Comparison Readings of Bayer USB & One Touch Ultra Ping Glucose Meters

I recently got a new Bayer Contour USB meter. My insurance wouldn't pay for it so I reluctantly coughed up $70.00 because I really wanted this meter. I am giving my review on the Contour USB in a week or so. 

I decided when I got the meter home that I would do comparison tests side by side with my One Touch Ultra Ping meter and in a few cases, the regular Bayer Contour. I had hoped these comparison tests would let me know how they stack up and give me a sense of the accuracy of both. 

Below are the results and my conclusion of these results will follow:

USB     Bayer Contour        One Touch Ultra Ping

216          213                                    255

USB     Bayer Contour        One Touch Ultra Ping

158          139                                    177

USB      Bayer Contour       One Touch Ultra Ping

92            97                                      100

USB                                       One Touch Ultra Ping

68                                                        73

USB                                       One Touch Ultra Ping  

148                                                      171

USB                                       One Touch Ultra Ping

341 (yikes)                                       401 (I know, yikes!)

USB                                       One Touch Ultra Ping

228                                                    274

USB                                       One Touch Ultra Ping

167                                                     179

Very interesting that in every single test, the One Touch Ultra tested higher than both the USB and regular Contour meter.
It seems that the higher my glucose number, the greater the difference between the two. 
Correct me if I'm wrong in this but it seems that I should go with the meter that tests LOWER rather than the one that consistently gives HIGHER readings. My reasoning behind this is that I can take too much insulin if relying on the One Touch Ultra (which gives the higher readings) and then go into a low. When my numbers were more within range, the meters seemed to be more agreeable. I really like this new meter and am going to give it some more time before I post a review on it. Watch for it!

A Word About Lantus Insulin

I am still on Lantus insulin and am happy to report that my numbers are better than they were while on the pump. I believe the reasons are due to problems with scar tissue as well as the notorious bent cannula problem I endured for far too long. I did get Animas to send me 2 samples of the Comfort sets, they did better for me than the insets did. The comforts have no injector and you insert them under the skin manually. I was surprised at how painless it was. That needle is very long and when I first looked at it I just cringed! I am a thin person and maybe that is the reason I tend to have so many problems with bent cannulas. I have heard of the Sure-T sets but have yet to try them. It was a little like getting blood out of a turnip for Animas to send the 2 Comfort set samples to me and I got more than a little irritated at that. They wanted to know if I wanted to exchange the rest of my insets for the comfort sets and I told them that first I need to try out the comforts and then I would let them know. A reader here suggested that I might try the orbit90 or orbit micro sets and before I give up altogether on pumping, I intend on taking his advice and giving them a try. My Lantus dose is now 12 units in the morning. I found that I am one of those who can get the full 24 hours out of Lantus so that's a very good thing. Apidra is doing well for me but boy does it go to work FAST! I've found that I have to eat and wait around 15 minutes before I  inject the Apidra. Maybe my digestion is sluggish, not so sure but it seems that way at times. 

Dawn Phenomenon or Symogyi Effect?

This entire week my numbers have been really high, especially in the morning. I'm trying to come up with a solution but truly I'm just so tired.. Tired of testing, tired of seeing high numbers when I'm doing everything right. Tired of running out of test strips all the time. I am currently taking 12 units of Lantus at 9:00 in the morning as my basal. I take Apidra for my boluses. My last doctor appointment she mention that I could be suffering from the Symogyi effect. I don't know much about it but in the a.m my numbers are so high it's unbelievable. If I get it right, I go low at night and these high morning numbers I wake with are rebound from unknown lows during the night. OR is it because I'm not taking enough insulin at night and therefore my numbers are skyrocketing as a result? I so don't want to stay up all night and morning testing but this is what I am facing. This morning at midnight I woke and was at 299. I took 2 units of Apidra and went back to bed. At 2:00 I woke and I was at 289! It was as if I hadn't even taken insulin 2 hrs previous. I took 2 more units and woke again at 5:00 a.m and was at 250! So what am I to make of these crazy numbers folks :( And to add to this, if I snack lightly at night before bedtime, say taking in 15 grams of carbs, my numbers are up into the stratosphere as well. 

Bedtime Snacks

I have a really bad habit of snacking at bedtime. And as any diabetic will tell you, it is a tough habit to break until you get like me and finally decide that no matter how good that food is going to taste, it isn't worth the highs you will fight come morning. I love popcorn, and not just any kind of popcorn but that aged white cheddar popcorn which is full of carbs. I cannot bring myself to eat only a half a cup...I have to end up eating 3 servings :( I know, I'm bad. So lately I've been settling on an apple. I suppose you might call it a compromise. But it seems no matter how small the carb amount I take in before bedtime, I deal with skyrocketing numbers in the morning. I think I'm going to try going to bed without snacking ANY tonight and see what happens with my numbers. It's a struggle to be sure. One thing I've found that I like is the Adkins snack bars (my favorite is the peanut butter). Subtracting the fiber, they are only around 11 net carbs. They are pricey though. The cost is around $7.00 for a box of 5. Why do diabetes friendly foods have to cost so much?