I am going to be travelling quite a lot this year and was wondering about the cost of Coaguchek in England. In Canada it is too expensive.

[CountryGirl]

[Jade]

The coaguchek XS is about £400 but sometimes they have an offer and sell them for £200. I bought both mine during an offer. You then need to buy the strips and needles. The strips cost around £140 for 56.

How does that compare to Canada?

[CountryGirl in reply to Jade]

I guess that I am not going to be any further ahead buying the actual unit. The price here is about the same but the strips are much cheaper for you. I am estimating that it would cost me 356 pounds for 56. I shall know where to get the strips if I ever invest in the machine. Thanks for the information.

[swirl in reply to Jade]

Hi! where could I buy it in UK?? Here in Spain is 400€ the cheapest (no offers), through an association of patients, paying the cuote of 50 € first. Maybe is better travelling to UK to buy it. And the strips, can they be bought to Roche directly (online)???

[Jade in reply to swirl]

Could you contact Roche here in the UK by phone or online and order one. Yes the strips and needles can be bought direct from Roche.

[Lesley_D in reply to Jade]

Jade, My haemotologist has said she could and would prescribe the strips if I buy the machine - maybe you could ask your specialist about that?

Lesley

[Jade in reply to Lesley_D]

Thanks Lesley but I was answering the lady in Spain who wanted to know if strips could be bought direct. I know they can.

I am lucky I have a machine and get the strips on prescription from my GP

[MJLS]

I bought one a couple of months ago. I paid £299 not VAT as on life long warfarin. I search hundreds of websites but the Roche website IS the cheapest x

[Jade in reply to MJLS]

Can you tell m how you get VAT relief for lifelong warfarin? I have a feeling I have heard something similar somewhere.

[swirl]

Another question to those who have your own machine (or not):

Are being your results compared with blood test in Labs?

I don´t have my own machine , I have to go to the hospital to check my INR. Here in Spain, they only use Coagucheck to check it. They don´t compare anything!! I have been told from Roche that APL aB can change INR results. I told my doctors about it, but they don´t seem to be worried about. Everything is like: THAT IS THE WAY TO DO IT HERE, IF YOU DON´T LIKE IT.... As we are few patients,,,

I showed them 2 different blood tests made the same 2 days of my coagucheck appointments that were different from what the machine had said.

[CountryGirl in reply to swirl]

I understand some of the issues regarding Coaguchek - or self testing. I did have my blood tested through the lab and at the same time with Coaguchek at my doctors office and they were within .1 of each other - that day? Most of the time my blood is tested through a lab because it is cheaper for my doctors office (How can that be...needles, lab personnel, reporting???) but when we are travelling this becomes very complicated. My insurance does not cover testing in other countries. I have looked into buying one second hand (e-bay) but I am not 100% convinced I can cut that corner when my life depends on it.

[Jade]

Thank you.

[tim47]

I have had two Coagucheck machines and they work for me though I recognise they don't for all. The newer is so convenient and gets over many problems of testing and traveling, even here in UK for a few days away. I have been told to check every other day. I do have a cross check lab test, about every 4-6 weeks, by having blood taken in the normal way.. Rarely is the result the same as a home test a few hours earlier, there is usually a 0.1 or 0.2 difference but very occasionally a little more, say 0.4. The check is more for the peace of mind of the surgery than me.

They say a small difference is expected as one sample comes from a finger prick, another a vein, plus the conditions the sample will experience between taking and checking in the lab.

Roche were very helpful and initially loaned me a machine so that I could check if I was one for whom it may not be suitable. It works, and frankly I think it has been a life saver.

Ironically, I have had my INR checked at hospitals prior to procedures, on the older coagucheck machines. At least one local GP practice uses the coagucheck in place of lab tests.

[CountryGirl in reply to tim47]

Thanks for the info. I will get in touch with Roche and see if they would be interested in lending me one to try out. I somehow doubt it......we shall see!