Need Help! Accu check compact plus, finger on black strip help!?!
Question: I've recently been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have to start poking myself 4 times a day each day. I am DEATHLY afraid of needles and the sort. (Went throught therapy about 4 years ago.) I've bought the accu check compact plus but I'm having problems. My husband tested it last night and went through 5 strips figuring it out for me. I went through it twice (with his help.) He can't be here all the time though and I've done it twice this morning, getting error both times. Do I need to cover the strip in blood? Do I hold my finger below the black part of the strip on the meter or do I hold it on the top of the black strip? Can I smother the strip on the bottom and sides or is that too much movement that will lead to an error? Any advice, ANY advice is welcome. I've gone through three strips this morning alone and I still need to eat! (this is just the first part.)
Those strips are expensive and it's getting harder and HARDER to do this!!
Answers: I've recently been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have to start poking myself 4 times a day each day. I am DEATHLY afraid of needles and the sort. (Went throught therapy about 4 years ago.) I've bought the accu check compact plus but I'm having problems. My husband tested it last night and went through 5 strips figuring it out for me. I went through it twice (with his help.) He can't be here all the time though and I've done it twice this morning, getting error both times. Do I need to cover the strip in blood? Do I hold my finger below the black part of the strip on the meter or do I hold it on the top of the black strip? Can I smother the strip on the bottom and sides or is that too much movement that will lead to an error? Any advice, ANY advice is welcome. I've gone through three strips this morning alone and I still need to eat! (this is just the first part.)
Those strips are expensive and it's getting harder and HARDER to do this!!
The white area needs to be totally covered in blood for it to register and do the test. Get a drop of blood going that is about the size of a small peppercorn and don't touch your finger to the entry area, just allow the drop of blood to touch and it will suck it in. If you're not getting a big enough drop of blood, adjust the lancet device one notch at a time to penetrate a little deeper. You'll get the hang of it. I'm still needle-phobic, too, but I managed over the years to psych myself out that those and my syringes weren't really needles!
Hi, Just make sure you're putting the right end of the strip into the meter. Then you should just let the strip "drink" the drop of blood. You shouldn't need to smother it, just touch it to the drop and let it draw it in. Wait 5 seconds and you should have a reading.
You need a good size drop of blood to get a reading. And hold the strip at the end of the drop and it'll pull it in. Dont smear the drop.
But I'm not sure that's what's wrong though. It sounds like there's something on your sensor.
Open the thing like you're changing the cannon. Below the empty space where the cannon goes in, there's a shiny black surface - really small, an 1/8" square at most. It's to the left of that red eject button.
Take a Q-tip, wet it (not soaking wet, just damp). Spin it on that black surface. Press it in -- Not hard, just be sure to make contact. and be SURE it's not totally wet, you dont want to ring out the Qtip in your machine. Take the other side of the Q-tip and spin it on the same spot to dry it. That should do it. The only error message we ever get, other than not enough blood on the strip, is for this.
There's also a phone number on the meter, they have really good customer service there.