So I CVSHealth At Home A1C Test Kit for about 35 bucks (on sale at the time of this writing). It came with two tests. I blew the first test because my apartment was too warm. The meter will not let you do the test, but to get to the point it tells me, I had to use up one of the cartridges. It would be better if there was a button that indicated the temperature was in range before the cartridge pack is open. Oh, once the cartridge pack is open, you have to use it within 2 minutes.

So, you may already have guessed that this is not as simple as the daily mg/gL or mmol/L testing.

Some info about the test:

It comes with a meter, 2 test cartridges, 2 single use lances, 2 blood collectors, and 2 "shakers" .

The test needs to be run at a temperature between 64 F (18 C) & 77 F ( 25 C). As I noted, the meter will not do the test if it is out of the range, but will not tell you until you insert one of the cartridges, at which point, the cartridge is no longer usable.

The cartridge is calibrated to the meter. The meter is also designed to do no more than 2 tests. After the two test, you have to buy a whole new kit, not just the cartridges, lances etc..

Once the cartridge packet is open, it must be used in 2 minutes. Not sure what happens if the test is not done in that time frame.

You need to match the lot number another code on the cartridge to the meter.

So here is the basic process:

- Lance your finger. It needs way more blood than my onetouch ultra2 mg/dL meter

- Use the blood collector to collect the blood. The tube needs to be full without excess blood on the outside.

- Insert the blood collector into the open end of the shaker, click it down HARD. Check there is no "gaps" .

- shake for 5 seconds, and out it down standing on its base.

- Open the cartridge packet.

- insert the cartridge into the meter and check the code. Wait for the "SMPL" message. There is another instruction sheet that lists error codes of the test does not run, but as noted above, this also means the cartridge is wasted.

- Remove the stand from the shaker and press the now open end into the cartridge, removing quickly once the meter says "RUN".

- Wait for 5 minutes to get results.

Mine came in at 5.3. My last lab a1c was 5.7. Since then I have gone off meds and got better with my diet.

The 5.3 is also not out of range as to what I was expecting based on my mg/dL results.

Even if the meter were to be 10% off, it would be a range of 4.8 to 5.8. I can live with an a1c within that range ;-)

I do not get another a1c done in the lab for another 3 months, so I can't compare this result with the lab results. I'll get another kit in 3 months to compare the results.

Will I completely trust the home tests? No. But since I only do an a1c in the lab ever 6 months, they can give me an idea in between the lab tests.

@A DiabetesTeam Member The a1c home test came from CVS, but there are a number of brands. The kit from Bayer seems to be popular.

This is a link to the kit I used. It had 2 tests, but I blew one because the room temp was too high.

http://www.cvs.com/shop/home-health-care/diabet...

I only get my a1c tested by my Dr every 6 months, but I wanted something to check half way between

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

@vicabak Actually no, I "should" not check my a1c quarterly. That decision is between me and my Dr. You should not be giving medical advice.

Here is an article from the Mayo Clinic., someone I would trust more than you:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/a1c-...

Here is the part that applies to me: "Twice a year if you have type 2 diabetes, you don't use insulin and your blood sugar level is consistently within your target range"

Scanners are nothing new, my t1 friend has had one for a while. It works well for people that have to adjust insulin doses based on carb intake and blood sugar levels, it would be overkill for me.

@A DiabetesTeam Member Thanks for the suggestion. I test once in the morning before I eat. Then I test after what would likely be the highest carb meal of the day. Since I suffer from Dawn Phenomenon, and my after meal test is after so many carbs, it isn't accurate enough. I'm off by 1, but it is 1.0. My a1c runs between 5.4 & 5.7, the calculator gave me 6.8. Since I target the meal that has the highest carb, it also has the highest mg/dL.

As I mentioned in another post, I did get a a1c test meter from CVS's web site. It did pretty well.

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A Diabete...

MJT10 go on accucheck .com and u can down load an accu check A1C calculator u put in ur daily average and hit calculate and it will give u ur A1C reading then compare it to what ur Dr. gets when they check and c how close it is mine is usually off by 1 like if its 5.9 on the accucheck, at my Dr. it is 6.0