General fitness, health and nutrition · Public discussion

Freestyle strips recycled

Igor · 2004-01-13T03:09:24+00:00

For US readers only - Legal disclaimer: Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it. The warning is clearly stated on the box... For the rest of the world: Some people have found out, that testing strips for Freestyle glucometer can be used more than once. THE METHOD: 1. unglue the two parts of the used strip 2. clean it under water (do not touch with fingers, just running water) 3. dry it using air flow (probably not the hair dryer, its too hot) 4. glue the two parts together 5. use the strip for second time TIPS: 6. be gentle 7. the sooner you recycle a strip, the better (also the vampires like fresh, liquid blood...) 8. do not expose the unglued strip to sun, do not dry it for too long (i.e. fast drying and glue it back together) 4. distilled water might be better for cleaning (but I have not compared...) FINDINGS: 5. in my case only 50% of strips produce a result - the rest produces error messages (Err1 or Err2). Recycling a recycled strip (i.e. using for third time) seems to be a waste of time (but the original message was talking about up to 8 times measurement)... 6. The measurement takes much longer with a recycled strip compared to a new one. Just be patient, the worst thing, which can happen, is an error message at the end. 7. The precision was in my case surprisingly good - out of 10 measurement no measurement was more than 0.5 mmol/l (9 mg/dl) different from the reference one. You can try it for free, just each time when you measure take the strip and recycle it. The next time you measure try to make two measurements - one with a new strip and second with the recycled one - and record the results ------> you can then calculate factors like corelation and R squared etc. (please note, that when testing with Freestyle new strips and blood samples from the arm the corelation to laboratory methods is 0.96, i.e. far from perfect world - see http://www.therasense.com/img/TheraSensewhitepaper.pdf) Igor PS: Once again, do not use the results from recycled strips for your decisions (i.e. about insuline dose), just use it for fun or education purposes...

Started by Igor · 13 January 2004 · Last activity 13 January 2004 · 7 posts · 487 views

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Original section: General fitness, health and nutrition
Published: 13 January 2004
Last activity: 13 January 2004
Original author: Igor
Posts: 7
Discussion status: Public discussion
Total views: 487
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Original post
Igor
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:09 UTC #1

For US readers only - Legal disclaimer: Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it. The
warning is clearly stated on the box...
For the rest of the world: Some people have found out, that testing strips for Freestyle glucometer
can be used more than once.
THE METHOD:
1. unglue the two parts of the used strip
2. clean it under water (do not touch with fingers, just running water)
3. dry it using air flow (probably not the hair dryer, its too hot)
4. glue the two parts together
5. use the strip for second time
TIPS:
6. be gentle
7. the sooner you recycle a strip, the better (also the vampires like fresh, liquid blood...)
8. do not expose the unglued strip to sun, do not dry it for too long
(i.e. fast drying and glue it back together)
4. distilled water might be better for cleaning (but I have not compared...)
FINDINGS:
5. in my case only 50% of strips produce a result - the rest produces error messages (Err1 or Err2).
Recycling a recycled strip (i.e. using for third time) seems to be a waste of time (but the
original message was talking about up to 8 times measurement)...
6. The measurement takes much longer with a recycled strip compared to a new one. Just be patient,
the worst thing, which can happen, is an error message at the end.
7. The precision was in my case surprisingly good - out of 10 measurement no measurement was more
than 0.5 mmol/l (9 mg/dl) different from the reference one.
You can try it for free, just each time when you measure take the strip and recycle it. The next
time you measure try to make two measurements - one with a new strip and second with the recycled
one - and record the results ------> you can then calculate factors like corelation and R squared
etc. (please note, that when testing with Freestyle new strips and blood samples from the arm the
corelation to laboratory methods is 0.96,
i.e. far from perfect world - see therasense.comTheraSensewhitepaper.pdf)
Igor
PS: Once again, do not use the results from recycled strips for your decisions (i.e. about insuline
dose), just use it for fun or education purposes...

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Julie Bove
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:09 UTC #2

"Igor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
For US readers only - Legal disclaimer: Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it. The
warning is clearly stated on the box...
<snip>
I think I'd get results as good as this by asking a Magic 8 Ball!
--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jbove

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Igor
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:09 UTC #3

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
"Igor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
For US readers only - Legal disclaimer: Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it. The
warning is clearly stated on the box...
<snip>
I think I'd get results as good as this by asking a Magic 8 Ball!
OK, I didn't post originally my correlation of the "recycled strips" results compared to "normal"
measurements (because I was lazy to put them into computer and calculate it) - up to now, the
corelation is .941. That is comparable to the precision declared by Therasense (.96 from forearm or
0.98 from fingers), and is better than some of the continuous glucose monitoring systems (I have
seen values like .92 etc...).
How it is possible? Therasense says: (copy from web page)
FreeStyle uses a brand-new technology which utilizes coulometric measurement. This technology is
based on measuring all the glucose in a sample, whereas amperometric technology measures only a
fraction of the glucose. --end of abstract
The reaction of glucose in the strip generates electrons which are measured by the meter. Freestyle
measures the "total number of electrons", where as most of other meters (=the fast ones, 5s
measurements...) measure just the current (i.e. the "speed" of electron flow in the few first
seconds). Therefore the measurement with Freestyle normally takes longer, but is more precise. The
meter measures the area of the whole peak (=mathematical integral) and when the quantity of
chemicals on the strip is lower the measurement takes longer.
It's clear, that after recycling the strip the quantity of chemicals on the strip is lower and the
reaction of glucose is slower. As result the meter measures longer a wider peak...
The only "technical" problem is, that when the reaction is very slow, the peak is so wide (i.e. so
long), that the meter is not able to finish the measurement in reasonable time ---> the meter stops
measurement (approx. after 60 seconds) and reports an error message (I think Err2).
The rest of the error messages is due to mechanical damage caused to the strip during the "recycling
process", e.g. the most common seems to be the destruction of the "measurement space" (my dictionary
says words like slit, gap, leak... - sorry, I'm not a born english man),
i.e. the strip does not draw blood.
I was myself surprised by the precision of the measurement with the recycled strips. And I myself
was not able to produce working recycled strips in the begining...
Again, I do not recomend the use of recycled strips for medical purposes, but merely as
chemistry/statistical exercise...
Igor
PS: BTW, In the Wild East country, which I come from, there was a heavy discussion on this topic a
month ago. Out of say 15 people sharing their experience only 3 have got good results, the other
12 have given up after first few error messages...

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No One But Me
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:09 UTC #4

talk about playing russian roulette with your diabetes!
"Igor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
"Igor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
For US readers only - Legal disclaimer: Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it.
The warning is clearly stated on the box...
<snip>
I think I'd get results as good as this by asking a Magic 8 Ball!
OK, I didn't post originally my correlation of the "recycled strips" results compared to "normal"
measurements (because I was lazy to put them into computer and calculate it) - up to now, the
corelation is .941. That is comparable to the precision declared by Therasense (.96 from forearm
or 0.98 from fingers), and is better than some of the continuous glucose monitoring systems (I
have seen values like .92 etc...).
How it is possible? Therasense says: (copy from web page)
FreeStyle uses a brand-new technology which utilizes coulometric measurement. This technology is
based on measuring all the glucose in a sample, whereas amperometric technology measures only a
fraction of the glucose. --end of abstract
The reaction of glucose in the strip generates electrons which are measured by the meter.
Freestyle measures the "total number of electrons", where as most of other meters (=the fast ones,
5s measurements...) measure just the current (i.e. the "speed" of electron flow in the few first
seconds). Therefore the measurement with Freestyle normally takes longer, but is more precise. The
meter measures the area of the whole peak (=mathematical integral) and when the quantity of
chemicals on the strip is lower the measurement takes longer.
It's clear, that after recycling the strip the quantity of chemicals on the strip is lower and the
reaction of glucose is slower. As result the meter measures longer a wider peak...
The only "technical" problem is, that when the reaction is very slow, the peak is so wide (i.e. so
long), that the meter is not able to finish the measurement in reasonable time ---> the meter
stops measurement (approx. after 60 seconds) and reports an error message (I think Err2).
The rest of the error messages is due to mechanical damage caused to the strip during the
"recycling process", e.g. the most common seems to be the destruction of the "measurement space"
(my dictionary says words like slit, gap, leak... - sorry, I'm not a born english man),
i.e. the strip does not draw blood.
I was myself surprised by the precision of the measurement with the recycled strips. And I myself
was not able to produce working recycled strips in the begining...
Again, I do not recomend the use of recycled strips for medical purposes, but merely as
chemistry/statistical exercise...
Igor
PS: BTW, In the Wild East country, which I come from, there was a heavy discussion on this topic a
month ago. Out of say 15 people sharing their experience only 3 have got good results, the
other 12 have given up after first few error messages...

Report
Alan
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:10 UTC #5

No One But Me said:
talk about playing russian roulette with your diabetes!
Yep. I know that over there strips can be expensive, but there has to be a better alternative
than all that.
Cheers Alan, T2, Oz dx May 2002, diet and not enough exercise.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

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Willbill
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:10 UTC #6

Sat said:
Fri, 21 Nov 2003 12:10:36 -0700, "No One But Me" wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
talk about playing russian roulette with your diabetes!
Quoted message said:
Yep. I know that over there strips can be expensive, but there has to be a better alternative than
all that.
Cheers Alan, T2, Oz > dx May 2002, diet and not enough exercise.
hey, i pay out of pocket and when i get my next 300 Freestyle strips i'm gonna try it
nothing ventured, nothing gained. 🙂
bill t1 since '57

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If You Can'T Sw
Archived post

13 January 2004, 03:10 UTC #7

Re: Freestyle strips recycled
Group: misc.health.diabetes Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2003, 11:50pm From: [email hidden]
(Julie=A0Bove) "Igor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... For US readers only - Legal disclaimer:
Don't do it and don't sue me after you have done it. The warning is clearly stated on the box...
<snip> I think I'd get results as good as this by asking a Magic 8 Ball!
--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jbove
have heard the 8 BALL works better;=3D) case
the case, minus a few cans!

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