I’ve posted before about the lack of glucose meter accuracy and if we’re friends on Facebook, you’ve seen pictures I’ve taken comparing meter results. When I was using the One Touch Ping meter that worked with my pump, I had issues with it giving me false low readings. Luckily I have the Dexcom CGM so in seeing the discrepancy between meter and sensor readings, I would retest to get a higher reading. One Touch was very accommodating and sent me a new meter which solved that issue. Mostly. At the time my CDE suggested I try the Freestyle meter which I did and switched for some time to primarily use the Freestyle Lite. I did many comparisons between the two meters with the same blood sample and got substantial differences. I put a stop to that pretty much for my own sanity. In the end I stuck with the Ping meter mainly for convenience of the remote bolus function with my pump and also being a long time One Touch user.
Then, two months ago, I switched to the OmniPod system and the Freestyle PDM became my primary meter since it also functions as the manager to all insulin dosage functions. In that same time period, I purchased the new One Touch Verio IQ meter. Although the Verio is not my primary meter, I do like it a lot. Of course I have done some reading comparisons between the two. And I’m back to getting very considerable differences.

A couple of weeks ago I read a post by Mike over at Every Day Ups and Downs. He had reviewed the new iBGStar meter from Sanofi. In his review, he noted that the iBGStar was giving him readings higher than other meters (Accu-chek Expert and Contour Link). In posting his results, he got confirmation from Sanofi that “the iBGStar has been developed to give readings which are automatically corrected against Haematocrit* and plasma values. Both of these corrections can mean that your new iBGStar monitor may give readings higher than you are used to. If you have any concerns over what this change of readings may mean, we would advise you to consult your doctor or other healthcare practitioner for further training.” This made me wonder if the new Verio has been developed similarly.
Also, a few days ago I read a post by Adam over at diaTribe, reviewing the new meters on the market, including the Verio. In his findings, the Verio had 100% accuracy with results under 75 mg/dL and 95% accuracy with results over 75 mg/dL compared to lab readings. That is some pretty solid findings. It also made me wonder about my own comparisons using the Verio.
While I appreciate all the new technology coming out or being worked on – mySentry, Telcare, AP, etc. and think they are hugely beneficial to the lives of those living with diabetes, what I want the most is a BG meter that will give me results I can rely on. One that will not be just plus or minus 20% of my actual BG. My next endo appointment is in 3 weeks and I plan on taking both the PDM and Verio meters to be tested at the lab. If the Verio results are indeed more “accurate”, as much as I wouldn’t want to, I would consider changing it to my primary meter. It will be an inconvenience in some ways but may be worth it if it means trusting the results more.
FDA and BG meter companies – without accurate BG readings, all else in our management means nothing. I can eat all the right things, count every last carb, test 20 times a day, exercise every single day and dose the most precise amount of insulin. But if my readings aren’t accurate all of those other things will not help me keep my diabetes in control. I can’t help but wonder if this is the very reason I cannot seem to get my a1c under 7. My BG levels may not actually be what they seem. And that to me, as a person with diabetes, is a huge problem.