An Ultra Easy Way To Cope With Testing Times (OneTouch Ultra Mini Blood Glucose Meter)

Member Name: Hishyeness

Product:	OneTouch Ultra Mini Blood Glucose Meter
Date:	13/06/09 (300 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very simple to use. Large display. Discreet.

Disadvantages: None of any consequence.

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INTRODUCTION
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I write this review in the full knowledge that it will be of limited interest to the general public, but of much greater practical use to the unfortunate minority of us who suffer from diabetes - both Type 1 & Type 2.

Anyone reading this review for a buying recommendation probably already knows a fair bit about diabetes. For anyone else, the comprehensive write-up of my own experiences dealing with the disease - elsewhere on this site - may make for useful background reading.

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WHAT IT'S FOR
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Diabetes is a patient managed condition, and a critical part of that management is the ability to monitor blood sugar levels. Uncontrolled high blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics is the primary cause of the degenerative conditions most associated with diabetes, including damage to the nervous and circulatory systems that can result in loss of sensation, loss of sight and, in severe cases, limb amputations.

In Type 1 diabetics, the more immediate risk is a hypoglycaemic episode (a "hypo") where blood sugars fall too low, causing lethargy, dizziness, blurred vision, slurring of speech, and excessive sweating. If a hypo is untreated, it will cause a coma and ultimately death. As such, it is imperative to have a simple and effective tool for monitoring blood sugar levels, and a plethora of devices are available on the market to do exactly that.

Most devices work on the same principle, so the main differentiator between them is usually form and style (i.e. much like mobile phones, they all have the same basic functions). The size of the blood sample needed to take an accurate reading, as well as post-purchase support are also useful comparators.

Having been recommended a "One Touch Ultra" as my first testing kit by my specialist, I have since used a variety of products in the Johnson & Johnson Lifescan "One Touch" range, culminating in the "One Touch Ultra Easy" ("OTE" for ease of reference) which is now my primary blood test kit. The OTE is available in a variety of other funky colours (pink, lime and black), but I have settled for a functional silver version.

> Note: This product is known as the "Ultra Mini" in the United States but it is identical in every respect to the "Ultra Easy" as its known in Europe. The picture included by DooYoo is for the US packaging.

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HOW IT WORKS
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The OTE is a very discreet size and measures around two and half inches long by one inch wide, and is around half an inch at its thickest. It has a simple monochrome LCD screen that shows the reading in nice large numbers and only one soft oval rubber button with an up arrow on one side and a down arrow on the other.

The unit can be turned on and off in two ways. Firstly, by pressing the rubber button and holding it down for a second or two, and secondly, by inserting a test strip into the receptacle at the top of the unit. In the first case, the unit will immediately show your last reading in mmol units (millimoles per litre - the world standard for blood glucose results), as well as the date and time of the test. You can then use the arrows to scroll back through your last five hundred (500) results.

If you insert a test strip, you will get the letter "C" followed by a number code. That code should match the number on your tube of test strips. If not, you use the up and down arrows to find the right number, and once you get there, the unit flashes three times and then sets the right code in its memory.

The "finger pricker" is a spring loaded compact tube with a hole in its pull-off top. You pop off the top and load the lancet in - it has a white base with a round "nib" on the end. The base fits securely into the pricker, and you then twist off the nib to reveal the sterile little pointy bit that does the actual pricking.

Once you are ready to go, you pull back the slide mechanism that "cocks" the spring, and then set the "depth" of the lancet by twisting the cap to select a value between one and ten (1 being shallow and 10 being deep). The loaded pricker sits very nicely and ergonomically in the palm of the hand.

When activated, the prick itself should be relatively painless. However, it all depends on your skin and the settings you use - I have found it difficult to find the right balance sometimes, especially as some of the "test spots" on the side of my fingers (the least painful area to test) have hardened after years of constant pricking.

You squeeze your finger to get the red stuff going. You need very little blood with this kit - the advertised amount is a micro litre (about the size of this "O") - and then apply it to the strip. The test strip draws the blood by a capillary action into the meter. Your test result is given in around 5 seconds (the meter counts down).

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WHAT IT INCLUDES
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When you take the kit out of the box, you will find a zip up cordura case with a belt loop and an exterior pouch secured by a Velcro tab. Inside the kit case is a zip up net pouch, with another small compartment behind it, and two elastic loops - one for the finger pricking device and one for the tube of test strips.

There is also a separate moulded hard rubber holder that the actual unit easily slides into and out of. You are provided with a starter tube of ten test strips, ten lancets, a battery and a small container of "control" solution.

I tend to use the interior pouches and pockets for extra lancets - which I swap out every ten tests or so - and the control solution, but they are also useful for keeping emergency doses of meds (if you need them). A colleague with Type 1 keeps a supply of glucose tablets in his in case he has a hypo.

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INSTRUCTIONS & WARRANTY
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There is also a detailed instruction booklet and a registration card which, on completion and submission, entitles purchasers to a 3 year warranty, access to the free Customer Care helpline, and free batteries and control solution for the life of the product. The instructions are in easy to follow English-only text, but with detailed step-by step pictorial representations of the instructions, which are ideal for those with bad eyesight.

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PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS
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The OTE is a very compact piece of kit. I don't keep it on my belt, but the option is there if I want to. It fits discreetly and unobtrusively into my briefcase or desk drawer at work. I usually test around three days a week, once before I eat breakfast (fasting) and then again mid-afternoon (around two hours after lunch) so I keep it in my desk at work.

I have a larger, more complex unit at home (same family of products to take advantage of the same strips) which I uses some evenings and weekends, so I don't tend to take it back and forth. The OT will be my meter of choice when I go on holiday in a few weeks.

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MAINTENANCE
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The OTE is relatively hassle free. A test solution is provided so that you can calibrate the unit. The instructions advise you to do this once a week, when you open a new coded tube of strips, or have an unexpectedly high test result. That said, I only tend to do it four or five times a year.

Both the control solution and the test strips have expiration dates and it is not advisable to use either if they are out of date, as accuracy of results could be affected. Control solution is replaced free of charge by Lifescan for users who register on the web site (more on that later).

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PRICE & RUNNING COSTS
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The kit uses three consumable items: (a) a CR2032 battery 3 volt lithium battery that lasts for around a year of moderate use; (b) test strips, which are normally purchased in boxes of two tubes of 25 strips each and are available on prescription; and (c) lancets, which come in boxes of 100 and are also available on prescription.

The meter itself is the only appreciable outlay for diagnosed diabetics under GP care who have an NHS medical exemption certificate. I don't think the meter itself is available on prescription. I picked mine up from an internet retailer for a very reasonable £10, which was discounted from the £12.99 RRP.

For anyone buying a meter for personal use (i.e. non-GP prescribed), or in an emergency without a prescription (as I have had to do abroad on occasion) the test strips are quite expensive at around £22.00 per box. The lancets less so at around £10. To put this in context, I go through around 250 test strips per year, but am only on the second box of 100 lancets since I was originally diagnosed six years ago. Simple maths will tell you that this puts the running costs of this meter around £100 a year.

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SUPPORT
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One of the best parts of owning this product, and this company in general, is the excellent after-care service and support. As long as you register for the warranty, you will get free batteries and control solution for the life of the product. I have used this service a number of times (usually by e-mail) and have received the replacements within three working days.

The Customer Care line is available from Monday to Friday 8.30am until 6pm and Saturday 9am until 1pm, and they promise to answer within three rings. That doesn't mean that an automatic touch tone option is presented to you after three rings - it means you get to talk to an actual human being.

I have used it three times over the life of my One Touch products and they have always been true to their words. It still amazes me that they can give this sort of dedicated, expert support for what is essentially a £10 product (granted the strips are expensive, but even so...)

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VERDICT
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For convenience, discretion, portability and practicality, its hard to beat this meter. Add that to exceptional customer service and support, and outstanding value for money, and its easy to understand why this is my meter of choice.

Highly recommended.

© Hishyeness 2009

Summary: The best everyday blood glucose testing meter I have ever used.