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1. There is a meter available to the general public that doesn't require a blood sample in order to monitor your blood glucose levels(you don't have to stick yourself anymore).
This is usually based off misleading advertisements. The claim "you don't have to stick your finger anymore" leads patients to believe they don't have to stick themselves at all. In reality, those ads are referring to Alternate Site Testing. While it is possible to obtain blood glucose readings without you yourself having to draw blood, they often require other, less attractive methods to perform and aren't widely available or recommended. IE: Uric tests via keytone strips, or surgically implanted testing ports.
2. Blood glucose meters only last 6 months.
We've heard a lot of call campaigns claiming this. The usual pitch line goes something like, "Your meter only lasts 6 months, but you've had yours a year so your company must not be taking care of you. Let us send you a new meter." It is a common misinformation tactic. The test strips are time sensitive, but meters generally are not. You will have to refer to each individual brand to determine expected meter life, but it is generally accepted that meters should last at least a year. Furthermore, it is likely your company would supply you with a new meter of your choosing for free, if you requested it. For example, our company encourages you to call us if you are unhappy with your meter and we will replace it with whatever model you like. A word of caution; be wary of any revelations presented to you by salespeople who call you out of the blue. These salespeople make hundreds of sales calls a day and they know what to say to get someone to say "yes," so be careful.
3. Medicare pays for my testing supplies, so they are "free."
Testing supplies are not free. The technology related to current glucose monitoring is very advanced, and everything related to the supplies might be more costly than you think. However, in many cases, good insurance coverage will offset the cost of these supplies to the diabetic patient. For instance, Medicare will pay for 80% of your testing supply cost after you have met your deductible. If you know someone who doesn't pay anything for their testing supplies, they probably have a supplemental policy through a third party designed to cover the cost their primary insurance doesn't pay.
4. Control solution is made to clean blood glucose meters.
Control solution is an item included in most blood glucose testing kits. It is not, nor ever has been intended to clean, or calibrate your meter. In fact, Control Solution does not change your meter at all. Control solution is meant to inform the meter owner if their meter is consistent with factory calibrations. It is used properly by shaking it up, and testing some of the liquid with your meter, just like you test a drop of blood. That result is then compared to a chart(usually on the side of the bottle of testing strips that you got the strip you used out of) to determine if a meter is testing consistently. Click Here for more information on how to use Control Solution.
5. Blood sugar fluctuations are evidence that my meter is broken
Blood sugar fluctuations can be a sign of a faulty meter. However, blood sugar fluctuations are also natural occurrences. Particularly, soon after eating or taking diabetic medicine or insulin, blood glucose can spike or dip. Home glucose testing will never be as accurate as a lab result. It is generally accepted that most blood glucose meters should fall within 15% of lab test results, which is better than the international standard. The fluctuations may be attributed to the natural margin for error of the meter, particularly if those results are only within a few points of each other. Relatively close results are more often an indication of consistency rather than inaccuracy, as no testing meter on the market will give you identical results back to back, on a consistent basis. That is why the chart will have a control solution range and not a singular number.
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