Relion meter -- is it reliable?

Hi everyone.

I tested Achilles this morning with the Relion meter to get his AMPS and I was shocked to see a 53. I immeidately tested again and received a reading of 143. Third test, just a minute later read 137. I got the largest drop of blood with the 53 reading.

I am seriously debating whether I can rely on the Relion (no pun intended). Has anyone else seen such disparity using the Relion? Can anyone recommend other meters? I am willing to pay more money for a new meter and test strips to have peace of mind.

Thanks.

 

the 143 and the 137 are pretty much the same number and in my experience you Can get too much blood on a test strip, so i would trust these two numbers and the meter. just remember that little aspect about it and if ever it happens again, you'll know to grab another test strip and share the blood

i've done that with my freestyle flash.....got excited 'cause i had tons of blood, only to get a wonky number. retested and got a much more sensible number for my cat and her patterns

fwiw, hundreds of people here use the relion meters every day

 

We have always used the relion meter without any problems, but last night after a long day of testing mocha from giving her to much insulin, I tested her at +11 and got 140, which would of meant she was dropping from a bounce. So I retested her and got 224 and since there was such a meter difference I did it again and got 241. I think the first one was an error and I went with the last one for my recorded number. But I believe that was the only time in the last year and a half that we had such a large meter difference.

 

I always used Relion meter & never had any issues - of course, once I got a reading, I never 2nd guessed it & did it again. I think this meter is a very good meter & will yield you the results you need to work with. I recommend (as do others) to stick with one meter & not a few; because meters can vary.

 

I have used MANY meters including the relion. at times, I have gotten a "wonky" number on all of them. so I just retest. so morale. anytime you question if the number seems "OFF" just retest. all kinds of variables. including too much blood or not enough eventhough the meter counts down properly

 

Sometimes you can get a wonky reading from too much or too little blood. So you did the right thing -- test again before panicing

 

Another thing with the ReliOn (and probably other meters) is you need to get the blood drop onto the strip within a matter of seconds. So you need to have a large enough blood drop. There is something in the instruction manual where it says you need to get the test within 5 seconds or the result will be off. So if you don't have enough blood in the strip, you can't repoke (unless you are super fast). I used to repoke if I didn't get enough blood and that's when I got off readings - which were lower. Then I found that part in the instruction manual.

 

When you say "within a matter of seconds" do you mean within a matter of seconds of inserting the test strip into the meter or within a matter of seconds of drawing the blood?

 

Good question. Anyone?

 

Hi Eva,

Sorry, that does sound a little confusing. You should already have the strip inserted (I'm not referring to the time when you insert the strip; it can be sitting in there for a little while), but you need to get enough blood onto the strip within about 5 seconds or the reading may be off. So if you got a drop of blood that wasn't large enough to activate the meter, you shouldn't try to repoke to get more blood to get a reading. As long as you have a large enough blood drop it should be fine. That has been my experience and also it is stated in the instruction booklet.
Overall, I think the ReliOn is a good and reliable meter; I used it for a while, but I use another meter (made by WaveSense) now and when I have compared these two meters, readings have almost always within about 10 points. Best wishes!

ETA: I just wanted to mention that I found this in the instruction booklet with the original ReliOn Ultima, and I read that maybe a 1-2 years ago. Sometimes meters are improved, so this may or may not still be the case. Just wanted to share what I had read and experienced.

 

Did you mean to say that you SHOULD repoke to get a bit drop of blood, and then use a new strip, in order to get a clean read? I mean, if you mess up on a strip and don't get a large enough sample, I assume you start the process again with a new strip and a new poke. Yes?

 

yes

 

Yes....That's what I was trying to say...That is, you shouldn't repoke to try and get more blood to get a reading on the strip that didn't activate the meter (it'll take more than 5 seconds)...So you need to start over with a new strip to get a clean reading.

 

I have the Relion Utima Meter. I took mine to the vet and had the vet use my meter to compare it with their readings. The vet was very pleased with my meter and then turned me loose to do the curves myself. Now all I have to do is call the vet and give her the numbers. I think the Relion is a good meter.

 

I have used the Relion meter for years and have been pleased with it. Every once in a while I get a off reading (usually low), but it is usually because something different happened such as taking too long to get the blood or sometimes getting too much blood. I usually just do a double check with another test.

 

I have a relion as a backup only because I had the same problem you just had and did not feel comfortable with it I even posted it in one of my condos quite some time back but you will find many people love it since its so affordable and many seem to trust it very much. I use the freestyle lite and even bought the expensive alpahtrak for pets to have on hand for comparison and am finding that I trust my freestyle very much. JMO anyway

 

I use the Relion ultima. If you look in your instruction booklet, there is an 800 number that you can call and request that they send you some control solution, which is designed to test your meter and make sure its giving reliable readings. Also, are you making sure you re-calibrate your meter with each new packet of strips? I'm not sure which Relion you have, but mine requires recalibration with each new box of strips. Call them, they can explain about the control solution`

 

We haven't gone thorugh our first packet of strips yet, but we will by the weekend. I will call them for the control solution. Great idea. Thanks.

 

I have 3 reli on meters and several other brands, I love the reli on's yes you can get errant readings at times if the blood sipped too fast or slow, but that happens with all meters, if it doesnt seem right perhaps the blood drop was too big or the strip applied to it too fast, then retest!
I find the error is usually mine in my use not that of the meter.