# Optium Xceed & Ketone Strips



## Tina63 (Sep 16, 2012)

I saw on a CWD post last week someone saying they took their old Optium Xceed meter abroad with new Freestyle Optium ketone strips and when they needed them (sickness & diarrhoea) their old meter wouldn't accept them.

Last week I needed to use our meter, but still had in date a box of the old style strips with the calibrating stick thingy.  I have now got a replacement box of strips but they are the new style.  Does anyone know if they will work in the old meter, or am I just best to contact the suppliers and ask for a new meter?  I would hate to be in a crisis and not be able to use the equipment I have.  I suppose I could open the new box and try one, but that seems very wasteful given their cost.

Any advice gratefully received.  Thanks.
Tina


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## Northerner (Sep 16, 2012)

You should be able to use the new style in the meter, the only difference is that you don't need to use the coding strip.  If you needed a new meter then they would have had to contact everyone and issue them with a new one when they changed the strips. My Accu Chek meter no longer needs a coding chip for new style strips, but it's the meter I have been using since diagnosis


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## trophywench (Sep 16, 2012)

Am certain Patti will know the answer to this as she uses the Optium Xceed for ketones although she now uses an Insulinx for BG.

Have sent her a PM.

Changing the subject slightly, do you think your son would respond well to having a meter like the Insulinx or the Accu-Chek Expert?  Just thinking they like gadgets don't they, and gadgets don't NAG ?  (except the Expert beeps at you insistently if you are above the HYPER level ...... ROFL)  (It does it when you are hypo too to remind you to test again, however that feature might not need to be used in this case ......)


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## Tina63 (Sep 16, 2012)

trophywench said:


> Changing the subject slightly, do you think your son would respond well to having a meter like the Insulinx or the Accu-Chek Expert?  Just thinking they like gadgets don't they, and gadgets don't NAG ?  (except the Expert beeps at you insistently if you are above the HYPER level ...... ROFL)  (It does it when you are hypo too to remind you to test again, however that feature might not need to be used in this case ......)



At his clinic appointment about 3 months ago they saw he had an iPhone and mentioned various apps etc for it, and he just scoffed at them, so I very much doubt it.  Sorry...... I know you are only trying to help.  I guess it would just further emphasize he had the big D.  

He got sent an up to date Accu-chek Mobile when I eventually got round to registering the one he was given a year ago (oops! but he was never going to do it) and there was a flicker of interest when the new one arrived.  It had a usb lead with it so I thought 'Just maybe.......' but I put that away after leaving it sitting round for a month.  They also wrote to him offering him the choice of 2 cases for his monitor.  He actually looked at that and discussed the merits of both, told me to order the one he wanted, and that has lived on his bedroom floor unused for the last month too.  It will eventually end up under his bed I expect.


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## Pattidevans (Sep 16, 2012)

Hi there

I decided to try with a ketone strip in my Optium Xceed meter (didn't need to do a ketone test, but didn't want to be caught out if indeed I was in need).  It didn't work.  Across the top it said Code:---------  and when I put the blood on nothing happened.  The ketone strips were issued to me fairly recently and didn't come with a coding strip.  I shall ring Abbott tomorrow and find out the situation, I expect they will send a new meter that does work - or find a way for me to have something that works, since they are usually very good and very responsive and I've been using their meters for years.  I'll report back.

Tina, I've read a lot about your son  - I know how worrying it must be, but do take heart, I know someone who went through their teens just like him, but is now, in her 20s, a very responsible person, committed to excellent control


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## Tina63 (Sep 16, 2012)

Thanks for that Patti, that's what this other mother said, that she put the strip in the meter but it wouldn't work without coding.  I would hate to face a situation like I did last weekend without the necessary tools.  I still have a few strips left from the old pack that did have the coding chip, but the new ones I got this week as replacements are the new style.  I have looked on the Abbot website and I see it's all phone numbers.  I too will try soon to get through to them.  If we need a new meter then I would rather have that than not be able to test.

And thank you for your words of reassurance about my son.  I keep thinking each time we have a little incident or clinic appointment that something will get through to him, I just live in fear of him doing some serious irreversible harm to himself in the meantime.  I'm sure he will get his act together in time, I am just impatient and want it all now!  Growing up is tough enough, without all this to deal with.

Anyway, thanks again.  Let's see what we find out tomorrow.

Tina


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## Northerner (Sep 16, 2012)

OK, you got me going with this now! So I decided to try it and see. Using the new, no-code strips - and it worked fine giving me  number of 0.2, so I'm not sure what happened to Patti's or the other woman's  Are you definitely using the Freestyle Optium strips, in the yellow box? (i.e. the codeless ones)


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## Pattidevans (Sep 16, 2012)

Yes, deffo using the ones from the yellow box Northie. My exceed meter is a couple of years old if not older though.


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## Northerner (Sep 16, 2012)

Pattidevans said:


> Yes, deffo using the ones from the yellow box Northie. My exceed meter is a couple of years old if not older though.



My meter is a couple of years old also. How strange!


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## Tina63 (Sep 16, 2012)

I will break open my box tomorrow too now.  My son is in his room at the moment and he would go mad if I ask for them so I will just sneak them out when I can.  I haven't tried them, being mindful they are costly, but then I would like to know they work.  Our Optium Xceed is less than 2 years old (Dec 10) and yes, we have the yellow code free box too.

Will report back.


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## Tina63 (Sep 17, 2012)

I have tested using the new strips this morning and they do work fine, but interesting that others are having problems with them.  I would suggest a mass 'Test your Optium Xceed Ketone Strips Day!'  I would hate anyone else to get caught out, especially as you only generally use these in an emergency situation.  Better safe than sorry.

Tina


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## Northerner (Sep 17, 2012)

Tina63 said:


> I have tested using the new strips this morning and they do work fine, but interesting that others are having problems with them.  I would suggest a mass 'Test your Optium Xceed Ketone Strips Day!'  I would hate anyone else to get caught out, especially as you only generally use these in an emergency situation.  Better safe than sorry.
> 
> Tina



Interesting. I wonder if this is a 'known problem' or just the odd dodgy strip as you occasionally get with the glucose strips?


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## Pattidevans (Sep 17, 2012)

Problem solved, without even ringing Abbott.  A real "DOH!" moment! Bear in mind I haven't actually used this meter for nearly 11 months, and the day I was going on hols I checked my ketone strips to find they were out of date, so I requested more when I got home but haven't had to use em since (that was in June and the strips came in the new type box).

I woke this morning with the answer right there in my head. You need the coding strip.  The strips did come with a coding strip which is lilac in colour and there it was right in the zip compartment on the outside where I used to keep the coding strips for the ordinary strips - you don't now need a coding strip for the BG strips as they are all the same code, but of course you need to tell the machine that you're about to use a ketone strip.  The code for the BG strips is 45001 and the Ketone strips is 75001.

Tina did you find the coding strip and use it?   If anyone doesn't have the coding strip  then ring Abbott and ask for one.


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## Northerner (Sep 17, 2012)

I didn't use a coding strip - the machine knew it was a ketone strip


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## Tina63 (Sep 17, 2012)

No there wasn't a coding strip in the new pack - that's just the point.  The are coding strip free.  I just put a new lilic strip in and it worked.  This other woman on the CWD list said she understood they were coding strip free, but hers didn't work.  I have used this meter for BG strips, old ketone strips with the coding bit and these new ones without the coding.

Curious.


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## Pattidevans (Sep 17, 2012)

Tina63 said:


> No there wasn't a coding strip in the new pack - that's just the point.  The are coding strip free.  I just put a new lilic strip in and it worked.  This other woman on the CWD list said she understood they were coding strip free, but hers didn't work.  I have used this meter for BG strips, old ketone strips with the coding bit and these new ones without the coding.
> 
> Curious.


I have emailed Abbott asking them to clarify the issue.  I would have phoned but my phone battery is dead and we aren't allowed to use the office phones for private calls.


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## Pattidevans (Sep 18, 2012)

I received a message on my answering service today and also an email as follows:


> Dear Mrs Evans,
> 
> Thank you for your email.
> 
> ...


So, you have to have coded it with a strip once.  I thought I should clarify whether the strips are still coming with a calibration strip so I responded.


> Thank you for your telephone message and prompt email response.  What's unclear to me is whether a calibration strip comes with the ketone strips?  I can't remember whether I obtained the calibration strip with the latest lot of strips or whether it came with a previous pack (which I'd had for approx 2 years - they went out of date on 5/2012, but I had never had need to use them).  I presume if someone doesn't have a calibration strip you can supply one?


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## Northerner (Sep 18, 2012)

Interesting. When Accu chek changed to no-code strips they still supplied a coding chip with each box, but it only needs to be put in once and left in place. Having said that, I can't recall ever having used a ketone strip before this particular test, so I'm still confused!


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## Pattidevans (Sep 18, 2012)

I'll try to clarify further with Abbott Northie.  I'm still a tad confused as to why yours worked and mine didn't.

I so rarely get into ketone territory - was working it out and it's Xmas 2008 since I had BGs high enough consistently to be worried - but we were staying with friends in Brittany and I'd neglected to take the ketone strips with me.


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## Northerner (Sep 18, 2012)

Pattidevans said:


> I'll try to clarify further with Abbott Northie.  I'm still a tad confused as to why yours worked and mine didn't.
> 
> I so rarely get into ketone territory - was working it out and it's Xmas 2008 since I had BGs high enough consistently to be worried - but we were staying with friends in Brittany and I'd neglected to take the ketone strips with me.



I was just reading the instructions supplied with the strips and there is a line which says



> Optium and Optium Xceed meter users should check that LOT 75001 or CODE 75001 appears on the meter display window. If not, contact Abbott customer service...



It did with the strip I tested, can you remember if yours did? My highest level since diagnosis was 17.1 about 3 years ago and a one-off so have never had to use them.


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## Pattidevans (Sep 18, 2012)

Northerner said:


> I was just reading the instructions supplied with the strips and there is a line which says
> Quote:
> Optium and Optium Xceed meter users should check that LOT 75001 or CODE 75001 appears on the meter display window. If not, contact Abbott customer service...
> 
> ...


No the message didn't appear... so it's as well to ensure your meter is ready for the strips rather than panic at 2am on a Saturday morning when you can't ring them, isn't it?

Good thread IMHO I have posted about it elsewhere.


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