Test Strip Example
Visually Inspect Your Test Strip!
I made this
as a learning aid for the family. It shows an empty strip, an improperly
filled test strip ("short"), a questionable test strip ("okay??"), and
a properly filled test strip ("perfect")
An improperly filled strip will still produce a reading, but it could be inaccurate. The Bayer customer service rep said short samples usually give a low reading, but they can also give a high reading.
The thing about the okay?? strip is that we found that when we get a strip like this, if we immediately retest and get a perfect strip, the readings are nearly identical. So, it's questionable because it seems to give an accurate reading, but it doesn't meet the manufacturer's specifications. At this point, I feel like it's worth redoing the test if the number is lower or higher than expected, or if there are other unexplained symptoms such as thirst, lethargy, confusion, walking funny, etc.