{"id":23310,"date":"2012-01-01T08:35:37","date_gmt":"2012-01-01T13:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=23310"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:44:23","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:44:23","slug":"dirty-sweaty-freestyle-test-strips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=23310","title":{"rendered":"Dirty, Sweaty Freestyle Test Strips?"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Abbott Freestyle Freedom Lite glucose meter generally makes me happy. I can test on my forearm, and the butterfly strips hardly require any blood.\u00a0 Also, unlike my husband’s Freestyle Lite (not Freedom) which has pooped out on him and gives him error readings fairly often, my meter has held up fine for about three years already. But…<\/p>\n

Every so often I get a dirty canister of test strips.\u00a0 What I mean is that instead of the usual white, the inside of the canister is grayish-black.\u00a0 It looks like newspaper print after it’s rubbed off on fingers, or like someone colored it with a pencil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I don’t know why this happens.\u00a0 I assume the dark grayish color comes from the dark sections of the test strips themselves.\u00a0 Do they sweat?\u00a0 If so, does it affect their accuracy?\u00a0 Am I buying strips that have been exposed to heat during shipping?\u00a0 Is it safe to use strips whose color is rubbing off?\u00a0 Or is there some other explanation for the dirty-looking canister?<\/p>\n

The first time I got one of these canisters, I wanted to return it.\u00a0 But the idea of waiting in the always-long-line at the pharmacy and then arguing to try to get a\u00a0 new box of strips was just too unappealing.\u00a0 Instead, I opened a new box, which looked normal, and offered Mike my dirty strips.\u00a0 He gladly took them and used them.\u00a0 “I’m sure they’re fine,” he said.\u00a0\u00a0 “Unless it’s lead.”<\/p>\n

But how do we know they’re fine?\u00a0 I don’t like to get any imperfect products.\u00a0 And when it comes to healthcare products, imperfections make me very anxious.\u00a0 Popping open a container of test strips shouldn’t stress me out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Basically, what I want to know is if my dirty strips are safe and accurate.\u00a0 (Note: I’ve also seen smudges on the strips themselves, not just on the canister.) I have been to Abbott’s website<\/a> several times looking for an explanation, but haven’t found anything, not in their FAQ section or anywhere else. Google searches haven’t brought me answers either.<\/p>\n

Has anyone else encountered this?<\/p>\n

Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

*Update: I just opened a new box of strips and looked over the package insert which says, “The cap or vial contains drying agents to protect the test strips.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Could I be talking about drying agents?\u00a0 And what’s a drying agent anyway?\u00a0 That’s pretty vague.\u00a0 A desiccant?\u00a0 What kind?\u00a0 Anyone know?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":53098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1501],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDirty, Sweaty Freestyle Test Strips?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every so often I get a dirty looking canister of Freestyle blood glucose test strips. 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