# Strip free Accu-Chek mobile



## Jill (Jul 30, 2010)

Does anyone have any experience of this way of testing?  How does the cost compare with buying strips?  The gadget itself is seems fairly costly.  Anyone out there using one?


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## Proudspirit (Jul 30, 2010)

i had a look at this but you still have to buy the testing tape  just change it every 50 tests so cant see it would be any cheaper. 
Julie


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## Northerner (Jul 30, 2010)

Jill said:


> Does anyone have any experience of this way of testing?  How does the cost compare with buying strips?  The gadget itself is seems fairly costly.  Anyone out there using one?



Haven't used one myself, but I know we have a couple of members who do, so hopefully they'll spot this and respond.


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## Moddey (Jul 30, 2010)

*Yep*

We/I tried it. Not sure about the cost, as we got it for free here. Probably expensive, as the nurse was very reluctant to let us have one.

It was great not having strips everywhere, but the meter seemed a tad clumsy. The biggest problem we had, though, was that it's *very* sensitive to anything on the skin. You need to really scrub your hands before measuring or it'll give you ridiculously high readings. That's why I don't want to use it anymore, we've had some hypos when the meter was still saying bg was 6 or 7.

Maybe for an adult with time on their hands, but not for sticky children. 

Some children just seem to ooze sticky stuff and my boy seems to be one of those 

I mentioned it in my blog, so if you want to read more about other problems we had with the meter, it can be found here: 
http://mmollymoddey.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

But all the problems I mention in the blog can be overcome. It's the unreliability that made me dump the meter at the bottom of the supply box.


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## Casper (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi, I have one of these accu-chek mobiles, and I find it fab!

Best thing is not having to faff on with used test strips when out and about, and the finger pricker is attached to the unit, and uses the fastclix 6 lancets in one, so again there's no need to dispose of used lancets when out.

Haven't had any dodgy results, always seems accurate.  It is a bit chunky, but I don't mind, as prefer the 'all-in-one' approach, as can do a discreet test onehanded.

Don't know about costs, as being type 1 got it for free, and the test cassettes come on prescription.

Hope this helps,


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## Jill (Aug 1, 2010)

Thank you Moddey and Casper.  Think I'll pass on this one for the time being.  Thought it might be helpful when eating out but the cost seems prohibitive at the moment.


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## Liz! (Jan 6, 2011)

Well, I received one this morning after phoning the company to complain about the plasma issue. 

Mobile? What a joke! It feels twice as heavy as my old meter, plus strip pot, plus finger pricker. In a handbag, the three items listed can be slotted round other items, and don't feel bulky. This feels like a tank in comparison, it feels like going back to the old times when testers were the size of a brick and it required a hose to get the blood of the strip. It weighs 156g, compared to my insulin pump, 96g, and my stainless steel mobile phone, 94g.

I particularly asked the customer relations person whether it was environmentally friendly, and reassured me that it was as there are still 50 strips in the cassette. However the new cassette clearly requires way more manufacturing, and the cassette for the lancets only contains 6!

It is beautiful and shiny, and the display is very bright and clear. It can be set to give you a blood test reminder. But it requires those nasty fiddly little batteries as well, which no doubt run out quickly having to power such a large machine. 

If an insulin pump can be smaller (and mine is about a third smaller than this machine) AND take good old AA batteries, why does this need to be so huge? 

What I require from a meter is speed, ease of use and lightness. Even changing the cassette is complicated. Will i manage, if my blood sugar is low? Not as well as flipping the lid off of a new pot. 

I'm not impressed. But you may have guessed!


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## Ellie Jones (Jan 6, 2011)

I had to laugh at your review..

The mobile is an up-graded compact plus...

I had heard that there had been problems with the moblie, concerning the tape system playing up..

But my experience with Accu-Check meters, is that they aren't very reliable, I stated with the compact plus had two of these, so many problems decided to go with the Nano which I am now on my may need to go on my 3rd, as the Ir on it is knackerd, I assume that is what FO9 means!

But waiting to find out if they are going to give me the handset for my combi pump though


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## AlisonM (Jan 6, 2011)

So I should stick to my Freestyle Lite then? I've been using it over a year now and it's light weight, smallish, simple to use, accurate and now that I get strips on prescription, cheap. I just changed the battery after over a year, so not bad there either.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jan 6, 2011)

I've never had a problem with any of the Accu-Chek meters I've owned (3 or 4 I think)


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## Liz! (Jan 6, 2011)

Neither have I. I have a Accu Chek aviva and it is fine. UNTIL and EXCEPT with this new plasma issue!

My control has been terrible for a while. I was reading a forum somewhere and noticed someone mention that the new strips for all the Acc chek meters now read only from plasma, not the whole blood. That means that the reading is always 12.5 % higher than it would have shown with the old strips. So you might have a blood sugar of 10 but the meter would show it as 12.5. As I have very knif edge control, and have given myself corrections needlessly, i have got into trouble. I phoned up to chec this really was the case and was told, yes it's true. they are sending me a chart to work out what my blood suagrs really are!

Has anyone else been told this?


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## redrevis (Jan 6, 2011)

I used to use an Optium Xceed, now it's my back-up meter and I now use the accu-chek mobile. I was given this for free at a Diabetes event. The guy who gave me one said they retail for about ?50 but actually cost more to produce, so the company loses money on each one. I'm sorry but that's got to be utter bulls%&t. Even 'if' by some strange reality they have people hand making them one by one pushing up massive production costs they must make an absolute fortune on the cassettes. The cassettes cost about ?30 for 1, which contains 50 tests. 

Out of that 50 you might actually get 40-45 tests due to it sometimes giving error messages, or 'too little blood applied' when quite clearly I applied plenty of blood. I think normal boxes of strips like for the Eceed cost about ?20 for 50. So these are a fair bit more expensive.

Even though the mobile has it's flaws, I still use it over my Xceed purely for the fact, everything you need is in one unit. This thing must be the fastest way to test as I can do it stood up, out and about, anywhere so easily, without having to open pots, tear open strip packaging etc. The motor is a little noisey if you are in a silent room, but I'm not fussed about being discreet, i test and inject anytime any place I need to. 

I would say the mobile gives readings 'slightly' higher than the Xceed, but this doesn't really bother me as any meter reading is only a guide anyway and should not be thought of as an 'exact' measurement.

The finger pricker, 'fastclix' as super easy to use. Uses the same drum design as the multiclix so is very convenient and has the usual .5 increment depth settings. 

Changing the cassette is one of the easiest things ever, so no problems there. 

The display is easy to read, it has lots of settings, 'flags' for before meal, after meal etc. Has infra red for transfering data to a computer. Gives averages in 7,14,30 day periods for all tests or before meals, after meals etc. You can set target ranges, and reminders. It lets you know how many tests remain on the cassette after each test so you know when your coming to have to change it.

I've been using this for a few months now and I haven't had to change the battery yet. It is a little heavier and bulkier than other meters, so I disagree with the marketing name of 'mobile' in that sense, but it is on the button for being 'mobile' in the sense of using it on the move. I mean, you could even test using this thing whilst jogging it's so easy. 

I value this meters strengths over it's weaknesses but can see why it's not for everyone. It's definitely the most convenient meter i've used so far (used about 4 different ones). 

Hope this has been some help


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## grandma (Jan 6, 2011)

I have the Accu chek Mobile I got it on the Dafne caurse and I think its great although a bit big everthing is in one and I find it very easey to use and with the big screen easey to see dont have to fiddle with anything just open the cap prick and test close cap great


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## Ellie Jones (Jan 7, 2011)

It's the size of the mobile that puts me off after using the Compact plus!

Mind you it may be that me and Accu-Check aren't compatible, as I'm on my third Accu-Check in 2  1/2 years!

My personal opinion is if you are happy with your freestyle and it does what you need it to do, stick with it..


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## Freddie99 (Jan 7, 2011)

I've tried it and couldn't stand it. I've written a review on my blog:

http://diabetesdramasetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/heavens-review-that-might-be-diabetes.html

I do love the principle but it just doesn't match up to my Contour USB. I find it a clumsy thing that's massive and therefore impossible to hide or keep quiet. It's bloody noisey too. It takes an age to get set up when you want to test too.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jan 7, 2011)

*Plasma strips*



Liz! said:


> Neither have I. I have a Accu Chek aviva and it is fine. UNTIL and EXCEPT with this new plasma issue!
> 
> My control has been terrible for a while. I was reading a forum somewhere and noticed someone mention that the new strips for all the Acc chek meters now read only from plasma, not the whole blood. That means that the reading is always 12.5 % higher than it would have shown with the old strips. So you might have a blood sugar of 10 but the meter would show it as 12.5. As I have very knif edge control, and have given myself corrections needlessly, i have got into trouble. I phoned up to chec this really was the case and was told, yes it's true. they are sending me a chart to work out what my blood suagrs really are!
> 
> Has anyone else been told this?



Liz

I've been using Plasma strips for several years (the yellow stripy ones) and more recently the maltose-proof green stripy ones. I've not found the difference in readings particularly problematic, though I do keep meaning to ask at clinic whether it means I should adjust my target range. If you are over-correcting from 12.5 I wonder whether you need to look at your expectation of 'drop' per unit and/or assessment of how much insulin you have on board. 

I spent most of last year taking a serious look at post-meal spikes and know that at some times of day it is perfectly possible for me to get a 12.5 a couple of hours after a meal but drop back into range after 4 hours. I haven't got it completely sorted by any means (as you can see from my most recent blog post: Diabetes is enough to drive you nuts!) but I have made progress by looking at timing of injections before meals as well as the doses themselves. 

Good luck with yours!
M


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## Liz! (Jan 7, 2011)

Hi M... I have brittle diabetes so react a lot to any difference. A difference of 12.5% is BIG to me. And dangerous sometimes, for instance, my correction dose is adjusted upwards if my blood sugar is above 16. So I could have a blood sugar of 16 by the machine which is actually only about 14, and it is being adjusted in effect twice. At the other end of the scale the difference is not so marked, but even more dangerous if I don't eat enough.


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## redrevis (Jan 7, 2011)

TomH said:


> I've tried it and couldn't stand it. I've written a review on my blog:
> 
> http://diabetesdramasetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/heavens-review-that-might-be-diabetes.html
> 
> I do love the principle but it just doesn't match up to my Contour USB. I find it a clumsy thing that's massive and therefore impossible to hide or keep quiet. It's bloody noisey too. It takes an age to get set up when you want to test too.



Hi Tom,

I read your review. I think it was more a comparison with the contour usb than a review of the mobile but anyway. As regards to noise, I would hardly say it's 'phenomenal'. It has a motor in it, so you can't expect it to be silent. I suppose as I don't hide my testing the noise doesn't even register with me.

As far as 'it takes an age to set up when you want to test'. I'm confused. You open the slider, it takes 5 seconds to get to 'apply blood' stage, during this 5 seconds you finger prick and get blood ready. How fast do you need it to be 

On your blog you said 'You need to manually shut it down after testing...' 

This isn't true. If you close the slider and leave it for a few seconds it turns itself off. If you want to hold down the power button to turn it off sooner you can do this. It's an option. That's how mine works anyway. Apart from that good review


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