OneTouch Ultra is the designation for a line of blood glucose testing meters, or glucometers, made by Lifescan, Inc. They are some of the most widely-used and popular testing meters in the country. The company has continued to improve its meters and currently has three versions of the OneTouch Ultra on the market, though previous ones still work very well for many thousands of diabetics.
OneTouch Ultra in use
People who have received a diagnosis of either Type I or Type II diabetes must embark on a complex journey to understand what has happened to their health and to learn how to proceed from that point forward. This is a condition that is no respecter of gender or age, but is more likely in people who have one or more risk factors.
Diabetes is a medical condition of impaired whole-body metabolism but one major feature is the loss of the ability to correctly and automatically control the metabolism of glucose. When this happens, the blood sugar or blood glucose levels in the body become elevated. There are many strategies available to try to control this situation, but close control depends on the ability to measure one’s glucose levels and it is here that glucometers, or glucose meters, and especially the OneTouch Ultra meters, play a very important role.
The OneTouch Ultra line of glucose meters provide a very accurate and convenient way to check one’s glucose levels at home, avoiding the necessity of frequent testing at a doctor’s office, although use of the meters and the steps to take when the results are known should be undertaken under the supervision of an expert caregiver.
What are the features of the OneTouch Ultra glucometer?
One Touch Ultra offers a fast, easy, and simple way of monitoring one’s blood sugar level. The meters are sold in kits, which include all essential tools needed to properly get a reading of one’s blood sugar level. That is, the package will include the meter, the test strips, the lancets and the control solution. All three models of the OneTouch Ultra are designed to use a very small amount of blood, typically obtained from a finger pricked by a lancet (small sharp tool designed for this purpose) that is placed on the end of a test strip and inserted into the meter. Within about 5 seconds, a result is displayed which represents the percentage of blood glucose measured in the sample.
The OneTouch Ultra 2 model is small and designed to use a type of lancet system that is considered gentler than others and should hurt the least. It will keep a record of readings from successive tests so that a user can analyze the effects of different food amounts and meal constituents. It will average results over 7, 14 and 30 day periods to help demonstrate trends. It has a fairly large and easily read screen that has a back light so that you can read your results in day light, dim light or darkness. The OneTouch Ultra 2 has a port that can attach to a computer so that readings can be downloaded for storage there or to share with a care provider via email.
The OneTouch Ultra Mini model of glucose meter is quite small and oblong-shaped so it fits very easily in a pocket or purse and so is extra portable. It also comes in 6 colors: blue, black, purple, silver, pink and lime. This meter will save 500 tests in its memory and uses a simple navigation scheme to access all its features. It offers the same high level of accuracy as the other two models of OneTouch Ultra.
The third model of this line is the OneTouch Ultra Smart glucose meter. It is also small, but the largest of the three currently being sold. It has the widest feature set and automatically collates and displays blood glucose readings into helpful charts and graphs for easy inspection. It can also store data about exercise, general health, medicines and food intake that the user enters into the device. Charts and graphs make it easy to see when blood sugars fall too low, too high and what patterns there may be. For example, after taking a reading, the OneTouch Ultra Smart meter shows how that one result compares to the 14-day average at that time of day as well as how it compares to the last test result reading taken. Nine charts are built in to the meter. This OneTouch Ultra meter permits using alternative testing sites including the forearm and palm surface.
Details to master about the OneTouch Ultra glucometer?
To make sure that your glucometer is giving you correct results, each week you should run a test using the control solution. It has a determined amount of glucose in it and will give a known value when you run the test. If it isn’t correct, review the details and contact OneTouch Ultrasupport at Lifescan if you need help. Usually, the result will be correct and then you know that the OneTouch Ultra meter and the strips are working properly and can have confidence in the results you get when testing with your own blood sample.
When you prepare to take a blood sugar level test, you must verify that the code on the package of test strips matches that on the meter. When you first get the new OneTouch Ultra meter and when you open a new box of test strips, it’s crucial to calibrate the meter to the test strips (set the codes to match.) That will ensure that all the tests run with those test strips will be accurate.
It’s important to rotate the sites from which you draw your blood samples. You can use the sides of all ten fingers, the fleshy part of the palm and the forearm, but check with your caregiver to make sure this is appropriate for you before selecting alternate sites from the fingertips. Rotating sites will give previous sites a chance to heal up and decrease pain and inflammation.
The OneTouch Ultra Blue testing strips are specially designed to make the drawing of the blood sample go quickly and easily. To make the blood flow more easily after using the lancet (by itself or with the adjustable blood sample device), it can help to warm your hands first. Just run your fingers under warm water or place them under your arm for a minute or so to warm them up a little. Then, pierce the skin with the lancet and place the end of the test strip up to the blood that appears. Only a tiny amount of blood is needed by any of the OneTouch Ultra meters and the FastDraw feature of the strips automatically pulls in the correct amount–it will even allow you to see if enough is there. Five seconds later, the result of that test will appear in the window of the OneTouch Ultra meter.