The meter uses 1 3-volt lithium coin cell battery (type CR 2032) found in many stores.

There are a few ways you can improve blood flow and make blood sugar testing easier: Warm your fingers by washing with warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry completely. Let your arm hang down at your side to increase blood flow to the fingertips. Grasp finger just below the joint closest to the fingertip and massage gently toward tip of finger, then squeeze for 3 seconds. Use an Accu-Chek lancing device set to the right penetration depth for your skin type. Refer to your User's Guide for additional information.

The meter includes an additional internal battery that retains the time and date for up to 72 hours. So when the battery is changed, no memory is lost.

It's a small sample—just 0.6 microliter.

Clean and disinfect your meter once a week, or any time blood gets on the meter. You should also clean the meter before allowing anyone else to handle it.

The system automatically detects when enough blood has been applied to the strip and begins the test, even if some yellow is still visible. The only time you need to apply more blood is when the blood drop symbol continues to flash in the display.

Cleaning is simply removing dirt from the meter, while disinfecting refers to removal of most but not all, disease-causing and other types of microorganisms.

An E4 displays on the meter, indicating not enough blood was drawn into the test strip for measurement or blood was applied after the test had started. You should discard the test strip and repeat the blood sugar test. 

• 70% isopropyl alcohol
• Mild dishwashing liquid mixed with water
• 10% household bleach solution (1 part bleach plus 9 parts water) made the same day

Yes. In addition to the fingertip, you can collect blood samples from the palm, forearm or upper arm. Talk with your healthcare professional before deciding if alternate site testing is right for you.

Be sure to clean the areas around slots and openings, while being careful not to get any moisture in them. You should also wipe down the entire meter surface, including the meter display.

Because your monitor and lab tests don't measure the same thing, these numbers are likely to vary. Lab tests generally test plasma, but a meter uses whole blood. As a result, even if you take both tests at the exact same time, your meter is likely to show a lower number than the lab results. This is perfectly acceptable, and your healthcare professional will already be factoring this in.