Recall: FreeStyle and FreeStyle Lite Test Strips

From Abbott Diabetes Website:

November 20, 2013

Dear Valued Customer,

Recently, it has come to our attention that certain lots of FreeStyle® and FreeStyle Lite® Blood Glucose Test Strips produce erroneously low blood glucose results when using FreeStyle® Blood Glucose Meters, FreeStyle Flash® Blood Glucose Meters and the FreeStyle® blood glucose meter built into the OmniPod® system. Erroneously low results that are not recognized may pose significant risks to your health.

If you do not use the meters in the photographs below, your blood glucose test results are not affected and you do not need to read any further.

FreeStyle Flash® 
Blood Glucose Meter
 FreeStyle®
Blood Glucose Meter
OmniPod®

Please click here for Abbott's complete announcement that lists affected lot numbers and information about what to do next if you have strips that are part of the recall.

What is StripSafely?

StripSafely is the initiative to bring awareness to the issue of test strip accuracy. I'm hoping to help bring attention to the StripSafely efforts by helping to make you an advocate for the cause. You are not being asked to make a donation.

If you could just take a moment to read more about the efforts and then follow StripSafely on FaceBook, Twitter and on their website, you'll be supporting people who I completely trust to help the diabetes community have a voice in the fight to change the current levels of accuracy acceptability. I am not affiliated with StripSafely.

Issue - From the StripSafely website:

At a recent public meeting the FDA acknowledged1 that there are some 510(k) cleared blood glucose (BG) meters and strips that do not meet the accuracy standards for which they were approved. There is currently no clear course of action to insure people with diabetes are using blood glucose strips that meet regulatory requirements.

The rest of this statement can be found at this link. 

Who, What, How?

StripSafely is an ad hoc Diabetes Online Community (DOC) collaboration to help the general public understand that there are inaccurate blood glucose test strips. We hope to get folks involved to do something about that. By something, we mean write the FDA, elected officials, and the news media.

The StripSafely campaign was created by Bennet Dunlap who is the site admin. Scott Johnson, Christel Marchand Aprigliano, Kerri Sparling, Cherise Shockley and Kelly Close joined early on and contributed their skills. The campaign is not affiliated with strip manufacturers, the FDA, or any other remotely organized group.

The real work of this project is being done by community members who write letters and blog posts as part of this campaign. See the social media section for these efforts. We would love to feature your letters and blog posts. That’s why there is a form on every page’s sidebars to help you share what you have written.

Thank you for taking the time to find out about StripSafely!

The iOS compatible iBGStar meter has arrived

Sanofi-aventis has been out in front in terms of their connection with the diabetes online community for some time now. From the DiabetesMine Design Challenge to their human presence on twitter, Sanofi is continually showing us that they are committed to being a positive part of the community.

Today with the announcement of the iBGStar blood glucose meter they've brought the first iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch compatible meter to market. Is that exciting? Damn right it is but not completely for the reasons that you may think.

I haven't used or touched the iBGStar yet so I can't tell you the first thing about how well it works but I do know two things; I believe that Sanofi is committed to helping the DOC and they would be foolish to introduce this meter before it was ready for prime time. I expect that when I do have the chance to see the meter in person, I'll be impressed.

So if I haven't used it... why I'm I writing about it?

Simple... What Sanofi has done today is bigger then a meter, what they've done is throw down the gauntlet. Much like when Apple first introduced the iPhone, the release of this product says, "no more clunky technology that looks like it's from a 1976 sci-fi movie". Prior to the iPhone our cell phones were terrible and why were they? Because the companies that manufactured them had no reason to do anything about it. We were all using our flip phones and no one was complaining. That of course didn't mean that it wasn't possible to make something better, just that it didn't make sense for the companies to put the time, money or effort into making them better. That business model worked just fine and would still be in use today if Apple didn't raise the bar.

In my mind that's what Sanofi did today, they raised the bar. In the short-term that means there is a new meter on the market that fits better into our new iPhone lives. In the long-term, well, that's where we all benefit. I'd bet that right now there are meetings going on at every device manufacturer in the country and they are all wondering what they need to do to keep up... and that's great news for all of us that live with diabetes.

If you want to read a hands-on account of the iBGStar, there are probably plenty but I'd start with Allison's over at DiabetesMine. When you finish reading her write up you'll see the names of some other great D-bloggers that were at a launch event yesterday and I bet they will have their thoughts online very soon.

If you think back to what the first smartphone looked like or even consider how much the iPhone has changed since it's launch, then you'll be as excited as I am to wonder what blood glucose testing will look like in just a few years. It's my contention that none of these advancements happen until someone goes first. So for that alone... I say, "thank you" Sanofi!

Brown University Study: Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood

Researchers at Brown University have developed technology that can measure glucose in human saliva.

Engineers at Brown University have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances.

Read the entire article at this link, it's facinating!

Tripping the light fantastic Each plasmonic interferometer – thousands of them per square millimeter – consists of a slit flanked by two grooves etched in a silver metal film. The schematic shows glucose molecules “dancing” on the sensor surface illuminated by light with different colors. Changes in light intensity transmitted through the slit of each plasmonic interferometer yield information about the concentration of glucose molecules in solution.Credit: Domenico Pacifici 

It's that time of year, here come the sick days.

There are just some things that you don't expect when you prepare yourself for parenthood. One of the things that I didn't imagine was being peed on more times then I can count. I guess had I thought it through I may have expected a little pee at the changing table or in the doctor's office. That said, I never imagined how many times I'd be hit collecting a urine sample and I'm talking about pre-diabetes. There was a time when he was about three that I believed my son was trying to pee on my hand. And Arden, oh Arden is the biggest offender as she quite likes to break out into uproarious laughter as I'm bent over collecting the sample during her yearly well visit.

When I realized that checking ketones was a part of diabetes management my first thought was, "great, more to do and learn" but my second thought was, "well at least I don't mind getting peed on anymore".

Today through social media, this time FaceBook, I had a conversation with a mother of a newly diagnosed child who is experiencing their first illness as a type I diabetic. She is understandabley concerned and wanting to make these next few days as stable and simple as she can. I without hesitation recommended that she get a Blood Ketone Meter, we use the Precision Xtra from Abbott.

This meter is fast and accurate when checking ketones, it does require a large drop of blood but nothing that a little extra squeezing can't provide. It's a real lifesaver during sick days and any other times that you require a ketone check. I highly recommend asking your endo to write you a script for one. We actually have two, one at school and one here at home. I can't specifically speak to the pricing as our insurance covers Arden's, however I have seen it online for less then twenty dollars... a small price to pay to avoid getting peed on IMO. Please note that I have never used it as a blood glucose meter and can't speak to it's reliability on that front.

When you have diabetes this time of year is a stressful one. I know that I feel like I'm holding my breath, hoping that Arden doesn't get a cold or worse. There is much that you can do to prevent the spread of germs, hand washing being just one but getting sick is inevitable and being prepared does make the process go smoother. If this meter sits in a drawer 360 days a year it is still well worth having for the other 5.

May you and your children be healthy and germ free this season!

Please know that I have never taken money, products or any other considerations for the product reviews found on Arden's Day. Also consider that I am not a doctor and am just passing on good information from my perspective. Always speak with a health care professional before making changes to a care plan.

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