Meterversaries

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Protimenow

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2010
Messages
4,582
Location
California
Yes, I've invented a new word. I've been self-testing for more than ten years. I had a TIA on April 20, 2012 - because my InRatio meter persisted in giving me a value higher than the correct value, and instead of the reported 2.6, the hospital had my INR at 1.6.

After that, I went on a quest to find a meter that I trusted.

Hemosense (that produced the meter at that time) sent me the new model (great compensation for giving me a stroke, right?). I had been using a ProTime (Classic) until I got the original InRatio, and switched to the InRatio because it was easier to use than ProTime. I got a ProTime 3 on 8/10/12, and compared the results of two meters, and to a lab's results.

On March 1, 2013, I got my Coag-Sense meter. So, on Sunday, I have a seven year anniversary of use of the Coag-Sense. A month later, April 19, 2013, I got a CoaguChek XS. From that date on, I still tested using the InRatio2 and the Protime 3, in addition to the Coag-Sense and CoaguChek XS and, of course, blood draws.

In many cases, the blood draw value was almost the average of the Coag-Sense and the CoaguChek XS. The Coag-Sense was often slightly lower than the lab, and the CoaguChek XS was slightly higher. Both were within 20% of the lab. Both were 'accurate enough.'

I chose to trust the Coag-Sense more than the CoaguChek XS because I feel safer to have an INR that is slightly higher than the meter than to have one that is lower than the meter. For example, if the Coag-Sense says my INR is 2.0, it's likely that it is 2.1 or 2.2 - a relatively safe number. Conversely, if the CoaguChek XS says 2.0, it could mean that my actual INR is 1.8 or lower.

Of course, staying in range is the best practice for either meter.

So - happy anniversary to my Coag-Sense, and happy almost anniversary to my CoaguChek XS. (FWIW - Coag-Sense released an upgraded meter nearly a year ago. Why hasn't Roche made their InRange available in the United States? It's FDA approved).
 

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