New Coaguchek XS

[Magic8Ball]

Yahoo, finally bought the home tester and it arrived today.

Gonna mess and test with it over the weekend.

One quick question, the finger pricker comes with disposable needles that it says to change with each test.

Does everyone do this? or do you just wipe with a sterile pad and use again.

Just seems to be a bit of a faf to have to change the needles so often, surely you could get 3-5 finger pricks out of a needle.

Obviously they are concerned about infection etc but is that a real risk.

What are your thoughts....

 

[ClickerTicker]

Hey, as the lancets are also used for diabetic testing - they're cheap. That's cheap in the UK sense (low-cost), rather than the US sense (shoddy). A box of 200 here costs £12 (30 AUD) retail if you have to pay for them - is it really worth taking a risk of infection or blunt needle for that?
I'm generally reckoned to be fairly parsimonious, but even I wouldn't dream of using a needle twice

 

[doyo]

Congratulations!
Hope you will like your new XS as much as we do.

Compared to other things involved in ACT, needles are really cheap.
We do not re-use needles, either...

EJ

 

[Ross]

Use one needle for one puncture. They DO DULL. Also spead infections. Everything you test with is ONE USE ONLY and then pitch in the trash.

 

[doyo]

We put used needles in an empty plastic pill bottle with the lid.
When it is full, we throw the bottle in the trash and start with a new empty bottle.

Helps prevent pricking yourself when chaning trash bag and protect garbage collectors...


EJ

 

[lance]

No infection

No infection

You are going to be so satisfied with your XS you'll wonder how you got along without it.

I have used lancets more than once without causing an infection

It's not a matter of cost, it's trying to get enough blood for a test. I thought, probably erroneously, that a blunter tip would make a bigger hole.

Oh I did clean the tip with alcohol and left it in the Soft-clix.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Ok, I am really jealous now people! Hoping for sales in the US!!!

 

[Magic8Ball]

well first time on #2 could not get enough blood and ran out of time.

Second time on #3 i think i got enough blood but got an error 5?

Whats the difference between a massage and a squeeze..

Time to read the manual and watch the video and then try to test without the kids running around...

 

[aussiemember]

Hi Dave!

So glad you have got your machine - am counting on you to work it all out for your fellow Aussies and then you can give us all detailed instructions Hope it all goes well for you!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

There are several tricks you can use to get a larger sample.

First, are you using the maxiumum penetration of the sticker? Most diabetic type stickers are adjustable with 5 settings. You can also get longer 'stickers'.

Swinging your are in a 90 degree downward arc uses centrifigal force to draw more blood to your fingers.

Warming you hands with WARM (not Too Hot) water helps improve circulation.

'Milking' your finger also may help.

'Pinching' your finger to 'puff it up' at the tip may also help.

It usually takes a few tries to become proficient at sample collection.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Magic8Ball]

mmm two more error 5's today...thats error applying blood sample.

I wash my hands as instructed.
I keep my arms beside my side, hanging down.
Last one i set the lancet to 5, the previous one to 4, the other two 3/2.
I kick everything off to get my 120 seconds to apply sample.
I press against the side of my finger and click.
Blood starts but its not a great amount.
I milk the finger but really, whats the difference between a milk and a squeeze that i'm not supposed to do?

Ive tried putting the blood on the top, it says to cover the entire test area but as soon as the blood touches its sucked away down the test strip.

Ive tried putting my finger to the side and letting it suck the blood up but also get an error 5 with that one.

The error 5 pops up pretty quickly, it doesnt wait until the end of the 120 seconds to say error 5 it does it about a few seconds after the blood has been put on the strip so it would appear that i'm doing something fundamentally wrong.

Any tips guys? ive read the manual and watched the video and i think i'm doing it right.


Also, for those of you with the machine already, it was delivered in a chilled box with an ice pack and a label saying keep refrigerated...i have put the strips in the fridge but i thought the XS did not need to have the strips chilled constantly..anyone else have any experience with this machine....

 

[lance]

Hope I'm able to help

Hope I'm able to help

mmm two more error 5's today...thats error applying blood sample.

I wash my hands as instructed.
I keep my arms beside my side, hanging down.
Last one i set the lancet to 5, the previous one to 4, the other two 3/2.
I kick everything off to get my 120 seconds to apply sample.
I press against the side of my finger and click.
Blood starts but its not a great amount.
I milk the finger but really, whats the difference between a milk and a squeeze that i'm not supposed to do?

Ive tried putting the blood on the top, it says to cover the entire test area but as soon as the blood touches its sucked away down the test strip.

Ive tried putting my finger to the side and letting it suck the blood up but also get an error 5 with that one.

The error 5 pops up pretty quickly, it doesnt wait until the end of the 120 seconds to say error 5 it does it about a few seconds after the blood has been put on the strip so it would appear that i'm doing something fundamentally wrong.

Any tips guys? ive read the manual and watched the video and i think i'm doing it right.


Also, for those of you with the machine already, it was delivered in a chilled box with an ice pack and a label saying keep refrigerated...i have put the strips in the fridge but i thought the XS did not need to have the strips chilled constantly..anyone else have any experience with this machine....

Hello,

XS temperature should be above 60 Deg. F--not sure in C. Strips do not need refrigeration.

Not enough blood to run the test--I know where you're coming from. I do whatever it takes to warm my hands including immersion in very warm water for 5 minutes prior to test and sometimes soak my fingers, and apply a band-aid to keep fingers moist--my skin is very dry. Apply pressure to the last joint with the thumb of the same hand so there is a reddish bulge, give the stick.

Once the stick has been made I wait until I have a nice drop and then apply it to the side of the strip. I think there has to be enough blood because it disappears into the machine so fast.

The 5 does appear quickly and I wonder when the blood enters the chamber it has to be sufficient quantity to run the test or you get an error.

It's a good little machine and you'll soon get the hang of it.

 

[EVELYN]

Magic

Instead of trying to get your finger blood to the machine, just buy some capillary refill tubes....probably from any medical supply store. They're narrow tiny tubes with a rubber stopper on them. When the tube is held against your glob of blood on your finger, it automatically sucks it up. You then just bring the tube to the strip and eject it by depressing the rubber end. SOOOO much easier than trying to get that finger centered over the strip. JMHO.

Evelyn

 

[doyo]

I do not think XS strip should be refregerated. I do not have it handy, but if you look at the box of the strip, it tells you the temparature range to store the strips (in both Celsius and Fahrenheit). I remember the lower range being higher than the refregerator temperature.

In terms of getting enough blood...
In early days, my wife kept having the same problem even thought XS requires a very little amount.
She tried swining arms and warm water tips but did not seem to help much.
Here is one simple thing we found to work very well.

She drops her arm and gently rubs/squeezes the "target" finger toward the tip.
Then she wraps the last joint of the finger using a rubber band or a string (which she now keeps in the XS case). This traps blood at the finger tip. You do NOT have to wrap it super tight.
Then she would use the lancet.

Works very well.
We do not think it affects the result because the variance from the local lab we trust has been consistently very small..

Come to think of it, she did re-use needles a few times for re-test in the beginning when the test failed as few times due to not having enough sample.

Hope this helps.


EJ

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Is the new XS strip more sensitive than the original model? Have never had a issues getting a sample to the original model/strip

 

[Magic8Ball]

...immersion in very warm water for 5 minutes prior to test and sometimes soak my fingers,...Apply pressure to the last joint with the thumb of the same hand so there is a reddish bulge, give the stick.

Once the stick has been made I wait until I have a nice drop and then apply it to the side of the strip. I think there has to be enough blood because it disappears into the machine so fast.

Thanks, that worked first time, got a 2.5 about 5 minutes ago and was very happy.

Not sure if it was the soaking in water or the pressing the last joint with thumb or the fact i'd left it a couple of days cos it was stressing me out but it was pretty easy. I touched the side btw incase anyone reading this in the future is having the same issue.

I now have a routine to follow and once it works like clockwork a few times i'll try to drop the hand soaking and just do the thumb press.

Thanks again Lance, & thanks everyone for the pointers....

I've got a lab test tomorrow morning so i'll see how close it is, i may even do another test before i go to the lab to see if there is a difference between tonight and tomorrow morning with my XS.

 

[lance]

It worked--that's great

It worked--that's great

Wasted strips stress me out too.

Just like yourself I have a "ritual". Different ritual for the S and the XS.

Do you place your monitor to your blood drop or position your finger to the side of the strip? There's not much space between the exposed strip and the counter or surface where the monitor is sitting and I wonder if elevating the height the monitor leaving more space for positioning the hand/stuck finger would be easier. The strip doesn't protrude much when it's placed in the monitor. I have found it easier to use the side rather than the top of the strip and have better results when I stand rather than sit.

When I began using the XS I thought it would be awkward to stick the finger, put the Soft-Clix down, pick up the monitor (ensuring it's level) and place the side of the strip to the finger and hold it level until the test is finished so I've never tried it.

Has anyone experience with this?

 

[doyo]

Lance,
My wife tried touching the side of strip while holding XS in the other hand.
After applying the sample from the side, she would put the machine down on the table to let it complete the testing.
Did not see much difference in result.
She now has no problem getting the sample to the strip from the top.
Picking up the unit and putting it back down add more steps (and chance of dropping the machine ), so she does not use that method anymore...

Another thing you can try is placing the machine at the edge or elevating the machine like you said on top of books or something, so there is nothing under the strip so make it easier to touch the strip from the side.

Gina,
We have not used S model before, but after a few inital jitters, she has not had any problem getting the sample to the strip.
Lance used both S and XS, maybe he can answer your question better...

EJ

 

[lance]

Unsure if more sensitive

Unsure if more sensitive

Is the new XS strip more sensitive than the original model? Have never had a issues getting a sample to the original model/strip

Hi Gina,

Lance is a she not a he--used name of my favourite dog.

According to the literature, both the S and XS take 10 ul of blood.

Wasted an XS strip this a.m. error #6=quality control issue. Second strip was fine.

Overall I have found the XS easier to deal with--probably because of the the experience taking my own test.

To be really picky and I mean picky--it was more difficult to remove the heavy foil around the S than to remove an XS strip from the vial although the XS strips clump together--they are not individualy wrapped. I used the electronic quality control with S--easy enough just many bells going off. I have difficulty sometimes obtaining enough blood and used to wonder if the bells caused me to tense up.

The S is bigger and the strip is further from the table--more room for hands and finger than the XS and the S strip protruded further from the monitor than the XS. The S doesn't seem large nor heavy at all until it needs to be carried for what seemed to be miles at the Gatwick airport. XS much smaller and lighter. When I have done the "stick" it's better to wait a moment before placing the finger to the side of the XS strip. I think the motor in the XS is extremely sensitive and sucks the blood up at an alarming rate. Most ot the time with a successful test the application area of the strip is almost free of blood. Blood on the S was very noticeable after a successful test.

I seem to have gone on a lot--hopefully this info is useful