[Diabetes-talk] Testing/Strips?

Sat Apr 23 17:03:00 UTC 2011

Jude:

You have no guarantee that you're not destroying part of the
chemically-sensitive material on the strips when you tinker with them.
Definitely a no-no.

And for heaven's sake, buy yourself a fully-accessible meter (I wouldn't
even mess with insurance carriers at this point); you need reliable results
*now* -- not in six months after arguing with your insurance carrier.

And the strips do not use a physical device that produces a vacuum; it's the
fact that a small opening tends to have a drop of liquid get "sucked" into
it due to the surface tension of the drop of liquid being broken when it
encounters the opening; at least that's what I remember -- it's been a long
time since I took fluid dynamics.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jude DaShiell
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 5:23 AM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Testing/Strips?

No the Clever Check meter doesn't use any vacuum system to pull blood down
the strip.  I put the stylus tip into the part of the strip that is supposed
to take in the blood and move it just a little bit there to try to open that
part of the test strip up a little bit.  That may be getting me enough of a
target for the blood to hit and then go down the strips.  One additional
problem I got as a result of some brain damage is a fine motor deficit.  A
sighted diabetic told me probably the two big problems blind diabetics have
is we can't see the blood on our finger so can't reliably position the
strips to catch it.  If I hit a spot that's more than normally sensitive
with the lancet, and go all the way with the reading try invariably it
doesn't happen.  If the spot is less sensitive then I usually don't have any
trouble.  This makes sense because the more sensitive spot will radiate pain
further out away from the puncture site than the less sensitive point and
that makes the less sensitive point easier to find with the test strip in
time to catch that blood and get a reading.

On Fri, 22 Apr 2011, William and Bernadette Jacobs wrote:

> Wow Honey!  You're scaring me spitless!  So, what pray tell do you do 
> with the stylus to modify your test strips?  Firstly, when I test, I 
> actually set my lancing device to "MAX" or five on the cover.  You 
> can't help but feel where the hole is because there's a degree of pain 
> involved  Like Grant says though, practice makes perfect.  I don't 
> know what meter you're using.  But the "Prodigy Voice," for one draws 
> the blood into the strip so one doesn't have to worry about 
> smearing/dropping blood onto it?  I think many of the talking meters 
> out there have that capability nowadays,.  If you wish to call me by
phone, and see if I can walk you through this, my number is: 410-455-5311.
> Please do not call after 10:00 PM Eastern Time.  Actually, the best 
> time to call me at night is between eight and ten Eastern Time as I 
> have two small special needs children who are fully awake, active, and 
> need me during the day and they don't do well when I'm tied up with 
> phone/computer issues for extended lengths of time.  .
> 
> Bern
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jude DaShiell" 
> <jdashiel at shellworld.net>
> To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 6:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] tinkering with test strips
> 
> 
> > The only way I can get readings is by using the stylus on these strips.
> > I got two readings today for the first time ever.  One of the 
> > readings that failed yesterday was the one on which I didn't use the 
> > stylus on the test strip.  This won't be the first time diabetics 
> > got defective test strips, doing a google search for diabetes test 
> > strip problem shows more than one F.D.A. recall.
> >
> > On Fri, 22 Apr 2011, Grant E. Metcalf wrote:
> >
> > > Jude,
> > >
> > > I don't think you should be using your stylus or anything else to 
> > > modify your test strips. Better I think to work on sampling 
> > > technique and/or get a different system that might work better for 
> > > you. Remember, warm, clean hands, milk the finger before and 
> > > perhaps after sticking, try and keep the finger in a still 
> > > position when attempting to sample with the strip. Even the old 
> > > pro's on the list have their bad days. However, practice increases
success.
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > shiel%40shellworld.net
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
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> > 
> 
> 
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> 

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