AccuChek

AccuChek, MySugr and Eversense at the Diabetes Congress

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At the Diabetes Congress last month, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with the team at Roche Diabetes Care, whose stand had turned a noticeable shade of green. But more on that in a moment…

The AccuChek Guide is currently my blood glucose meter of choice, and for good reason. Not only is it a meter that I can trust, but it’s also a modern one that’s designed for the 21st century. One of my favourite features is its Bluetooth, which wirelessly transmits blood glucose readings to the Accu Chek Connect smartphone app for instant review.

My biggest gripe about most diabetes smartphone apps are their lack of bolus calculators. I can personally see no benefit in logging things like insulin doses or carbohydrates without the essential ingredient that delivers value to me: a bolus calculator.

Despite using an insulin pump, I have found myself in need of a good bolus calculator several times over the past two and a half years. I’ve taken three breaks from my insulin pump during that time, in addition to also using the YpsoPump which does not have a built in bolus calculator itself.

The bolus calculator contained within the AccuChek Connect app has been disabled for over 18 months now, due to a bug that was over estimating insulin doses. I’ve put out calls for help on Twitter and Googled in search of any hacks with very little luck. I’ve been waiting patiently for an update that is yet to surface.

While the Connect app is still available to use, I was told that there are no plans to resurrect the bolus calculator anytime soon, with Roche now focussing their efforts on MySugr.

MySugr is basically a diabetes logbook app with the aim of ‘making diabetes suck less.’ Hence all the green in the stand. I have not personally used it, but I do hear it is quite fun and motivating to use.

The AccuChek Guide will wirelessly transmit blood glucose readings into the MySugr app. I was also pleased to hear that an extension of a bolus calculator to the app is awaiting regulatory approval. Fingers crossed!

Despite Roche’s exit from the insulin pump market in the US last year, AccuChek insulin pumps are still being manufactured in Europe and I have still been reading headlines about new developments in the pipeline. Roche insulin pumps don’t appear to be a popular choice among Aussies, and I did wonder if the lack of insulin pumps on display was a reflection of this or a lack of confidence in their product. Or perhaps I simply didn’t see the pumps on display…

More excitingly, I have heard that Roche has plans in the pipeline to distribute the Eversense implantable CGM system in Australia. I don’t know much more than this, and the system will of course need to receive regulatory approval first. You can have a read of this guest blogger’s review from Europe over at Diabetes Strong.

While Roche may not be the most well known for insulin pumping or CGM systems, they are clearly leading the way in blood glucose monitoring. Given that most people manage their diabetes using standard blood glucose monitoring, that’s not exactly a bad thing.

More enhancements and innovations that will support people in their chosen therapy is always a good thing.

And a cool new coffee mug. Because more excuses for coffee is also a good thing.

Disclosure: Diabetes Australia covered my travel, accommodation and registration costs to attend the Australasian Diabetes Congress. These are my own views, and not those of Diabetes Australia. My time, including the annual leave I took from work to attend, was my own. 

Review: AccuChek Guide Blood Glucose Meter

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The AccuChek Guide has by far become my new favourite blood glucose meter in recent months.

I first received this meter from my friend Tammy of Diabetes: Forever and Always, before also picking up another one from the trade hall at the ADS-ADEA conference last year. There was, of course, no expectation that I would write or even use the meter itself.

The Guide has been around for a fair while, with it’s first claim to fame being the “spill proof” capped test strip vials.

Strips can also be easily accessed by simply sliding them out of their place, without having to stick your fingers in there and fumble around for one.

While this meter does use a slightly larger blood sample (0.6uL) compared to my FreeStyle Insulinx (0.3uL) and OneTouch Verio IQ (0.4uL), the accuracy more than makes up for it. Past meters have shown big variances from two consecutive readings, aren’t consistent with other meters, or the readings simply don’t match up with my feelings,. Even on grubby working hands, I have found the Guide’s accuracy to be the most consistent and superior.

I also like that I can see the blood go onto the strip, compared to my previous FreeStyle Lite strips which had me guessing whether it was blood or sweat had gone onto the strips.

My biggest gripe, as with other meters, is the strip fill errors. If I don’t get enough blood on the test strip on the first go, which often happens when I’m quickly trying to check during a red light on my way home, I have no choice but to start over with a fresh strip. Alternatively, both my Optium Xceed (does that meter still exist?) and the FreeStyle Insulinx gave me an additional 60 seconds to apply more blood.

One thing that disappoints me most is that every meter in the AccuChek family uses a different line of test strips. In comparison, the FreeStyle family only has two kinds of strips (to my knowledge). This definitely limits my enthusiasm to trial other meters, and does prove inconvenient when trying to stockpile test strips for spare or travel meters.

The guide comes with AccuChek’s FastClix lancing device, which is pretty damn amazing. Each cartridge change contains six lancets, meaning that I can change my lancet six times by simply sliding the little white knob. Unfortunately, this still does not motivate me to change my lancet any more often! There are also 11 depth settings, making the finger pricking experience pretty comfortable.

By far, my favourite feature of this meter is its Bluetooth connectivity to the AccuChek Connect smartphone app. Every time I check my blood sugar, the reading is wirelessly transferred to the app on my smartphone. The app makes it so convenient for me to review my blood glucose data, without the hassle of having to force myself to sit and upload each meter to my computer with its corresponding USB cable.

When you test your blood sugar as often as I do, you’ll get a nice graph of patterns and time in range, which has been really helpful to me while I’ve been adjusting to my pump break.

The app also has a built in bolus calculator that can be accessed with a single use code from a healthcare professional, however this feature has been recalled in Australia for some time. I’m currently using RapidCalc for bolus calculations on my iPhone while I’m on my pump break, but I would love to integrate my insulin dosing into the Connect app as well.

The biggest tradeoff to the additional features is a faster drain on the meter’s standard coin cell battery. I might get 2 months of battery life from checking my blood sugar 10 times per day on my main meter, alternating between a spare and a FreeStyle Libre as well.

The AccuChek Guide is an amazing, amazing meter that has all the bells and whistles for 21st century diabetes management. It definitely helps keep me feeling excited and motivated in managing my diabetes.

Bells and whistles aside, however, the biggest sell for me is that it’s a meter that I can trust.

It’s definitely worth asking your diabetes educator for one on your next visit.