FreeStyle Blood Glucose Monitoring System Review

As a Physician's Assistant, I have spent countless hours teaching patients of all ages to manage their diabetes. Part of that education is making sure they understand how important it is to check their blood sugar levels and that they know how to do it correctly.  As a result, I have had hands on experience with practically every home monitor on the market.  Consequently, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I knew immediately which device I wanted - the FreeStyle monitor.

Most people don't test their blood sugar nearly often enough, and with the reason given most often - "It hurts!" - its easy to understand why.  No one likes to feel like a pincushion and when you have to do it to yourself...enough said.  This is where Freestyle steps in. The monitor requires an extremely small amount of blood and allows you to use alternative sites such as your hand, forearm, upper arm, calf or thigh.  There are times when you will still need to poke your fingertip and that's where the "almost" part comes in (with all the nerve endings in your fingertips, its going to hurt no matter who, or what, does the poking) but the first time I tested myself with FreeStyle was on my forearm and I truly felt nothing! I was sure something had gone wrong...until I noticed a tiny drop of blood.  Not only don't I mind testing myself, but I have been able to change the lives of young children and seniors alike with this device.

The FreeStyle kit comes complete with:
- the monitor
- lancing device with two caps; one for finger tips, one for everywhere else
- ten lancets and testing strips; enough to get you started
- a nylon carrying case; small and durable
- control solution
- batteries
- a log book
- easy to follow, detailed instructions
- the option to send for a free instructional video
- optional FreeStyle Connect Data Management System for PC use

Set-up and Calibration
Set up is easy and just a matter of putting the batteries in the monitor and setting the date and time. This only needs to be done on initial use and anytime the batteries have to be replaced. You will need to calibrate on first use and anytime you purchase a vial of new test strips. All that is involved is checking the code number on the new vial, placing a test strip in the meter and pushing a button until the numbers match. Calibration is good for that entire vial. Before testing, you should also run a control test to make sure everything is working correctly and this is explained step-by-step. There is only 1 level of control solution, compared to 2 or 3 with other monitors. The monitor turns on when you insert a test strip and off on its own after 2 minutes.

Testing and Results
Once you're ready to do a test, choose the area where you want to take a sample from, select the correct cap, insert the lancet and press a button on the lancing device. Touch the test strip to the drop of blood and it is drawn-up automatically. That's it! No muss, no fuss! Test results are displayed with 5 - 10 seconds. The monitor stores up to 250 readings plus a 14-day average. The folks at FreeStyle also recognize the desire most diabetics have to be discrete and included a 'mute' option - no beeping to alert others to what you are doing.  

Optional Cable and Software
The meter has a data port, which needs a special cable and software ($75.00). The FreeStyle Connect Data Management System is for PC use only and allows the user to transfer the data in the FreeStyle meter to a personal computer. According to the manufacturer, "You can then quickly review, analyze and print data in any of several report formats."  The main advantage is that the software allows multiple users in the same household to transfer their results to a computer, keeping tracking separate. Note that multiple meters cannot be tracked on the same report. 

Save your money and skip this option. It would be very easy to set up your own tracking system either on the computer or just by having a separate log book in the case of multiple users.

The Bottom Line
The FreeStyle monitor is my first and last choice for glucose monitoring!