Blood testing strips

[STC62]

Can I use the diabetes test strips in my blood testing machine?

[Hidden]

Hi STC62.

If by "blood testing machine" you mean to test your INR for Anticoagulation purposes I am afraid the answer is absolutely NOT. The test is actually carried out in the strip and the strips are very specific to the test being conducted and the machine being used. Sorry but you need to get the exactly correct strip for each machine.

[Helenatemurci]

No they are different also the machine is different

[Hidden]

NO !

[STC62]

Good afternoon, thank you all for your replies. Sorry I was a bit vague in my question........yes it's the INR machine (CoaguChek XS) I have purchased that I received yesterday. I've gone into Boots this morning and apparently they don't stock these strips and said I need to get them on prescription (I don't think the GP is going to go with that) the same GP who when I had Legionnaires Disease told me there was nothing wrong with me - that same afternoon back in 2012, I took myself to Kings College Hospital in London and was in Intensive Care for the next 10 days 4 of those day I was in an induced coma on ventilators, with wires covering my whole body, I then spent a further 4 weeks in hospital.

So I'm guessing I can only purchase these strips online then.

[Hidden in reply to STC62]

Or change your GP! Check with your local CCG what their policy is and let us know.

[Hidden]

The re-agent strips for the CoaguChek should be available from your GP on prescription. Be sure to stipulate that you only need ONE container of 24 strips - as they are quite expensive (about £70 per pack!) and have a fairly short shelf life - usually just over a year. My GP originally prescribed a pack of TWO and, aside from the price, the date they had to be used by passed by before I had the chance to use the second pack! Your Doc might be more inclined to prescribe these if he/she realizes that you only need 24 strips. Then just ask for more as you need them

If all else fails, you can purchase the strips direct from the manufacturer - Roche - who are in Burgess Hill.

Call them on FreeFone 0808 100 7666 or email on [e-mail]. The price isn't too bad when you consider that they will last for over a year.Most chemists wouldn't stock these strips because if the had them 'on the shelf' so to speak for three months their use-by date would be seriously reduced; so they would order them in specially for you.

The diabetic re-agent strips are a different thing altogether and will not even fit into your CoaguChek meter.

As you have recently acquired your CoaguChek, please make certain that you have calibrated it properly and that you have selected the readings to be displayed in INR. What do you do with your readings, by the way? Do you give them to the hospital or ring them through to your GP's surgery? You will find you need a larger droplet of blood on the CoaguChek test strip in order for it to work. Put the strip into the CoaguChek meter and, assuming you have plugged in the little gadget on the side which tells the meter the batch number of your strips (written on the container) check that the number displayed on the meter is the same as that given on the container of strips. If it is, press the M button on your meter, then WAIT until the meter beeps (this can take a minute or two, during which period the meter is warming the test strip). Now hold your blood droplet to the side of the strip on the test area and KEEP IT THERE until the meter beeps again. You should then see a symbol displayed on the CoaguChek which represents a strip with the letters QC on - and a tick. This means your meter is establishing whether-or-not your blood sample is sufficient for its purpose (QC = Quality Control and the tick means it's passed).

Hope this is of some use to you. If you have any difficulty, please get back to me.

Kindest regards - Peter

[Hidden]

G'day Peter,

Yeah your post ... echos of my own experiences ... until I moved to Cornwall. Disaster. My Cornish practice doesn't advocate these machines (Coaguchek XS). Since NICE DG14 came out I've started hammering my local CCG - worse than bloody useless and presenting all sorts of arguments why I can't use my device. Even suggesting I would have difficulty in getting it calibrated. Also managed to find out from them that there are patients within the area covered by my CCG who are already using this machine. BUT, back to calibrating. I telephoned the Roche Coaguchek help line and discovered that the machine self calibrates - when you open the new pack you get out the little strip you referred to and put it into the side of device, that does all the calibrating. So the calibrating of the device is not related to anything but the new little strip, as are the test strips that you use to drop your blood on. The only other thing the patient needs to do is to follow the cleaning guidelines.

Mind you if you accidentally drop the thing obviously you'd be wise to send it back to Roche.

I've now told my CCG that I will not have the venous draw my local practice performs anymore but will only use Coaguchek - they have now referred me to my local practice business manager. At this stage I'm on 56 day tests - however - for my own peace of mind I do test more frequently. Interestingly, my backward Cornish practice does prescribe me the test strips - probably because I travel a lot and often to Australia.

We'll see what happens.

John

[STC62]

Hello! Thank you for all the informative replies, it's very much appreciated. I ended up spending over £85 with the VAT for 24 strips, but then I thought if I'm only going to use a strip every 2 weeks then the deal is not as bad as I originally thought. This morning I have self-tested for the first time, it was simple and easy and I believe the results I got were accurate, it also gave me peace of mind - having crazy up and down INR results for the past 30 months has so far been the norm, but I think things are now beginning to settle down.

Take care Stephe.

[dedeottie]

Where are you getting your strips from? If you or your chemist order direct from Roche they are 64 pounds for 24 strips

[STC62]

Hi it's me again! Tested with the Coag machine on Sunday night INR 4.2 went to Kings College Hospital as per normal on Monday morning and had a result from the hospital of 2.4 told them of the 4.2 I got from the machine and they sent the blood back down to the lab same result, went home and did another test on the Coag machine INR 4.1 - which deems the machine useless. Roche are telling me there is nothing wrong with the machine and the hospital are telling me the lab results are correct - I've just spent over £380 on the machine and testing strips but I have to go with what the hospital are telling me and not what the machine is telling. Really angry and upset, this was supposed to be giving me peace of mind and a little more freedom and it's done exactly the opposite. I've spent 4 months saving for this machine and now not able to use it.

[dedeottie]

Wow how upsetting. It is hard to understand as usually the machine is very accurate. ROCHE should take the machine back and give you a new one.

I have been doing daily tests leading up to ablation and have also been to G.P.s and had venous test done at hospital and each time the results have been accurate to point one. If my machine has given 2.6 the hospital test is 2.5

Something is very clearly wrong and I would get them to replace the machine.

Good luck. X

[STC62 in reply to dedeottie]

Hey thank you very much. It is indeed a big blow for me and now even more confusing since I've had the machine. What is a venous test?