# Can’t get a test reading!



## Sarah_Mc (May 14, 2019)

Hello!

I’m newly-diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic and still getting my head round what that means and how I can adjust my lifestyle/diet etc to improve my health. I had 1 conversation with the diabetic nurse before I had to go abroad for work - I won’t get back to the UK now until July so I feel a bit isolated from support and advice. Very helpfully, the nurse gave me a glucometer, but when she showed me how to use it we could not get a reading from my blood. We tried 2 different meters and all we got was error messages. The nurse tested her own blood to make sure the meter wasn’t faulty. I took the meter away with me, but I’m still only getting error messages. I get a droplet of blood and it seems to flow onto the strip but the meter says the volume was insufficient. Any ideas?


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## Kaylz (May 14, 2019)

what kind of meter is it? is it quite a long area it has to fill? different meters do require different amounts in my experience xx


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## Sarah_Mc (May 14, 2019)

It’s a GlucoMen areo meter. The nurse seemed to think I was doing everything right so didn’t know what to suggest! The error message comes up as soon as my blood touches the strip.


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## Sarah_Mc (May 14, 2019)

Ha - just tried again and it worked! I think I was just being a bit timid.


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## Ljc (May 14, 2019)

I don’t know if this video will be of any help


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## Docb (May 14, 2019)

Here is a link to the user manual:

https://www.glucomen.co.uk/wp-content/themes/glucomen/assets/pdfs/User Manual.pdf

Scroll down a couple of pages and you will see some error codes - Er1 to Er5.  If you do not get a reading then an "Er" number should appear on the screen and you can check the list to see what the problem is. Most likely is that you are being a bit stingy with the blood.


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## Kaylz (May 14, 2019)

the guys here have suggested quite a bit already but you could also try a forum search about the meter to see if anyone else has experienced problems with it, I haven't used that meter so know nothing about it but seen as it has worked hopefully it will continue to  xx


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## Sarah_Mc (May 14, 2019)

Thanks folks - that’s all really helpful.


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## Lilian (May 14, 2019)

I see from the video that she is pricking her finger on the pad.    I was told that it should always be at the side of the finger and never the pad.


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