the whole Lancet Changing issue. So many of us in the Diabetes Community reflect on the point that we rarely change these little lancets. Not nearly as much as we should, with every finger stick as the FDA recommends. Some of has habits of doing it once a week, or every time we change a vial of strips, or once a month, or... You get the point.
Ellen (@CureT1Diabetes) started a forum discussion over at Children With Diabetes directly on point, and someone rhetorically asked about members ever going through a full box of lancets. I started wondering that myself. Know that I have, but couldn't begin to say how long it took or when the last time that happened. Another realization: in my 26 years of living with Type 1, I doubt I've gone through 26 boxes of lancets. Now that makes you think.
Of course, Bennet made the great comment: "Remember, when you change your lancet, don't forget to change the battery in the smoke detector." Awesome.
Ellen (@CureT1Diabetes) started a forum discussion over at Children With Diabetes directly on point, and someone rhetorically asked about members ever going through a full box of lancets. I started wondering that myself. Know that I have, but couldn't begin to say how long it took or when the last time that happened. Another realization: in my 26 years of living with Type 1, I doubt I've gone through 26 boxes of lancets. Now that makes you think.
Of course, Bennet made the great comment: "Remember, when you change your lancet, don't forget to change the battery in the smoke detector." Awesome.
More seriously, though: Patients may call it slacking, or not that important. But others, like those working at BG Meter Companies, this may be what they describe as "patient error." Basically, results can be off because of any number of things we do. This is one of them.
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Maybe we should pay attention. It's tough, but there's a reason.
We all want accuracy when basing our lives on these numbers. And, while we have much way to go as it relates to improving the meters themselves and pushing for better standards, we PWD have our own improvements to make. We, too, can do better.
Comments
I doubt if the minuscule pretty much nonexistent amount of blood (dried blood at that) on the lancet could influence blood sugar numbers all that much.
Oh, hi by the way. I think I found your blog through Diabetes Daily. Forgot to introduce myself :p
I don't believe I've refilled my box of lancets since Dx. :( That is HORRIBLE.
Maybe I will make it my May goal to change the lancet every time. Don't know if I can actually go through with that.