Home Diagnostics True Track Smart System Blood Glucose Monitor

Review by Rain23 for Home Diagnostics True Track Smart System Blood Glucose Monitor
Rating:
I really liked this monitor when I got it. It’s easy to use, and the strips cost way less than other meters. My diabetes is type 2, and I’ve been on metformin and diet control for about 15 years. I keep a very close watch; when I can afford it I test 4 times a day.

Suddenly my blood glucose was reading 130′s to 150′s before meals. I put it down to stress and maybe less tight diet. I tightened up my diet control, made sure I was getting enough sleep. Sugars began reading 160′s to 300 before meals. I don’t have health insurance and I had no way to get in to a doctor over the weekend. Before we went to the ER my husband said “Don’t you get nauseated and sleepy when your sugar goes high? If you just feel a little tired, are you sure the meter is right?” He’s not diabetic, and he did a pre-meal test at 124 (he’s normally 80 or less).

I went and bought a bottle of One Touch strips for an old meter I had, and it read 125. I got 165 on the TrueTrack.

I found out I have to send the meter back to be recalibrated and wait for it to return. No suggestions on how I monitor in the meantime. They consider 20% variability to be acceptable. My readings were anywhere from 20-40 points off. Now, most sliding scale insulin based on how high your blood sugar goes over a certain number, in increments of 10. I think 20 to 40 off could be a real problem for anyone taking insulin.

Fortunately I’m on oral medication and increased that according to my doctor’s directions, which just made me feel rather nasty. If I had been taking insulin to correct I could have gotten into serious trouble. Also, TrueTrack’s meter reads low (LLL) at 20 and high (HHH) at 600. With those blood sugar results it would be really unsafe to drive, or you might not be able to call for help before you blacked out. My current meter reads LLL for low at 40, giving me time to get some carbs in and/or get help. Since you’re not always the brightest thing on the planet when you’re having a critical low, it helps when the meter practically screams “Do something now!” in time.

This is a great low cost meter for someone who wants to casually monitor and is willing and able to verify on another meter or at their doctor’s office if they start getting strange results. If you’re trying to go it on your own with only minimal doctor visits and no health insurance, save yourself from diabetic complications and spend the money for a more expensive meter and strips.

There’s a discount card program called Together Rx Access you can find on the Web. You can watch for strip sales, and some internet sites have almost-expired strips you might be able to use before the expiry date. Ask your doctor how infrequently you can get away with testing to make the expensive strips last, and if they have any samples from the reps. I’ve learned my lesson. I would rather test once a week and when I have symptoms and have it be accurate, than test more often on a less accurate meter and get into trouble.