EASYLIFE Blood Glucose / Cholesterol / Haemoglobin Meter

Obtaining a good finger prick blood sample is crucial to getting accurate results with a home cholesterol test. First, watch the top video above, it shows a great demonstration of exactly how you should be using the lancets and pipettes provided, and the prep needed to perfuse the fingers. You don't squeeze the pipette to fill, just place it in the second drop and it fills itself, only squeeze it to discharge to blood into the sample well on the test device when it's full to the black line.

We have put together out top tips on performing a finger prick blood test to help you here

A lancet can be used alone or with a lancing device. Many people find it easier to obtain a finger prick blood sample if they use the lancet in a lancing device.

Most of our meters are supplied with starter packs of lancets and some with safety lancets. We suggest you continue to use the same lancets recommended by the manufacturer if possible. If you are struggling to get adequate samples move to a thicker lance, ie 21g is thicker than 28g or 30g (the thinnest)

If your Total Cholesterol levels are in the normal range there is usually no need to test after fasting.

However, if your results indicate an elevated total cholesterol or high level of Triglycerides, over 1.7 mmol/L, then it is best to move to cholesterol testing after fasting for between 9 and 12 hours. This can easily be achieved by not eating after 7 pm and testing first thing the following morning.

Yes there are a few medical conditions and drug supplements that can interfere with your cholesterol test results.

Please consider the following if you are not getting consistent or accurate readings with your cholesterol meter:

• High dose Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid supplements, often as part of multivitamins or taken on their own will interfere with results. If they are not prescribed and it is possible to stop taking Vitamin C in high dose, cholesterol testing can be resumed after 7 days.
• High Bilirubin levels in the blood will interfere with cholesterol test results. The level may be below that required to cause clinical jaundice. Raised bilirubin levels in the blood can occur in many medical conditions including anaemia, cirrhosis, following a blood transfusion, Gilbert syndrome—a common, inherited condition in which there is a deficiency of an enzyme that helps break down bilirubin, viral hepatitis, gall bladder disease, as a reaction to drugs (including statins) and in alcoholic liver disease.
• High urate levels can result from renal disease and early kidney failure but can also be caused by many other things including dehydration, diuretics (water retention relievers), drinking too much alcohol, drinking too much soda or eating too much of foods that contain fructose, a type of sugar, high blood pressure (hypertension), Immune-suppressing drugs, Leukemia.
• Haemolysis, the breakdown of large numbers of blood cells. Routinely follows a blood transfusion, but can also occur after trauma, surgery, and in a range of blood and bone marrow diseases.

With the exception of Vitamin C and prescribed drugs, most of the above will require medical investigation to confirm the underlying cause, but is worth considering if the cholesterol meter check device test is normal and the lancing technique, sample collection, and procedure are all correct. Please just don't blame the meter, or ignore the results, the problem may in fact be you! It could be something that you are taking or that you have an underlying medical condition that you may be completely unaware of!